‘The day is lost on which you have not laughed.’ My dad, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year, raised me with this positive mantra, inspired by the 18th Century French writer Nicholas Chamfort. Dad, otherwise known as Popski, influenced me to live a glass-half-full life and consequently, I’ve long been a champion of positivity, understanding that there is magic all around us, if we are able to see it. My own life experience has taught me how a simple smile or a kind wor

A friend of mine started a new job recently and when I saw her last Thursday for our first community choir rehearsal of the year, I asked her how it was going. ‘I like the job, but the problem is, there just aren’t enough people to communicate change.’ She works in the public sector in enterprise education and her insight got me thinking. The evidence is all around us, most of us know the changes we need to make in order to rebuild our world; to change the linear economy into

Fast fashion, fast food, fast delivery. Our need-it-now super speed lifestyles are not only causing irreparable damage to the planet, but they’re impacting our health and our economy. Convenience is fast becoming the biggest contributor to global poverty. Addicted to instant gratification, we believe that our goods should be delivered within a day, that we don’t have the time to walk or cycle down the road, but need to organise our days around where we can conveniently park o