“You can find out a lot about yourself up a chimney.” Did you know that the actor Bill Nighy comes from a long line of chimney sweeps?

Sometimes we can learn a lot about ourselves in unusual situations.

Before I went to university I worked for a few weeks in a warehouse. It was dark, there were hardly any windows and it felt a little like being trapped.

What do you do when the rollercoaster of day-to-day life contains more downs than ups?

When things are hard. Confidence is low. Stress is high. Your sense of self worth is paper thin. Your morale is low. And life comes and smacks you in the face.

What I’m about to share with you is what I call a ‘break glass in emergency’ exercise. And it’s a brilliant way to boost your confidence, trust me.

You know how some coaches have their own coach? What do they talk about? This is what they talk about …

“So, you said you feel like a pinball in a machine?" my coach asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

I’d had a busier than usual week with two courses on top of things and extended working hours. I was juggling more.

“The best course in leadership the school offers” is how it’s often referred to at The Hotelschool The Hague: a five day outdoor programme in The Ardennes, Belgium.

Twelve young leaders are thrown together to complete a range of assignments, 2 night time hikes with overnight camps, a bunch of new leadership theory and not a lot of sleep. Having gone as a co-trainer on a retreat here’s what I learned…

You’ve probably heard of the fear of missing out (FOMO) but what about the joy of missing out (JOMO). Do you know about the great benefits of JOMO?

“People are worried about why you’re not going out” Martin said. I was then a 22 year old student and my friend was disappointed I was yet again not joining the crowd downtown on a Thursday night.

But I had plans.