I’ve been thinking a lot this week about luck, fortune and time – three conditions that shape so much of how life unfolds if we let them. Last week gave me plenty of reason to reflect.
It kind of crept up on me. If you’d asked me last Sunday, when I was lolling around after a weekend of excess with friends, I would have said I just had a normal week coming up. But I was wrong. Not in a momentous, earth-shattering way, I hasten to add, more in the diversity of things I ended up doing, which fell into three complimentary strands: culture, work and friends. The perfect week Venn diagram?
It started with Sanam, an ambitious young woman, intent on educating professionals and school children around good money habits. We exchanged lively views over brunch - the kind of conversation that leaves you energised. Later that day I headed to one of my favourite theatres, the Donmar in Covent Garden, to watch a sublime interpretation of A Month in the Country.
Tuesday was the Verve conference, opened spectacularly by its founder, Cathi Harrison dressed as a Power Ranger, cartwheeling across the stage. A big entrance for sure, which set the tone for a day exploring the future of financial planning in an AI-fuelled world and the perennial debate: will AI take roles, or leverage them? The jury remains out.
Mid-week saw a trip to Ideas Fest, held in the grounds of Champney’s in Tring, think business conference meets Glastonbury and you get the gist. I was there as the guest of my friend Sarah Roughsedge of Eva Wealth, who is building an AI-powered financial coach aimed at women in business. Sarah was impressive, as was the event itself. Tents and stages for people wanting to do business differently.
My takeaways? The sheer power of surrounding yourself with likeminded, positive people doing good thing. People willing to help each other and share their knowledge. And the magic of ad hoc conversations: with people I bumped into on the train (lovely to meet you writing supremo Rachel Extance), waiting for transport, or in the tent audiences. I also found myself moved watching founders stepping deeply outside their comfort zones and owning their spaces. Check out Kersty Lorton, founder of active wear brand Kerlora , her story is compelling.
I scurried back into town that evening for my friend Philippa Hann’s book launch, The Fault Lines of Finance. Philippa, now CEO of Paradigm Norton, a leading financial planning firm (the one I sold my business to as it happens), spent twenty years as a lawyer litigating against financial planners. Her co-authored book explores why good people do bad things, concluding it often comes down to workplace culture, incentives and ego. Sounds dry? It’s not. Well worth a read.
The working week wrapped up with an exciting conversation with a colleague who is helping me think about a new service for my coaching business. Watch this space!
Work behind me, a cheeky late-afternoon trip with a friend to see the new Andrew Scott film, Pressure with great performances from Brendan Fraser as Eisenhower and Damien Lewis as a wonderfully pompous Montgomery. A chilling reminder of the slaughter that is war.
The weekend brought the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. Mind-bending sculptures and paintings that genuinely bamboozle the senses. If you’re in London, go. And then, to ring the changes, on Sunday I went ‘oop the Arse’ to watch Arsenal Women versus Crystal Palace in the first home game of the season. A frustrating nil-nil draw, given Arsenal had all the possession. Next time!
Phew. What a week.
None of it happened by accident and yet none of it was entirely planned. It took good luck to be invited to the right places. Good fortune to have the friends and colleagues I do. And having time plus the will and ability to rock-up and make the most of it all. Those three things chugging away in the background made for a week I’ll be reflecting on for a while.
You
As ever, I’m interested in you. It’s mighty easy to rush through life, going from event to event without pausing for breath I certainly used to when in the throes of running my business. How do you experience and process busy weeks? And how do you make sure the learnings aren’t lost in a whirl of busyness? Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.
And remember you’re never going to be any younger than you are today. Go to the event you’ve been procrastinating about and make sure you relish every moment.
Until next week my friends,
Ruth x
What a great week! Theatre, books and a festival. "Culture, work and friends. The perfect week Venn diagram?" Yes! It was lovely to meet you. Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts.
You're making your own luck here by curating your contacts. Wow, what an impressive line up of events to have experienced. The key was being the kind of person that these individuals wanted to invite. Looking forward to hearing about next week.