How often have you been told not to sweat the small stuff, focus on the big picture? Well I’m just going to say it straight.
Bollocks to the big picture! It’s the little things that trip you up (and lift you up)

“Ten years ago, the doctor told me I had seven years to live. I should have been dead three years ago.” My old RAF pal chuckled, his first beer of the weekend supped in double time. The weekend was beautiful, insightful, and profoundly heartwarming.

It got me thinking: Time is precious, and man, are we masters at wasting it! We bitch about screw-ups, complain about injustices, get stuck in self-pity, or just procrastinate. The past is gone & it’s ghosts only hurt you if you let them.

Know what else we’re brilliant at doing?
Living on autopilot & half-assing everything, doing “just enough.” Too scared to chase our passions, too attached to comfort, too stuck to shake things up. Too focused on fitting in. Excuse my French but what a crock of shite!

Where’s your fire? That desire, those flames that once burned strong?

I get it. I’ve been there – bitter, angry & frustrated. But all that ever did was fuel more of the same. Things only improved when I stopped wishing for a better life and started building one.

I know this isn’t easy, and everyone’s trying their best. But instead of giving away our precious energy to things we can’t control, let’s focus on what we can influence. If you’re constantly worrying about what drains your joy, it’s time to set fierce boundaries. You can be kind and still say no.

Now, I know this might sting, but whatever stress or challenges you’re facing? You likely played a part in bringing them into your life. For those suffering physical pain or serious illness, I appreciate you might want to punch me. Good. Use that energy. Hear me out!

I know what I’m talking about. Back in the RAF, I hated myself so much I was tagged a ticking time bomb. Lost weekends followed by nights filled with wishing I was gone & self-hatred so bad I took a razor blade to my skin. For years, I sedated myself with alcohol, ending up in countless predicaments – assaulted, hospitalized, lost. Even a friend’s alcohol-related death failed to be my wake-up call; it drove me deeper. It took a brutal attack and a family intervention to finally face my truth.

What I know now though… that’s where the real power lies: getting honest about the twisted thoughts rattling in our heads. You don’t have to do it alone. The moment you start talking, start listening, that’s when things unravel for the better.

Look, I’m no fan of woo-woo quick fixes, but I’m also no fool. Our minds. Our words. They shape our reality. Call it energy, call it what you want… the way we talk to ourselves determines how we walk through the world. That negativity… It seeps into your body and the body keeps score.

So, find your balance. Chase those dreams. LIVE like your life depends upon it… because it does. Surround yourself with people who light you up, not suck you dry. People who walk the talk, whose actions make you feel valued, supported, like they truly want you in their lives.

That clock is ticking. Own every glorious minute of this crazy life and squeeze every last drop out of it.

How? You choose. Ask yourself: How do you want to be remembered? What will your story be? If you don’t know, ask for help. Talk! Start living that epic life before it’s too late.

#JFDI because life is too short for regrets.

I’ll leave you with another one my old friend dropped on us. Worth at least a little reflection.

Every friend group has one friend who will see all the funerals, one friend who will see none, and one friend who will have none of the friend group at their funeral.

G