Creation from destruction…

According to Pablo Picasso, every act of creation is, first of all, an act of destruction.

His thinking was this – before we can create, we must break down the barriers of limitations and restrictive thoughts to destroy old habits that serve to strangle our creativity.

I was thinking about this recently when I finally realised after a few weeks that the crisis we find ourselves in now was causing me such confusion because it is not normal.

When I came to accept that, I also understood that I would need an outlet to channel some of the energy I would in usual circumstances, give to other activities.

I have mentioned on this blog several times how I would spend many hours every week coaching youngsters, but without that outlet – the hours every week at training and games – everything else seemed to just get knocked off kilter for me.

It took a combination of physical activity in the garden (and I know how fortunate I am to have such a luxury at a time like this when many don’t) and setting small goals, for me to find equilibrium again.

To practice discipline I began to follow and complete the daily poetry prompts from Poetry Ireland.

Then, without realising it necessarily, I also began to put creative-thinking and innovation into practice in several small ways by re-purposing things that were lying around the garden or at the back of the shed.

I say without realising, because it was only after I had spent a morning last week listening to tremendous pitches from students on the current Post-Grad course on Innovation, Creative-Thinking and Entrepreneurship at Tangent, that it hit me that – what I had been doing was both creative and innovative.

First of all, an old bar that had been broken up and set aside for dumping, was combined with part of an old garden seat destined for the same fate and a couple of leftover tiles.

A garden umbrella that had seen better days and was set to be replaced because of broken arms, was with some patience, oil, wire and a few other bits and bobs, fixed and brought back to use again.

Two parts of long decommissioned garden heater found new purpose as excellent flower stands, badly broken wooden crates were patched up and even some old garden solar lights came together to form a flagpole.

 

Now I’m not saying I’ll be planning a trip to Bloom or the Chelsea flower show with this any time in the future, but for me, these small personal creative wins were a reminder that no matter what the circumstances, we can always be on the lookout for new ideas.

I also realised that because I was just doing this for fun and to keep busy, I had not let any barriers get in the way. No imposter syndrome, no fear of making mistakes or being criticised.

I just tried things and if they worked well and good and if they didn’t, I’d just see if I could find another way.

And there’s a lesson in that because when we are unafraid to let our imagination soar and apply the engineering and the action to make it happen, I think we really can recreate and rearrange the present by finding novel ways to approach specific problems.

I for one, am certainly looking forward to trying that.

 

• The poem below is one of the many I have written from the daily poetry prompts from Poetry Ireland.

 

Secret sauce

 

More often than not,

calamity has proven itself,

to be the catalyst

for success.

That, is the secret sauce

each and every achiever

keeps in their cupboard.

For them, obstacles are there,

to be overcome.

Driven by determination,

they understand that failure,

only ever comes from trying.

And they would rather

always, be a fool who had

tried and failed.

Than to spend their days

in a constant spiral. Wondering.

What if?

(Liam Porter 2020)

When everybody’s an expert…

Maybe it’s because he once called me at home many years ago, but for whatever reason I have always liked Mick McCarthy and thought of him as somebody who was honestly doing his best.

While he was in the news last week following the end of his latest tenure as Irish manager, he had actually been in my head before that, as I remembered a quote of his once at a press conference,  where he said in his broad Barnsley accent – “everybody’s a bloody expert.”

The saying kept coming back to me day after day, as I saw new things online on how productive we should be, what we need to be doing now, how we should be doing this, or that, or the other.

I even went back to my last blog post here when I was writing on things I hoped might help those who found themselves working from home.

And guess what?

I’m going to say right now that even if somebody did read it and thought some of the things in there were useful or helpful to them – I’m honest enough to admit that, what I wrote a few weeks ago doesn’t necessarily apply to the situation we find ourselves in right now.

Why would I say that?

Well, quite simply when I wrote that last piece a few weeks ago from the perspective of somebody who has spent many years doing a lot of work from home, I didn’t factor in that is not what people are actually doing now.

Many people are at home, trying to work, during the time of a global pandemic when there are restrictions on movement, when their children or other family members are there 24-7 with them.

That is not the same as working from home in normal circumstances.

So, I don’t believe that this should be called the “new normal,” either – simply because this is not normal.

As a society we have not been used to living like this. To being so confined in our movement, to having such a reduction in interaction.

This situation we find ourselves in, is so unusual and unprecedented that each of us must find our way to get through and those of us tempted to make wide sweeping statements on what people should be doing, could maybe take a second to pause.

I was reminded of a story of a Persian king who wanted to teach his four sons never to make rash judgements, so he told the eldest son to go in winter to see a mango tree.

He told the next to go in spring, the third to go in summer and the fourth to go in autumn.

When the last son had returned, the king called the sons together and asked them to describe what they had observed.

“It looks like a burnt old stump,” said the eldest.

“It is lacy green,” said the second, while the third described it as “beautiful as a rose.”

The youngest said, “No, its fruit is like a pear,” to which the King replied – “Each is right, for each of you saw the tree in a different season.”

The lesson from that story is that we should always take time to understand, get the facts, learn the background and place yourself where others are.

In normal circumstances, we could do that by sitting and talking face to face with people.

We could hear how most people are coping – but we can’t do that virtually and should never make assumptions from behind a screen.

I do know many people who are finding this situation difficult.

Who still need time to work out how to best manage their day after day in the reality in which we find ourselves now.

Each, I hope, will find their way to get through (whatever that way might be and whatever advice they choose to follow, or not).

While I cannot be certain, I’d like to believe that in these trying times, instead of an avalanche of broad-stroke sweeping advice, in these unprecedented times, some genuine positivity and kindness will help them do just that.

 

Sewn by the light…

Sometimes it seems,

like the darkness

will never end.

It just hangs there,

on the street corners

of every, repeating, day.

To gang up on thoughts,

drag the mind

into easy alleyways.

There, it will kick

and tear your soul,

leave it ragged,

filled with doubt.

So, you choose

to walk instead,

on the sunny side.

Where a kind act

can be the light,

to sew and reassemble

the pieces of your soul.

With people who know,

we are all

in this together.

This life.

It is better,

filled with hope.

(Liam Porter 2020)

 

Working from home thoughts…

As we live through these  unprecedented times and many people find that they are in an unaccustomed position of working from home, it is good to remind ourselves of the ingenuity and innovation that exists in each of us.

 

Working from home for a sustained period can be difficult for anyone not used to it. The change in environment and the many possible distractions requires some real effort.

 

As someone who has largely worked from home for many years now, I am certain that it does not mean that – with the right preparation – we cannot produce work of the same quality as we would in a group workplace environment.

 

I was reminded as I sat down to write this piece about a famous musician who announced before a concert that he would be playing one of the most expensive violins in the world.

 

He proceeded to give a flawless performance of his first piece and as the audience applauded their applause quickly turned to shock when he proceeded to smash the violin into little pieces.

 

“Don’t worry,” he announced. “It was not one of the world’s most expensive violins, it was but a cheap imitation. I will now play the piece again on the expensive violin.”

 

As he played, the audience was again captivated, but in truth most people could not tell the difference between the music from the expensive violin and the low-cost knock-off.

 

And that’s because the quality of the instrument was only secondary to the skill of the performer.

 

Few of us ever realise that we are an expensive, individually designed, absolutely unique instrument, but in these times of change it’s important to remember that your skills and talents are what you bring to the job and if yours is one that can be done from home – then don’t let the location become an obstacle.

 

As I thought about this over the past few days, I recall though, how difficult it had been to adjust to a situation like this for me, so I decided to share a few things that I have found helpful in the hope that they may be of use to someone.

 

Go out to come in

Admittedly this is not something I came up with myself and I think I started after I heard it mentioned on a podcast once. The physical act of going out to come in is a powerful way of getting your mind ready to work from home.

 

By this I mean – instead of just ambling downstairs and trying to then somehow drag yourself away from the kitchen table, the phone, radio, whatever distraction there is. Go down as if you were going out to work as usual. And then go.

 

Get out of the house. Go for a walk to get your head ready for work. Or a drive. Just get out of the house and as soon as you come back in the door, you are coming to work.

 

If there are dishes on the table – ignore them – if you were at the office you wouldn’t see them anyway. You are not coming home, you open the door and get to work.

 

Be Organised

For that first step to happen, you need in many ways to be organised. Have a space where you can work quietly, ideally where you can close a door and be away from whatever distractions might be there at the time. Make sure you have whatever equipment you need in that space. I converted a small bedroom into an office space, that is now my place of work.

 

Prioritise

If you are a person who struggles to complete tasks in a work environment, then it will be even more difficult if you are at home.

 

Beware of rabbit holes like “internet research” and Social Media. Unless there is a reason for using them – stay away.

 

Make a list and organise your priorities.

 

Write it down – don’t try to keep that list of things only in your head and use tools like The Eisenhower Matrix to help you know how to make decisions on what’s urgent and important.

 

Beware of breaks

A great advantage of working from home is the unlimited access to your own favourite coffee, nobody taking the last cup from the pot and not refilling it. That said, if like me, you love your coffee, you need to be disciplined about breaks.

 

I read somewhere that some people will just bring a thermos of coffee into their workspace – and that could work for sure. If there are other people in the house, I like the chance to have some interaction for a while – but must always remember the possibility of distraction and need to be either prepared to be flexible as outlined below – or really disciplined to get back to the task at hand.

 

Be flexible

If your work allows it, be flexible with the hours you work. It does not mean you work less, it may just mean you work differently.

 

I will often get up really early to work when there are no distractions. No phone calls, nobody else at home is awake, I know others who use the same routine just later at night.

 

So, for instance, if there are kids or others who you need to give some time to during the day, being flexible with the hours you choose to work can often be a great solution.

 

Stay Motivated

This can be a difficult one for many who work from home. The change in environment, the sense of isolation away from team or colleagues can be difficult.

 

A simple solution I found to help is to talk! Actually use the telephone that we all use these days as cameras, mini computers for social media and e.mail etc – actually use that to talk.

 

There are more ways than ever to communicate – but picking up the phone every now and then and hearing a human and exchanging ideas and information, is a great way to keep motivated and keep focus on a task.

 

The upshot of it is this. Life isn’t boring or work isn’t meaningless and what you invest in the opportunities you give them, will be returned to you.

 

That’s such an important factor to remember, because while people might often think that changing environment or jobs will be the catalyst to break them from their doldrums, the reality is that unmotivated people often carry their baggage with them.

 

In the days upon us now, many people have had a change enforced on them – if you were unmotivated in the group work environment, finding it in isolation will only come with real effort on your part!

 

And finally…

At the outset I wrote that these are unprecedented times and it reminded me of my post from last summer when I wrote how I came across the wonderful French saying – L’heure entre chien et loup – that I had never heard before.

 

The meaning – ‘the hour between dog and wolf’ – derives from that period of semi-darkness, twilight as it were, when it would be difficult to distinguish at first glance between a dog and a wolf.

 

It is a wonderfully ambiguous phrase to describe a feeling of uncertainty.

 

I wrote back then that even at its darkest, the hour between dog and wolf is just a single moment in time.

 

It will always be followed by the light.

 

Please stay safe everyone.  #BetterTogether

 

Sunny days

 

When the sunny days came,

we wallowed in warmth.

 

And, for a while; everything

was brighter.

 

In the evenings,

we threw out our arms.

 

A vain attempt. To stop

the dark from falling.

 

Sometimes, then,

the sky was painted.

 

Broad fluffy strokes

of red and orange.

 

Sometimes it left us

between dog and wolf.

 

With just a feint hint of stars.

 

And hope for more.

 

(Liam Porter 2019)

 

Inspired by women

In her book Mind Platter, Najwa Zebian writes that “goodness is a choice.”

Her assertion is that stopping yourself from doing what’s wrong, is not the same as choosing what’s right and doing it.

“Don’t,” she says, “don’t stand on the verge of being good.”

I have been blessed to have had a life surrounded by and hugely influenced by amazing women.

They are smart and powerful and resilient, they are kind and generous and fun-loving.

The very kind of person needed to remind a person of what an important part we all have to play in this huge universe of ours.

As I thought about things in the run up to International Women’s Day, I realised that in the past year I have got to know even more of these amazing women – and my life has been all the better for it.

I also realised that many of these brilliant females have inspired me to write, such has been their influence.

So, for International Women’s Day, I tip my hat to all of the fabulous ladies I know who have made the world a better place and as a tribute, here are just a few of the poems you’ve inspired me to write.

Thank you.

 

A time for kindness…

Kind words are the music of the world. They have a power that seems to be beyond natural causes, as though some angel’s song had just lost its way and come back to earth.

 

Anyone who has been on social media over the past few days will have seen how many posts there have been about the need to be kind.

 

They are almost an inevitable response nowadays to any tragedy where online abuse is viewed to have possibly played some part.

 

It is good that people share reminders to be kind, but it would be even better if we could remember to actually practice it.

 

The advances in technology and the ubiquitous nature of social media has fostered a culture where it is easy to hide behind a keyboard.

 

It is almost as if, those who choose to do so, feel protected by the screen or the distance – as if they believe what they type is worthy of being aired but never think on the impact on those their words are aimed at.

 

Stopping to think is the key.

 

Before making that post, before sending that e.mail, take a minute to stop and think on the possible impact.

 

And, if what you are about to write is not true or not something you’d say to somebody’s face – then you should simply not post it.

 

The same goes for wide, sweeping generalisations, made without any thought, often under the guise of ‘I have the freedom of speech.’

 

In recent days for instance, it was interesting to see comments such as “all journalists are scumbags,” by people who in the same post were extolling the virtues of being nicer to people online.

 

Tara Flynn who has unfortunately been one of many to suffer online wrath, describes brilliantly what it is like to be in the centre of the storm in her recent blog post simply called Storm.

 

“What’s it like, being at the centre of a storm? It’s like this. Like when a wave rushes in and knocks you down, sucks you in, deprives you of your breath, tumbles you til you don’t know which is earth or sky, then spits you out again.”

“Don’t blame individuals, blame the press.” Oh yes, oh yes. But individuals read. Individuals share. It is a toxic eco-system. Social media creates a storm, the press reports, the socials share the report and on we go. And somewhere, at the centre of the wave, is someone drowning.”

 

I have long been an advocate for the idea of sharing kindness, but I also feel that we must make much more effort to step away from the keyboards as often as we can and actually talk to people.

 

And the thing is, when we talk to people (even those we disagree with) we also have the opportunity to listen.

 

We still don’t need to agree with everyone, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t listen to them.

 

In fact, I think we should listen twice as much as we talk. It is after all, why we have two ears and only one mouth!

 

Talking on the phone is still better than electronic communication, but it is when we get face to face with somebody that we can really listen to them, see their face, notice their passion, their sadness, their disappointment, hear their tone.

 

We can try then to get a far better understanding of how they feel, where they are coming from – and that’s something we can’t get from reading characters on a screen.

 

The irony of the fact that I am sharing this link via social media is not lost on me, but I am not saying we need to abandon these new tools, we just need to use them better – and for good.

 

After all, kindness can build on itself just as much as hatred or nastiness can.

 

But it will only ever do that through action, not just intention.

 

The right time for kindness.

 

Set your standards high.

 

Enough to know exactly

when it is time

to use those superpowers

of kindness and generosity.

 

To offer help,

without preconditions.

 

Show compassion.

Understanding.

Thoughtfulness.

 

To be content knowing

that often the very best

of what you give,

will mostly go unseen

but never unfelt.

 

To realise the impact

of good deeds.

 

And comprehend that

the right time for

kindness,

is exactly…

 

Always.

 

(Liam Porter 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding the magic…

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl.

 

A year ago today I made two resolutions.

 

Just ahead of a milestone birthday, my goals were to complete and graduate from the Post Graduate course I was studying and to spend the year practising as many small acts of kindness as I possibly could.

 

On the face of it perhaps, hardly earth-shattering resolutions.

 

Yet I believed they were two things that, if I gave myself to them fully, could bring me much joy.

 

Those resolutions came back to mind this week when I graduated from Trinity College with a group of superbly talented, determined and motivational people who I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to meet and get to know.

 

They came to mind, when among all the noise and excitement and joy as we stood on the cobbled Front Square in Trinity College, somebody quietly slipped something into my hand to say thank you for a small thing I’d done for them.

 

Then I remembered, that the very reason I had decided to spend the year practising small acts of kindness, was to remind myself to express my own gratitude for still being, by seeing the beauty that could come from small, everyday acts.

 

Once I believed in the power of giving because I wanted to – not because I had to – I continued to discover a power of abundance.

 

I found that each small act somehow managed to be returned with interest.

 

By the same token I discovered, the time and commitment I gave to the pursuit of completing my course, was repaid tenfold by the days and weeks spent in the presence, support and brilliance of amazing people.

 

Shot with NOMO Kodak.

Shot with NOMO FR2.

I recalled all the doubts I had felt before even making the application and for the longest time during the programme, my sheer sense of being a complete imposter in the presence of so many truly phenomenal people.

 

And yet, I persevered.

 

I had resolved, no matter what, to give it everything in the belief that those who are willing to invest in themselves, will inevitably improve the quality of their life and in doing so, may even be able to help others.

 

As it turns out, we were all there searching for the magic.

 

From the smiles and laughter on graduation day, I think we found it.

 

Magic

 

Hope for better,

but do not sit waiting

for some fairy tale finish

to grant all your desires.

 

Instead, grow to understand

that you already hold –

the key to happiness,

in your own hand.

 

You are the product

of your own choices.

Captain of your ship.

Master of your destiny.

 

Dream of more,

but drive yourself forward.

The magic you yearn for –

is already inside.

(Liam Porter)

Forging success from adversity

When fate throws a dagger at you, there are only two ways to catch it, either by the blade, or by the handle.

 

That saying and its message came to mind to me a few days ago. Especially the fact, that when adversity does come our way, we really should catch it by the handle and use it as a tool to carve out success.

 

Of course, if you are in the face of adversity right now, that all sounds so simple and perhaps a million miles from where you might see yourself at this moment.

 

And yet, there is great truth in the message that adversity is an experience, not a final act.

 

I was reminded of that last weekend, when I sat to watch the Tommy Tiernan Show on RTÉ and saw his interview with the hugely inspirational James Leonard.

 

In the interview, James spoke of his time as a drug addict, of being homeless and in prison and yet deep down inside he said he knew he had more potential than all of that. Somehow, he managed to find his way to discovering it.

 

And that’s the thing.

 

If you can somehow keep in mind that wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, whatever misfortune you have suffered, there is still light inside you to shine for the world.

 

If you keep believing you can find it, then all of these troubles will become experiences that will grow an unstoppable force within you.

 

A verse I learned once, put it brilliantly:

 

Looking back, it seems to me

All the grief, which had to be,

Left me when the pain was o’er

Richer than I’d been before.

 

For some reason, remembering that poem reminded me also of the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem Felix Randal, mostly because of the last lines and the image of him working at the forge.

 

When I was at secondary school I remember the first day we were shown how to work on the forge.

 

We all watched as our teacher got the temperature of the forge up and then placed a piece of iron into the intense heat, until it changed colour and was almost translucent.

 

Then, removing it from the forge to the anvil, he took the hammer to the metal made pliable by the heat.

 

Again and again the process was repeated until the final shape was achieved and the hot metal was suddenly cooled in water. The sudden change tempered the iron, giving it durability and strength.

 

It was the combination of all these things – the heat, the beating with the hammer, the water – that fused to develop a strength that could be achieved in no other way.

 

I’ve no doubt that we would all love to enjoy a trouble-free life, but big or small, there is no doubt that troubles of some kind will come our way.

 

It is how we react to them that’s important.

 

Adversity can be a springboard for change.

 

Those setbacks might just even be, the open door for you to finally shine that light of yours to the world.

 

 

Forged like that

 

When your life

like iron,

gets battered.

Beaten down.

 

Consumed in

the heat of moment

or the cold, terrifying

chill of consuming fear.

 

Press pause then

and see. That

all these experiences

are just how you are forged.

 

They are what have

made you.

 

Robust and resilient.

Durable and determined.

 

When your life

gets battered.

 

Beaten down.

 

Remember you are.

 

Forged like iron.

 

Stronger than you think.

 

(Liam Porter 2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The magic of creativity…

Three years ago this week, thanks to the foresight of Head of Enterprise Michael Tunney, I started working for Creative Coast, Donegal on a contract with the Local Enterprise Office that came to an end earlier this year, but as I looked back this week over what was achieved in my 2.5 years, I have to say it really was an amazing experience.

This contract opened up a whole new set of opportunities for me and honed in on skills I didn’t even realise I had.

I learned so much about entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The business mentoring training I did with Jim Meehan was simply superb and gave me a far better understanding of the type of questions to ask to try and help a business move forward.

The opportunity to speak in public and to promote Donegal as a centre of creative excellence was amazing.

There were so many more highlights. The establishment of creative clusters for Fashion & Textiles, Film & Digital and Artists and Makers. The amazing Creative events during Local Enterprise Week, organising training, best practice trips to London (where we established links with Jenny Holloway in Fashion-Enter) and Liverpool as well as networking events like Jam Packed with successful entrepreneur Fraser Doherty and ‘A Stitch in Time’ with Erika Fox.

It was through working with the Creative Coast that I got to meet David Parrish and work to bring him to Donegal through our innovative ‘Generate’ Programme that exceeded its goals in terms of job creation.

 

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It was such a pleasure to see the industry and education come alive by linking local designer-makers with students of Fashion & Promotion in Letterkenny IT and to help them plan, co-ordinate and execute a hugely successful DEFINE fashion showcase in the summer.

Before that, Donegal got to see that you can be a creative business and be successful with the launch of Donegal – We Create – and writing the stories in that book gave me great joy.

Who can ever forget Jay Doherty’s bare-footed presentation in the Regional Cultural Centre as the review of the Creative Coast kicked off last year and following on from those reviews, I had the great honour of writing up the new three-year Creative Strategy for Donegal.

The talent, determination and dedication of the people who work day in and day out in small creative businesses – indeed small businesses generally, is simply breath-taking and I’m truly glad to have learned so much from them that I can use to help others going forward.

Tim Hanson once said:

“Creativity is especially expressed in the ability to make new connections, to make associations, to turn things around and express them in a new way.”

I feel honoured to have made so many fantastic new connections as we worked to develop and promote creative businesses in Donegal.

Three years on, I have no doubt that they will continue to go from strength to strength.

 

The importance of creating the right culture…

At our football club presentation night at the weekend, I got to present an award for ‘Club Spirit of the Year,’ sponsored by my family in memory of our late father.

 

With the awards night falling a day before my mother’s anniversary, I had been thinking a lot on the influence parents and adults generally can have – and how the importance of good example can still have such a positive influence in the world.

 

I know so many amazing positive role models in life and sport, I was reminded of a story I once heard about former baseball hall of fame player Kirby Puckett who took his responsibility of setting a good example seriously.

 

Understanding that playing the professional game put him in the limelight, he went out of the way to make sure the light revealed a character people could look up to.

 

“It’s nice to to have somebody kids can look up to. I didn’t give this role to myself, but I accept the responsibility. Everybody should have somebody they can look up to. If all these other guys thought about that, maybe they wouldn’t be having so many problems.”

 

As a coach I am always mindful of my responsibility to be respectful, and that respect must go across the board – not just to the players on our own team, but to opposing teams and managers and of course, to referees.

 

This is something that must not just be talked about – or written up as some code to be left lying in a drawer – it must be shown through actions, each and every day we train and play – because this sets the culture for the team and everyone knows what is expected from them.

 

The culture created in a business or organisation is just as important, but there are numerous examples of where, in reality, toxic cultures are permitted to flourish, simply because mere lip-service is given to mission statements and company mottos.

 

As I thought about this, I was reminded of the story of Francis of Assisi who once invited a young monk to go with him to the local village to preach.

 

The young monk was excited and walked by Francis’s side all day as he went through the streets caring for the poor and the sick and helpless all day.

 

They walked and walked, they must have met hundreds of people and when evening came, Francis turned to the young monk to say it was time to head back.

 

Not once during the day did they gather a crowd together. Not once in the day, did Francis stand in front of more than one person to speak and the young monk was hugely disappointed.

 

“I thought,” he said, as they walked back to the monastery, “that we were going there to preach?”

 

To which Francis replied – “But, we did preach. We preached as we walked those streets. We were seen by many and they watched everything we did.

 

It is no use walking somewhere to preach, unless we preach everywhere we walk.”

 

Without actions, all the words in the world are worthless.

 

On the other hand, if you let your life become a living example of what you speak, there’s every chance your star will shine brightly enough that others will not stumble.

Have you got a pencil?

 

Each day we’re given

is a fresh, clean page.

 

Another opportunity,

to start, once more.

 

We can write a

new chapter then,

in our very own story.

 

Bring it to life through

deeds. Not just thoughts,

or good intentions.

 

We can try to always

set a good example,

through everything we do.

 

Hope that we can

shine enough light, so

others will not stumble.

 

Always mindful of those

whose stories have

come to an end already.

 

We should take each

blank new day we’ve

just been given.

 

And we should write.

 

Have you got a pencil?

 

 

(Liam Porter)

 

Failure and rejection…

For a while now I’ve been thinking a lot about failure and rejection. Indeed, it was while watching young lads play football when I was away on holiday recently, that I began to understand the importance sport has played in helping me deal with both.

 

None of us like to admit to being a failure, it’s almost as if you don’t succeed at something right away you should destroy all the evidence that showed you tried.

 

But what we need to remember is that failure is a natural consequence of trying and those who never fail, have never tried anything worth failing at.

 

When I played sports, my team didn’t always win. I didn’t score from every shot, from every free-kick or penalty I ever took (not that I got to take many).

 

I definitely made mistakes that led to goals scored against my team, sometimes they even meant our team lost important matches.

 

But none of them ever made me want to quit playing. In fact, I still jump at the chance if I ever get the opportunity to play.

 

Of course, when I was playing, I didn’t always start a game either.

 

Nobody wants to be on the bench, to wait for the chance to play – yet as a coach now and with the benefit of hindsight – having an understanding that a coach often chooses what he thinks is best for the team in particular circumstances, reminded me that not being chosen, is not necessarily a reflection on ability.

 

I was even reminded of a time from my playing days, when I went to a tournament with my college team having never missed a game all season, only to find myself on the bench for the first game.

 

I sat for every game of the tournament, virtually kicking every ball, cheering on my team mates and never letting my disappointment show and then, on the eve of the final, the coach unexpectedly told me I would be starting.

 

Of that final, I remember very little, apart from how nervous I was and how inside the first few minutes I tried a risky pass that was intercepted and allowed their forward a clear run in on goal. Somehow I managed to get back, make a saving tackle and never put a foot wrong for the rest of the game, which we won.

 

As I thought on all of this recently I realised that whatever sense of rejection I was feeling recently, whatever failures in myself I was perceiving, these were all things I had experienced and overcome before – albeit in different circumstances.

 

Nevertheless, it was important for me to remember that I would only really lose if I quit trying and while it might seem to the world that amazing achievements just happen for people, what the public rarely gets to see are the failures that precede achievement.

 

All of this was once again a simple self-reminder to get up again when down, to understand that because one door closes, it doesn’t mean that every one will.

 

The simple fact remains that what we desire, will often require unquenchable spirit, drive and energy beyond what we think at times is possible.

 

It usually will also take undying commitment and all of these conditions for success begin and end with one predominant quality – perseverance.

 

We must expect to fail time and again before accomplishing anything worthwhile.

 

So long as we are willing to view it that way and learn, every time we do is just another learning step on the road to success.

 

The right road

 

Sometimes the road

we think is ours,

turns out not to be.

 

So it gives us

unexpected twists;

unforeseen bumps.

 

Leads us rapidly

down dead ends,

takes us nowhere.

 

It is then we need

calm reflection.

Patience, perseverance.

 

To understand

the need to always

keep on going.

 

To be forever aware

that so long as we

never, ever, give up.

 

We will always,

in the end,

find the right road.

 

For us.

 

(Liam Porter 2019)