Don’t Be Ruled By Your Fears
What are you running from? Where are you running to? This short story will have you longing for the freedom of wide open fields. Drawn from the new gift book Reflect with Sheridan, this is the first in a five-part video series exploring the book's nine themes: joy, wonder, meaning, belonging, compassion, callings, seasons, change
10 Commandments for These Divided Times
A few years ago, researchers did a fascinating experiment. Wanting to know when people would step in to help a stranger, they asked participants to watch a woman named Elaine experience a series of mild electric shocks. The observers were told a little about Elaine beforehand, including her personal values and interests. The experiment began. But
What Autumn Tells Us About Life and Work: There’s a Time to Bring Something Good to an End
Autumn is a time of beauty, of harvesting and of shedding the old. I think it has something powerful to tell us about our careers and callings too: autumn isn't just a time of productivity, but of completion and transition. It asks us to consider if our work is done and it’s time to move
You Need to Play More. Here’s Why
If there’s one member of our household taking these uncertain times in his stride, it’s our black-furred, silver-pawed cockapoo, Rupert—whose playfulness is getting him through heatwaves and lockdowns alike. Rupert’s joy seems based on the fact he has legs and he can run, and with his tongue out and ears flapping, he dashes through the
Here’s Why You’re So Tired Right Now – and What to Do About It
I thought I was getting through this Covid crisis OK—until a couple of weeks ago. That’s when chores started taking longer to do, broken by spells of staring at walls. Articles took longer to write as I doodled instead of typed. I stopped posting on social media because I couldn’t focus my thoughts, and I
Sometimes You Must Tell Your Heart to Beat Again
I recently heard a fascinating story about a heart surgeon. At the end of one operation, he returned his patient’s heart back into the chest and began gently massaging it back to life. But the heart wouldn’t restart. More intense measures followed, but the heart still wouldn’t beat. Finally, the surgeon knelt by the unconscious
In This Rare Moment, the Whole World is Living the Same Story. How Will it End?
Sometimes I’m surprised at what I get nostalgic about. The other day I reminisced about the way in-flight entertainment used to be done on planes. You might remember it. Before we had individual touch screens with a million movie options, a hostess would announce the ‘feature film’ was about to start, those who wanted to
Want to Feel Happier and Care for the Earth? Do This for Just 20 Seconds a Day
According to research from the University of Derby, people who take as little as 20 seconds a day to notice nature are happier, have lower levels of anxiety and depression, and are more motivated to care for the earth. Scientists are still in discussion as to why this is the case but I have an
Polls Say We’re a Generation Seeking Fame. Here’s Where That Will Lead Us
I recently asked my seven year-old nephew what he wanted to be when he grew up. With delightful honesty he said, “I want to be famous!” He's not alone, of course. Lots of kids want to be famous, as did we at his age. But for some years now polls have revealed a growing hunger
When the World Sends You Garbage, Send Back Music
Cateura is a small slum in Paraguay, South America, built on a rubbish tip. Desperately poor, its villagers eke out a living by recycling and selling whatever they can find in the garbage. But from these unpromising conditions something beautiful has emerged. And it holds an important lesson for you and me.