This time the whole article is here - For the creatives, people making their passion their work & for those trying to make the world a better place.

TL:DR - find your tribe, figure out your 'why' & do what makes your soul soar.

I'm at a huge pivot point in my life, professionally, personally & psychologically.

As I wait for the keys to my Italian, collapsing farmhouse, I'm living out of a backpack. I'm buying a property (with another human! Now that's commitment).

I'm trying to find a way to balance my ADHD impulsivity with the desire to finally, once and for all, put down roots.

My writing has branched out into different fields & I've started to write for other people for the first time. I love it. Words flow from my fingertips so fast, the letter 'T' keeps falling off my rickety, old laptop.

Life is a speeding by, and I'm trying to make sure I'm swimming towards my chosen destination, rather than allowing myself to be dragged by the tides.

To help me figure this out, I've been doing a lot of work on my core values and my 'why'.

I used to think this stuff was a bit floaty. I used to think this was the kind of thing people did if they weren't busy enough doing really, important work. I've come to realise though, that when you're a jobbing writer, or a freelancer, or self-employed or, hell, just trying to live life that feels in alignment with your soul, at some point, you're going to have to reflect on why you're doing any of it in the first place.

With my core values acting like a little, rubber dinghy, I'm feeling much more safe & secure in my decision-making.

Authenticity, Community & Connection.

I narrowed it down to these three. I had Compassion and Contribution, too. But I worried you might think I got distracted at the start of the alphabetical list, and wouldn't take me seriously.

And my 'why'? That remains steadfast.

To leave the world a better place than I found it.

And so, here are just a few of the people who've taught me about what these values look like in action.

Diane Curry OBE, has worked for decades in the prison reform field with Partners of Prisoners, providing support to the families of people in prison. She's raising money for charity in her spare time (yes, she's amazing) and still finds the time to answer every random question I send her, listens to my 'new writing idea' ramblings and cheerleads me in everything I do.

Sponsor her 10km here.

Erica Handling and I met for a coffee last year, and I honestly don't think I'd have finished my latest manuscript about ADHD without her. In fact, I wouldn't have done much of the writing I've done in the past 12 months without her support. If you hear me keep harping on about the value of coaching, it's because Erica has (by magic, voodoo or, more likely, because she is ridiculously good at what she does) managed to focus this inattentive, hyperactive mind of mine.

She's just shared this brill video on the power of coaching for prison staff, made by Spark Inside. Go check it out.

David Breakspear and I haven't ever met IRL, but he's been vital in helping me build my community on LinkedIn. He writes often and eloquently about prison reform, he's openly & warmly shared resources with me & is another person who's offered advice & guidance freely. He wrote a great piece on the School to Prison Pipeline recently, that I've linked to here.

Although I'm still not exactly sure what the future holds, if I keep hold of my core values and keep connecting with people like these three, I reckon I'll be alright.

Want to read more about the projects I'm working on at the moment?

My weekly ADHD Newsletter is here

And the big, ludicrous renovation project is here