I have immense admiration for such an emotional and beautiful piece of creative as this.
Nevertheless.
This is a little warning.
Because if it catches you off-guard.
You’re in trouble.
(I was).
Offguard.
And if you’re a dog lover.
Or a dog owner.
It’ll be worse for you.
Because even if you’ve seen this before.
If it catches you off-guard.
You’re in trouble: https://www.50odd.co.uk/offguard/
Here are Antony and The Johnsons.
Again.
This time with a Bob Dylan cover version.
Knocking on Heaven’s Door.
Close your eyes for 5 minutes maybe.
Have a relax.
It’s a lovely thing.
Here it is: https://www.50odd.co.uk/heaven/
That there Internet is filled with misinformation.
And conflicting information.
And I haven’t got time to go round all the supermarkets.
So here’s what I have.
Revels.
A small bag of Revels is 35 grams.
A Revels Treat Bag is 71 grams.
(It is also reported as being 85 grams).
A Revels Pouch is 101 grams.
(There’s a 112 gram Pouch also, I read).
A Revels Large Pouch is 205 grams.
There’s a 240 grams size too.
Revel Guessing.
Revel guessing is guessing every Revel in the bag.
End-to-end.
Before you eat it.
Smelling it is allowed in the rules
But no biting or licking.
Devious.
The most devious Revels are orange pretending to be coffee.
(Or coffee pretending to be orange).
Or toffee pretending to be raisin.
(Or raisin pretending to be toffee).
And do look out for rogue, small coffee or orange Revels masquerading as toffee.
(They know what they’re doing).
Results.
I’ve guessed my fair share of 35 gram bags.
It does take a lot of concentration to guess a bigger bag.
And it’s best attempted in one sitting.
That’s all I have to offer on the subject.
So do your best.
(Please send unedited video evidence if you want to make a claim of a successful end-to-end bag guess please.
Thank you).
Aaron Sorkin is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and playwright.
He worked on A Few Good Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, TV’s The West Wing and the films A Few Good Men, The American President, and Steve Jobs.
He also won an Academy award for writing The Social Network.
And a perhaps less well known fact about Aaron Sorkin.
Is that he showers up to 8 times a day.
Showers.
It’s weirder than you think.
Aaron has actually installed a small shower unit in his office.
Because he thinks better in the shower.
I take six to eight showers a day.
I’m not a germaphobe, it’s not like that.
I find them incredibly refreshing and when writing isn’t going well, it’s a do over… I will shower, change into new clothes and start again.”
Weird.
There.
Told you.
Weird!
Not Weird.
Not like you, of course.
You’re not weird.
You’re much more sensible.
Because whilst Aaron is showering and rejuvenating.
And getting ready to go again.
You’re sat frowning at your laptop.
The creative hill you’re climbing steepening by the second.
The creative fog you’re trying to see through becoming thicker by the second.
The eyelids that must sit high on your eyeballs becoming heavier by the second.
And the coffee you’re pouring down your neck becoming less impactful by the second.
And all of this.
As you struggle.
And groan.
And grind.
To a halt.
The Future of Work.
Pause.
When you can.
Pause.
Because the future of work.
Is doing more.
By doing less.
The future of work is doing deeper, richer work.
The future of work is having longer, more frequent breaks.
Breaks where you can think.
And recharge.
And refresh.
And this doesn’t mean pausing and staring into your bloody phone.
This means pausing and closing your eyes.
Or walking around.
And looking around.
Or, of course, it could mean showering.
Pause.
Pause.
It’s good for you.
Sometimes.
Here on this grass.
It’s awful.
It’s boring.
And this grass is just not good enough.
For someone like me.
I deserve more.
The Grass.
You see; I hear there is better grass.
Over there.
And when I flick my eyes over there.
I can actually see what appears to be much, much greener grass.
Much juicier grass.
Much more interesting and inviting grass than this boring, awful grass I’m standing on today.
Important.
But then I remember something important.
I remember where my greenest grass actually is.
I remember where my greenest grass always was.
And most importantly I remember that the greenest grass doesn’t just grow by itself.
Over here.
Over there.
Or anywhere.
With me just stood.
Hands in pockets.
Moaning.
Thinking that ‘The Greenest Grass’ is something that I am somehow entitled to.
The Greenest Grass.
The Greenest Grass.
In actual fact.
Is the grass I choose to water.
Everybody you know.
Is going to die.
And so are you.
Awful.
I know.
It’s an awful thought.
But just for a moment.
Please.
Think about this.
The Generation Game.
Do you remember The Generation Game?
Do you remember The Conveyor Belt bit at the end of the show?
Here’s a picture to remind you: https://www.50odd.co.uk/the-generation-game/.
The Conveyor Belt.
The reason I mention this is because.
Well.
Life’s like that conveyor belt bit.
That conveyor belt bit at the end of The Generation Game.
Because you slowly slide in from one side.
Slowly pass by the onlookers.
Illuminated by the spotlights.
And then.
Sadly.
You slide off again.
On the other side.
Bruce Forsyth.
This story is not just a celebration of Brucie’s magnificent sideburns.
And Brucie’s magnificent burgundy shirt and trouser combination.
It is a celebration of you.
And a reminder that your time here is short.
And a reminder that you are constantly moving.
And that you will.
Whether you like it or not.
Slide off to the right.
Just as you slid in from the left.
Standing Still.
It is also a reminder that.
Even if you feel that life is standing still.
You are never, ever standing still.
Life is forever sliding.
Move.
So move!
Before it’s too late.
Do anything you want!
Do everything you want!
Soak up the heat of the spotlight whilst it is on you.
Because even though Brucie’s version of TV’s ‘Generation Game’ has gone forever.
And even though your very real generation game will not last forever either.
Your version of your Generation Game is playing out right now.
And you are the star of the show.
When I ask a potential ANGELFYSH Brand Communication client this question.
I invariably get a funny look.
Which I always find odd.
Because I ask almost every potential ANGELFYSH client the same thing.
Ask.
If a client comes to ANGELFYSH with a whole load of questions.
And they, of course, normally do.
I normally ask this:
So.
These exact questions you are asking me today.
Have you asked your current teams the same questions?
Before coming to me.
A person outside your business.
I mean – have you actually asked the people inside?
Properly?
Funny Looks.
Now, the reason I get funny looks.
Is because I am basically telling a prospect to go away.
To explore the challenge.
Even just for a little bit.
Without appointing me or paying me anything.
Better Beginnings.
This ‘Hello/Goodbye’ thing makes for better beginnings.
Because 90% of the time.
If a potential client explores their issues with their teams before I get involved.
They have a greater understanding of what’s really going on.
Which creates a better initial brief.
And saves the client paying me to ask what they could be asking themselves.
Hello/Goodbye.
So please don’t take it personally.
But before you say hello to ANGELFYSH.
Dig a little.
I can help you with how to do this if you like.
Free of charge (michael@angelfysh.com).
Then.
When you’re ready.
And you have explored the issue a little better with your people.
Sometimes.
The odds are stacked against you.
Not because anyone’s been nasty or purposefully horrid.
You just won’t win.
Because you can’t win.
Odds.
It’s just the way it is.
You.
Will.
Fail.
And when you do it’s important that you just smile.
Maybe shake your head.
Maybe laugh.
Head down.
Eyes closed.
Because you have to get on with it.
You have work to do.
Magic Trick.
Izobel had a magic trick to show me this morning.
‘Quite a simple trick.
And not really magic.
But as she’s 3.
I let that go.
Numbers.
Basically, she had a number in her head that I had to guess.
From just one clue.
So here’s how it went:
Daddy.
Listen to my magic trick.
It’s a number.
You have to guess.
And your clue is.
It starts with ‘fff’.
I bit.
Four!
I said.
Izobel laughed at me.
No!
It’s NOT four!
Silly.
Ffffffffffff.
So I guessed again.
Err.
Five!
Izobel laughed.
NO!
Silly.
She said.
So I gave in.
I was driving.
She was in the back.
And we were nearly at nursery.
Well what number are you thinking of then?
I asked.
And that’s when she told me.
In one of those, ‘how can you be that stupid?’ voices:
Free!
Odds.
Sometimes.
The odds are stacked against you.
Not because anyone’s been nasty or purposefully horrid.
You just won’t win.
Because you can’t win.
As older people.
We have a duty to help younger people.
We have a duty to help younger people to feel OK.
And to be OK.
And I think that one way we can help younger people.
Is by helping them to explore three notions about being young.
I’ll call these three notions ‘Nothing’.
‘Anything’.
And ‘Everything’.
Nothing. Anything. And Everything.
When you are young you are nothing.
Nothing but potential.
So at the same time as being nothing.
You are also anything.
And being nothing and anything.
Both at the same time.
Is a real headfuck.
How on earth does a young person cope with that?
Help.
Maybe we can help young people.
By saying something like this:
Enjoy being young.
Enjoy being nothing.
Yet.
Never forget your incredible potential to be anything.
And in the meantime.
Explore being young deeply.
Richly.
Purposefully.
Passionately.
Then when you are ready.
Choose to be anything you want.
The fact – and it is a fact – that you can try to be anything you want in life is an amazing truth.
Watch the people around you that went from nothing to something.
And let them inspire you.
Then, once you’ve covered the ‘Nothing and the ‘Anything’ bit.
Don’t forget the ‘Everything’ bit.
By saying this:
But remember this also.
You can and you will move from nothing.
To explore being something and anything you want.
But you will never be everything.
No one is everything.
And no one ever was everything.
So take the pressure off yourself.
Learn to love what you are.
And learn to love what you are not.
You’ll need to remember that for the rest of your life.
Younger People.
I have no idea if these are good things to say to the younger people in your life.
But I do know that I will say them to the younger people in mine.
And I also know that.
When I was younger.
I wish that someone had said them to me.