Wellbeing Insights

“The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close up.” Chuck Palahniuk. “Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be ahead.” Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way. “When we move through the world aware of what is here and now, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, the… Read More

Have you ever noticed how quickly your mind makes a judgment — about yourself, about someone else, about what something must mean? That voice is fast. And often, it’s harsh. This is your brain’s negativity bias at work — a survival instinct designed to spot threats and protect you. It was helpful when we were… Read More

At My Manifesto, we talk a lot about living with clarity and intention. But clarity doesn’t mean everything is simple or easy. In fact, one of the most powerful insights we’ve discovered – personally and through our work with others – is this: Wellbeing isn’t about eliminating tension. It’s about learning to live well within… Read More

Each year, thousands of young people across Australia open up in Mission Australia’s Youth Survey — a powerful annual pulse check on what’s really going on in their lives. From this data, a clear picture emerges: ten consistent worries, appearing year after year, in the minds and hearts of young people. But here’s something worth… Read More

To maintain confidence in my speaking skills post-retirement, I have joined the Toastmasters’ Club. A recent speech that I gave was to fulfill the task of Delivering a Social Speech. I chose to write a speech in praise of – not a person or an organisation – but to the abstract concept of ‘hope.’ I… Read More

We live in a world that often demands positivity. Social media, self-help books, and well-meaning advice urge us to think happy thoughts, count our blessings, and push through discomfort with a smile. But what if, instead of resisting melancholy, we acknowledged its quiet wisdom? What if we allowed it to sit with us, not as… Read More

I guess the day had to arrive when I was due to write a Wellbeing Insight blog, and I am not well! The obvious solution, for one whose personal manifesto contains the sentence: I replenish myself and navigate all that life presents with love, including self-love, is perhaps not to write this one, to allow… Read More

Recently, our family embarked on the significant challenge of moving house. As a family of six who have lived in the same home for the past 15 years, the transition to downsizing has been both purposeful and demanding. While the process has brought moments of nostalgia as we sorted through treasured keepsakes, it has also… Read More

Over the past three years, Sue, my co-author and friend, and I have been on a deeply meaningful journey. I deliberately use the word meaningful because these years have been significant in many ways: the time and effort we’ve invested in our project, our shared belief in the power of having a personal manifesto, and… Read More