Dear Reader

Over the last few weeks I have found myself reiterating that “life, like golf - is no respecter of persons”. It doesn’t matter who you are, life happens - the good, the bad and the ugly! It doesn’t matter how successful you have become, how much money you do or do not have or how old you are - you will experience it!

On the 27th August, I was married - this was the realisation of a lifetime longing. The wedding itself was exactly as I had hoped for - friends and family, great joy and deep emotion, laughter and lots of fun - not to mention marriage to an incredible man and a superb friend.

As I sit on yet another plane returning from Walvis Bay for a week of running my Leadership Development Programme in Johannesburg, I find myself pondering this principle.

The interesting thing about it is that in my naivety I had expected everything else around me to flow smoothly while I focussed on my wedding. The weeks leading up to the wedding and the weeks after have not been simple or smooth sailing. My fiancé lost a dear aunt, my stepfather underwent a triple bypass and our plans for our children never actualised the way we would have like them to and that is only my half of my story.

All around me I find myself listening to people who are going through the ups and downs of life - and I am amazed. I listen with wonder at the courage that they show, I am awed by their resilience. I am challenged by their adaptability which secures that they keep moving forward.

My closing thoughts are that in a world that is ever changing, if we can master three characteristics it should be courageousness, resilience and adaptability. I know that I want to develop these in my life - how about you?

Have a fantastic week.

Rachel