Our Best Days are Ahead.....

What a weekend that was! Up and down the country (and across the commonwealth and the rest of the world) people came together to celebrate the first coronation in 70 years. Regardless of your views on the monarchy, Saturday showed us that when it comes to pomp and ceremony, we truly are world leaders! As you'll also see from my waistcoat, it was a weekend where I was proud to call myself British!

This is a fairly brief article. The point I want to make is that whilst at times we look back with nostalgia at bygone times (for example the last coronation in 1953) what happened last weekend was undoubtedly a time where most of us will remember where we were, what we did and the amazing sense of community we felt in 2023!

How often have you heard it said that 'things aren't like they used to be' and 'oh, you'd never get people to do that again'. Well last weekend well and truly dispelled that myth! Similar to many other planned celebrations, our street had a street party on Sunday where well over 300 people attended! Children made new friends and played football without a care in the world, everyone shared food and drink and chatted freely. Yes, even in London - one of the most metropolitan of cities - people enjoyed the company of their neighbours as we celebrated an unforgettable weekend.

Over the weekend I also listened to High Performance where Jake Humphrey mentioned a quote from Seneca and the Stoics - “life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future". This might have been written over 2,000 years ago but, even now, the stoics have a unique ability to connect with us.

So to flip this on its head, and feeling buoyed with positivity from helping arrange a street party that was immeasurably more successful than I thought it would be. I think we should all:

1. Remember the past - The generations before us have learnt learnt valuable (and sometimes hard) lessons. Their ingenuity and hard work has created the world we live in today. We have also all learnt important lessons through our own lived experiences. Let's use this valuable knowledge as we approach each new day.
2. Enjoy the present - These are literally the days of our lives. We are living them out each day and we'll never get this time back. We have to make the most of it. Whatever that means for each of us. Every day the clock resets and it provides an opportunity to do something amazing and surpass what we've achieved to date.
3. Embrace the future - Be positive about the future. Plant the seeds of trees today that will bear fruit further down the line. Also, there is no point worrying about things that will, more likely than not, never happen.

Last weekend showed us what communities can do when they come together. Building on that, it cemented for me that In my opinion, our best days truly are ahead. Even if they aren't - which I don't for a second believe - what good is it believing anything else?

Focus on the things you can control: Remember the past; Enjoy the present and Embrace the future.

Last but not least, as much as I enjoy bank holiday Mondays, the next Monday is much more exciting! I'll be starting my new role! I'm really looking forward to getting my feet under the table and yes, for a while, "I'll be the new guy". I know there's a lot of work for us to get on with and, as such, this will likely be my last LinkedIn article for a while.....