With my background in Buddhist meditation and training as a coach I am often asked The Big Questions of Life – particularly about how to be happy and cultivate a good mental state. I am always happy to share friendly thoughts on such subjects as best I can and this blog is one of those friendly times.

I wake up. I am in a bed in a small room in the aptly named Black Forest. There is no light. I cannot see my own hand in front of my face. I have no idea of the time and I dare not look at the clock. I don’t want to know how many interminable hours I will have to endure before dawn and daylight.

You may be new to the coaching business. Maybe you have just completed a qualification, or you are an experienced coach wanting to take your skills and experience in coaching to the next level. Whatever your intentions, there is a handy companion to help you on your journey: The Coach’s Survival Guide by Kim Morgan.

The world was a different place when I booked my ticket in early March. 2020 was to be my first time at the UK ICF Conference. My diary had never cooperated in previous years, so this was going to be something completely new. As it turns out, by the time the Conference arrived we were all doing something completely new. Instead of smart clothes and name badges, we gathered remotely – all carpet slippers and jogging bottoms, children, pets, favourite tea mugs, dodgy bandwidth and Digestive biscuits.

A large percentage of the world is working from home right now, and I’d imagine most of those people are hating it. However, I’m a part of a small minority of people who actually enjoy working from home. Whilst I’m much happier in my own company and luckily not finding isolation as hard as other people, it’s important to remember that long periods of time spent alone, could be detrimental to you.

Over the last few days, amid such unprecedented and sudden change, I have found comfort and inspiration in the wise words of a random selection of people. I hope the quotes below are all genuine. If they are not, I apologise for the misattribution but in the end, I don’t think it matters if the messages resonate with you.