Author: Tony Curl

I found that person who wanted to grow old with me, just as much as I wanted to grow old with her. And that is so cool.  When I first met my wife Sharon, I said to her that once it stopped being fun, that would be it. At the time, it was a throwaway line from an overly confident, testosterone driven, young fella keen on having some fun in his early twenties, but knowing a good sort when he saw one. When we started dating, and the connection was obvious, my efforts to build a relationship increased. Teasingly Sharon…

Put away your doubts and your fears and stand up for yourself. Stand up for the life you want to live, not the life you have settled for.  Last week, I felt as vulnerable as I ever had. I felt exposed. Vulnerable, exposed and successful. Contrasting feelings to what success usually feels like, but that’s how it was. I had achieved a level of success that I had worked hard for. The successful first stage of a long-term project. And I felt vulnerable and exposed and wanted to withdraw the project. I had battled through the fear of failure to…

I don’t make a habit of talking about my clients or potential clients that I meet, but today I make an exception.  Today I met Anne. Anne was a lovely lady who wanted to open a Thrift shop to help support the local community. Which is wonderful. A lady wanting to add value to the local community. But Anne’s impact to me was far beyond that. Anne was in her 80’s. She had spent her life volunteering in Thrift Shops and had seen the gradual shift with these organisations being corporatised. Her last shop made way for commercial progress. It was bulldozed to…

Don’t accept your current reality as a reason not to chase your dreams. On your deathbed, you won’t be lying there wishing you had given more to that 9 to 5 job, that bad relationship, or whatever it is constraining you now.  Journey. Doesn’t that word just send cold shivers down our spine these days. Remotely famous reality TV stars have done that word to death. Their journey from weight loss, survival, cooking and renovation shows and aren’t we over it. I hope we are not heading the same way with the word purpose. Purpose Another word being overused. We…

Confidence can be elusive. In fact, for many, it’s a constant source of frustration.  The stage lights are on, the audience buzzing as the contestant takes their seat. The Quiz Show is ready for live taping and everyone is poised for action. The first couple of questions are easy as the contestant builds confidence in their quest to win the big prize. But with the fourth question the difficulty increases. The quiz show host asks the question. It’s noticeably tougher and the contestants sense of confidence drops immediately. “I’m not sure I know this one” the words escape before they…

Thinking of summer, makes me reflect on the things that are simply better in summer. And here are my top five.  As winter finally hits us here in Australia, my mind wanders to my friends in the United States who are just starting their summer. I’ve been a surfer all of my life, and summer is definitely my favourite time of year. I’m not a big fan of the cold, and my preferred outfit of shorts and t-shirts just doesn’t cut it for the cold periods of the year. Clearly, sitting on a surfboard in the crystal clear water is…

Have you clocked off? Have you retired from life? Have you stopped having a go?

Research continues to tell us what some of you may already know. We are on auto-pilot. The advancements in neuroscience shows that we, as self-aware primates, have very little control over our thoughts, actions and behaviours. But that little, means a lot. It is accepted that over 90% of our thoughts, actions and behaviours happen to us automatically. Our remote control kicks in and we go on auto-pilot. Some research tells us this this could be as high as 97% of our everyday actions. Wow! The advances in brain infrared thermal imagery, indicate that the decision to purchase happens mili-seconds…

Momentum! It can be your friend. The longer you can build positive changes in habits and behaviours, the longer you do that the better you get, the better you get, the easier it gets. Taking small steps daily creates movement and that movement builds into momentum. Momentum makes everything easier. And that’s awesome if it is creating positive changes in your life. But, there is a flip-side. That flip-side becomes a RIPTIDE. A riptide that sweeps everyone in its path off their feet and out of control. Sweeping you out to sea and dragging you under. One minute your feet…

Distractions derail. We live in a world of constant distraction. As a race, we find it increasingly hard to shut off. Research tells us our smart phone is often the last thing we use prior to going to sleep, and often the first thing we touch on waking. And, in our moments of quiet, we are more likely to reach for that same smartphone. Whereas once we used those times to reach inside us and embrace stillness. Allowing ourselves to be alone with our thoughts, and senses, our stillness. It’s different now. We have become addicted to distraction. We can’t…