Tag Archive for: challenge

Reflections from the Edge

Yesterday, I was co-facilitating a leadership session in Perth with my colleague Sophie Edmond.
Early in the session, we were talking about past leadership programmes the participants had attended.
As stories were shared, a favourite poem by Christopher Logue came to mind.
I recited it as best I could to the group and then after finding it again online, wrote it up on a flipchart…
๐‘ช๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’†๐’…๐’ˆ๐’†.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
Itโ€™s too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came,
and he pushed,
And they ๐’‡๐’๐’†๐’˜.
Afterwards, I noticed a few puzzled expressions around the room.
I took some time to explain my thoughts.

From comfort to stretch zone

When asked to be a leader, it can often bring us right to the very edge of our comfort zone.
It can also challenge our capability, of what we think we can handle.
And yet, here they were, leaders from all walks of life, and different parts of the Aviva organisation, showing up with curiosity, openness, and the courage to start stretching their wings.
Yes, there was hesitation.
Yes, there was fear.
But there was also a real willingness to grow, to take risks, to learn and to move into their stretch zones.
Through my lifetime, I have learned that leadership is oftentimes about pushing past our fears.
Sometimes itโ€™s about holding the space while others get ready.
But time and again, itโ€™s about standing at the edge with your peopleโ€ฆ encouraging, challenging, supporting and knowing when to move forward together.
Thatโ€™s what I witnessed in Perth yesterday.
Leaders on the edge.
Some nervous. Some unsure. But all leaning in.
Not just ready to learn, but ready to lead others to the edge, to flyโ€ฆ and beyond.
I can’t wait to be back with them all today and encourage a little more!
What are you doing and how are you helping others to find their wings?

The Final Scene of our 96 mile expedition

On our last evening after walking the full West Highland Way, just the four of us remained.
We wrapped things up in Fort William with a trip to the cinema to see the latest Mission Impossible film, a fitting choice, since parts of this trek really did feel impossible!
This is my final post about the walk, and one last chance to support Mary’s Meals before I close the project on July 1st.
Not only did we complete our great challenge, we also managed to raise a few thousand pounds for an amazing charity together.
If youโ€™ve been meaning to donate, hereโ€™s the link: https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/fundraising…
Everyone of us who participated, despite the hardships, truly loved it!
Yes, even the rain, midges, ticks and gale force winds all added to the fun! ๐Ÿ˜†
Iโ€™d recommend the walk, to anyone, but you need to be a wee bit mad to do it too!
I think it was one of the greatest adventures of my life and to be with such great friends was simply awesome.
Huge thanks to everyone who supported us along the way. You helped make every step count.

Please Give!

โ€œGive โ€“ Charity and the Art of Living Generouslyโ€ is the second book by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, CEO of Mary’s Meals.
Itโ€™s a powerful reminder that charity is not just an act but a way of life, but rather a way of seeing others with love, of lifting burdens, and of making small sacrifices that ripple into something greater.
Many of you know that from May 28th, 2025, I will be walking 96 miles along the West Highland Way in Scotland over 8 days.
But I wonโ€™t be doing it alone.
Iโ€™ll be joined by 20 of my dearest friends, all of whom I had the privilege of serving alongside in the Belgium Netherlands Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Together, we are embracing this adventure with excitement, determination, and a shared commitment to raising money for Maryโ€™s Meals – a cause close to our hearts.
Each of us has spent months preparing, walking mile after mile, training our bodies and minds for the challenge ahead.
But more than the physical preparation, this journey is about something far deeper – itโ€™s about walking with purpose, with faith, and with love for those in need.
The way we practice charity reflects the depth of our compassion, humility, and willingness to serve – not for recognition, but simply because it is the right thing to do.
True charity isnโ€™t just about donating money; itโ€™s about offering our time, kindness, and understanding.

Charity Never Faileth

It is in giving that we receive, in serving that we grow, and in walking together that we strengthen not only our legs but also our hearts.
As Mother Teresa beautifully said, โ€œNot all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.โ€
Along the way, we may come to realise that charity is not only something we give to others, but something we, too, need from time to time, whether in the form of support, encouragement, or simply a helping hand.
Many of my friends are travelling from the USA and the Netherlands at their own expense, ensuring that every penny we raise goes directly to feeding children in need.
If youโ€™d like to be part of our journey and help provide a meal for a hungry child, please consider making a donation through the link below.
Together, we can turn small acts of generosity into something truly life changing.
Will you join us in making a difference, one meal at a time?

The Enos Challenge

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ?
โ€œStudying โ€“ the act of texting, eating and watching Netflix with an open textbook nearbyโ€ โ€“ thatโ€™s one definition at least!
Growing older, Iโ€™ve discovered that I love to study, i.e., โ€œdevoting time and attention to gain knowledgeโ€ โ€“ perhaps that is a more traditional definition!
In Doctrine & Covenants 88:118, the Lords describes how to learn the gospel โ€œโ€ฆyea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
Reading and studying are both part of the learning process.
So โ€“ is there a difference between the two?
Another definition I found suggests that – Studying means to concentrate and devote time in completing or researching any task; while reading means to understand and grasp the meaning of any content without devoting much time to it.
In simple terms, โ€œyouโ€™re only going to get out of this what you put into it.โ€ โ€“ Boyd K. Packer.
Whilst listening to a podcast in our pre-mission training, we were encouraged to take the Enos challenge.
The invitation was to study the one chapter of Enos in the Book of Mormon for 30 days.
My immediate thought was โ€œHow can I study Enos for 30 days, there are only 27 verses!โ€
However, I accepted the challenge and learned many wonderful lessons, as I slowed down and studied those verses, one by one.
The book of Enos is like a pure journal entry and is a very personal chapter of scripture.
There was indeed much to learn.

The Process of Studying…

The process of studying the scriptures has three important parts:
1 – Understanding the background and setting of the scriptures.
2 – Identifying the principles and doctrines being taught.
3 – Applying those truths to our own lives.
I learned that studying is better when you take your time, by looking out for key words, youโ€™ll discover that truths about Jesus Christ are everywhere.
Recently I invited all of the missionaries to complete the Enos challenge.
I love this piece of street art graffiti in Friesland.
It was a timely serendipitous find by Tess Flake upon her completion of the challenge!
Have you ever taken time to study the scriptures?
Enos may be a good place to start!

Lessons that change us

๐‹๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐œ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ก๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐ฎ๐ฌ – Brad Wilcox
This is a cracking photo of two young missionaries, returning home exhausted, after another long hard day. This was outside our Stowe Road apartment in Shepherd’s Bush, London โ€“ in January 1984. Iโ€™d been out only a few weeks in the England London Mission.
I had the best trainer ever in Kelley Gray
Times never to be forgotten.
Those were the days!!
Every day those lessons in the mission field challenged me.
More significantly, they changed me.
Now, as Monic and I lead the Belgium Netherlands Mission, frequently I see great power and wisdom in the phrase “๐’๐’†๐’”๐’”๐’๐’๐’” ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’…๐’๐’โ€™๐’• ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’๐’†๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’–๐’” ๐’“๐’‚๐’“๐’†๐’๐’š ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’–๐’”.”
For all who have served or are currently serving, I am absolutely certain each of you will know exactly what I mean.
That said, these lessons don’t only take place in the mission field.
What lessons have challenged and changed you?