Author: Margaretha Montagu

Dr Margaretha Montagu – described as a “game changer”, “gifted healer”, “guiding light” and “life-enriching author” – is a certified transformational retreat leader who guides her clients towards their most meaningful and fulfilling lives, particularly when navigating life transitions – virtually, or with the assistance of her Friesian Horses, at their home in the southwest of France.
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When Success isn’t Enough

Why Successful Professionals Secretly Question Their Accomplishments (And What They Can Do About It)

Part of the #12 Strategies Collection

Introduction

In my years of working with the impressively accomplished, I’ve observed that many of them (though not all, mind you – some remain perfectly content orchestrating their empires) eventually find themselves peering into their trophy cases with a puzzling sense of “Is that all there is?”

These titans of industry often find themselves wrestling with an unexpected existential itch that no amount of professional achievement seems to scratch. This quest for meaning isn’t triggered by failure – quite the opposite. It tends to bubble up precisely when everything is going swimmingly well.

I have never been a titan of industry, but I know this feeling well – that peculiar emptiness that comes when external achievement doesn’t quite fill the internal void. When an insidious disease that threathens my sight put an end to my medical career, As a former I had to reinvent my entire identity and I’ve experienced firsthand how success can suddenly feel like the wrong answer to the right question.

The pattern is as predictable as it is profound: successful professionals, and accomplished business owners, who’ve expertly navigated the complexities of their professional worlds, suddenly find themselves fumbling with questions that their MBA programs somehow forgot to cover.

I’ve noticed that a number of key realisations tend to ambush my most successful clients:

  1. The Achievement Hangover – Many successful people discover that reaching their financial goals doesn’t deliver the sustained satisfaction they expected. They find themselves asking “Is this all there is?” after attaining the positions, wealth, or status they worked years to achieve.
  2. Hedonic Adaptation – High-achievers frequently experience an intensified version of the hedonic treadmill. Each success – whether it’s a promotion, bonus, or award – provides diminishing emotional returns, pushing them to seek sources of fulfilment beyond external accomplishments.
  3. Success Isolation – Their position often creates distance from others, leading to a form of loneliness that material success can’t address. Many find themselves surrounded by transactional relationships rather than authentic connections.
  4. Identity Integration Challenges – Many struggle to reconcile their successful professional persona with their deeper personal values and desires. They may feel trapped performing a role rather than living authentically.
  5. Existential Time Pressure – High-performers are often acutely aware of time’s value and finite nature. This can create anxiety about whether they’re spending their limited time on meaningful pursuits rather than just accumulating more success markers.
  6. Legacy Concerns – Beyond financial inheritance, many wonder about their broader impact on the world and future generations. They question whether their achievements contribute to something larger than themselves.
  7. Skill Transfer Gap – The same analytical and strategic skills that brought professional success often don’t translate directly to building a meaningful life, creating a need for new approaches and frameworks.
  8. Authenticity Deficit – Many realise they’ve been living according to others’ definitions of success rather than their own, leading to a desire to reconnect with their authentic interests and values.
  9. The Comparison Trap – High-achievers often find themselves in social circles where external markers of success are the norm, making it harder to find role models for meaningful living rather than just successful living.
  10. Purpose Evolution – As basic needs and traditional goals are met, many naturally evolve toward self-actualisation and transcendent purposes, seeking to apply their capabilities to more meaningful challenges.

Define “a Meaningful Life”

Ah, a meaningful life – that elusive quarry that has philosophers turning in their graves and self-help authors turning handsome profits. Let me offer a definition that doesn’t require spending a weekend at a wellness retreat or purchasing a specific selection of essential oils:

A meaningful life is one where you’ve mastered the art of giving a damn about the right things. It’s the sophisticated juggling act of caring deeply while maintaining enough ironic distance to laugh at yourself – rather like hosting a dinner party where existential dread is invited but not allowed to monopolise the conversation.

More specifically, it’s about:

Creating ripples that outlast your splash – whether through relationships, work, or that experimental novel you keep threatening to write. The goal isn’t to be remembered forever (let’s leave that to the pharaohs), but to have your existence matter to something larger than your Instagram following.

Finding what the Germans would probably call “Lebenskunst” (the art of living) – that sweet spot between being uselessly idle and insufferably productive. It’s about crafting experiences that make you forget to check your phone, pursuing work that occasionally makes you forget to eat lunch, and building relationships that make you forget to maintain your carefully curated social media presence.

Developing the capacity to be fully present in moments both magnificent and mundane – from watching your child’s first steps to appreciating how the barista made a slightly wonky heart in your latte. It’s about finding poetry in the prosaic without becoming unbearably precious about it.

Crucially, a meaningful life involves contributing to the world’s complexity rather than its chaos. It’s about leaving things marginally better than you found them, whether that’s the planet, your community, or simply the mood in a room.

The ultimate irony? A truly meaningful life often comes from stopping the relentless pursuit of meaning and instead engaging fully with whatever stands before you – even if it’s just a slightly overripe banana that needs to be transformed into banana bread.

Think of it as playing a game where the rules are unclear, the scoring system is mysterious, and the only certainty is that you can’t take your points with you – but somehow, the playing itself becomes the point.

In essence, a meaningful life is one where you’ve discovered how to take things seriously enough to make a difference, but not so seriously that you become insufferable at dinner parties. It’s about crafting a narrative that’s worth telling, even if the only audience is yourself on a quiet Tuesday evening.

Closer to Home

The profound transformation in my life came at a moment few high-achievers choose to face voluntarily. Having built my identity and social world around being a medical doctor, the encroaching eye disease didn’t just threaten my career – it challenged my entire sense of self. The cruel irony of being a healer who could no longer heal in the way I’d mastered was particularly poignant. My situation illustrated how our most meaningful transformations often come not from scaling new heights, but from adapting to unexpected descents.

The existential pressure of my threatened sight created a stark clarity about time and identity that most people only glimpse occasionally. This crisis of professional identity – where the carefully constructed scaffold of “being a doctor” began to crumble – forced me to confront the deeper question of who I am beyond my achievements and role. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes our most profound search for meaning begins not at our lowest point, but paradoxically, when we’re forced to step away from the peak we worked so hard to reach.

The 12 Strategies

Over the years, with the much-appreciated input of my clients, I have collected 12 unconventional strategies (some lighthearted, some serious) that can help you live a more meaningful, fulfilling and rewarding life:

  1. Practice “Productive Discomfort” – Deliberately seek situations that make you mildly uncomfortable but help you grow. Take different routes to work, strike up conversations with strangers, or try activities you’re not naturally good at. This builds resilience and expands your comfort zone organically.
  2. Create Your Own Rituals – Rather than following prescribed routines, design meaningful personal ceremonies for important moments in your life. This could be a special morning reflection practice, a monthly solo adventure, or a unique way to celebrate your achievements.
  3. Embrace “Existential Nostalgia” – Instead of seeing nostalgia as mere sentimentality, use it actively. Regularly revisit old photos, journals, or memories not just to reminisce, but to extract lessons, recognise patterns, and better understand your personal evolution.
  4. Practice “Reverse Bucket Listing” – Rather than focusing on future experiences you want to have, regularly document meaningful moments you’ve already experienced. This shifts perspective from constant seeking to grateful recognition of life’s richness.
  5. Adopt “Micro-Adventuring” – Transform ordinary days by treating regular activities as mini-adventures. Take your laptop to work in a cemetery, have breakfast for dinner in formal wear, or explore your own city like a tourist. Small novelties can create lasting meaning.
  6. Use “Strategic Incompetence” – Deliberately remain bad at certain things to focus your energy on what truly matters. Being mediocre at social media or house cleaning might free up resources for deeper pursuits.
  7. Practice “Joy Tracking” – Instead of traditional goal-setting, keep detailed notes about when you feel most alive and engaged. Look for patterns and actively design your life around these moments, even if they seem impractical or unconventional.
  8. Embrace “Power Procrastination” – Rather than fighting procrastination, channel it into other meaningful activities. When avoiding one task, tackle something else important instead of scrolling social media. This transforms “wasted” time into purposeful action.
  9. Create “Life Experiments” – Treat major decisions as experiments rather than permanent choices. Try living in a new city for three months, test a career shift through volunteering, or sample different lifestyles without full commitment. This reduces pressure and increases learning.
  10. Practice “Deep Noticing” – Instead of mindfulness meditation, develop extreme attention to specific aspects of life. Become an expert in cloud formations, local bird calls, or human facial expressions. This focused attention creates unique connections to the world.
  11. Develop “Skill Stacking” – Rather than pursuing mastery in one area, deliberately combine several unusual skills or interests. Being good at both gardening and public speaking might lead to unique opportunities that neither skill alone would provide.
  12. Create “Legacy Projects” – Instead of focusing on personal achievement, regularly create something specifically for future generations. Plant trees that will mature in 50 years, write letters to unknown future readers, or start projects that will outlive you. This extends meaning beyond your immediate experience.

These strategies work because they challenge conventional wisdom about what makes life meaningful. They focus on the active creation of meaning rather than the passive consumption of experiences and emphasise personal authenticity over societal expectations.

iNFINITE iMPACT Mentoring

INFINITE IMPACT Mentoring recognises that many high-achievers face profound identity and meaning crises, particularly when external circumstances force them to reimagine their lives. Through my experience, I understand how disorienting it can be when success and identity collide with unexpected life changes. What sets my approach apart is that we don’t just address the surface-level challenges of career transition or success redefinition – we dive deep into the core questions of identity, purpose, and meaningful impact.

I help clients transform their perceived limitations into unique advantages, showing them how their accumulated wisdom, skills, and experiences can be channelled in new, often surprising directions. For example, a doctor who can no longer practice medicine might discover that their deep understanding of healing and human vulnerability makes them uniquely qualified to mentor others through their own life transitions, as I did. This isn’t about finding a “backup plan” – it’s about uncovering layers of impact you never knew were possible. I specialise in helping high-achievers pivot from conventional success to profound significance, turning personal challenges into platforms for meaningful contribution.

Using my structured mentoring program, I help clients move beyond the constraints of traditional professional identities to discover new ways of creating value and meaning, often finding that their greatest impact lies in unexpected directions.

If you would like to know more about iFINITE iMPACT, please email me at OpenLockedDoors@gmail.com

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

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When a Corporate Titan Took a Timeout on the Camino

Anthony didn’t do breaks. Vacations, maybe. But they were the carefully curated kind—five-star hotels, perfectly chilled martinis, and assistants who’d answer his emails faster than he could order room service. He wasn’t the sort of guy who meditated, journaled, or stared at the stars searching for existential truths. Why bother? He already had everything he wanted. CEO of a wildly successful tech company. A house so big the cleaning staff used walkie-talkies. A calendar so full it had to be colour-coded by his personal productivity consultant.

But one morning, while staring at yet another award plaque on his desk, Anthony felt it: a hollow ache where satisfaction should have been.

His assistant Lorraine, ever the practical oracle, handed him a brochure: “From Troubled to Triumpant: A Camino de Santiago Hiking Retreat in the Southwest of France.”

“Three days of walking the Camino?” Anthony snorted, scanning the itinerary. “Me? You must be joking!”

“It’s potentially life-changing!” she replied. And because Anthony’s life had started to feel like a LinkedIn feed come to life—polished, predictable, and just a little soul-dead—he booked it.

Day 1: The Arrival (a.k.a. “Meeting Your Fellow Pilgrims”)

The retreat began in a postcard-perfect French farmhouse: half-timbered walls, surrounded by sprawling vineyards,and ancient woods, all lovingly curated to look effortlessly chic—like the backdrop of a très exclusive desres ad. Anthony was greeted by the hostess, who handed him a glass of chilled rosé as if she’d known his taste for understatement all along.

The group was intimate: two other high-achievers seeking a “reset,” a world-famous yoga guru named Bella who spoke about “chakra alignment” as if it were a quarterly KPI, and Henri—a fellow CEO with a wiry frame and a French accent so rich it felt like a masterclass in luxury branding just to hear him speak.

Dinner was equal parts decadently delicious and disarming. As the hostess invited the group to share introductions, Anthony—well-versed in boardroom banter—found himself uncharacteristically brief. “I’m Anthony. I run a company,” he offered, omitting the finer details of yachts and vintage cars that usually seasoned his introductions.

Henri, who’d walked the Camino before, gave him a knowing smile. “By ze end of zis week, Anthony, you will find… whatever it is you are looking for.”

Anthony wasn’t sure he’d lost anything. But he raised his glass of Côtes de Gascogne rosé anyway—just in case clarity was waiting at the bottom of the bottle.

Day 2: First Steps on the Camino (or, “These Boots Were Not Made for Walking”)

Anthony traded his usual Italian loafers for hiking boots—clunky, stiff, and about as natural on his feet as a Formula 1 car in off-road mode.

Henri, effortlessly twirling his sleek Nordic walking sticks like a maestro with a baton, smiled over his shoulder. “Ze Camino,” he declared, “is not just a walk. It is a conversation wiz yourself.”

Anthony resisted the urge to roll his eyes and said nothing.

The group set off, winding through the sun-drenched hills of the French countryside. At first, Anthony tackled it like a corporate takeover, surging ahead with his signature competitive edge. But within an hour, the wheels started to come off. His legs burned, his lungs protested, and his shirt clung to him in awkward, damp defiance. When Bella chirped, “Feel the earth’s energy!” he briefly considered whether that energy might manifest as a rideshare.

By lunchtime, they stopped in a postcard-perfect village square. Each unpacked a simple picnic of baguettes, cheese, and ripe fruit. Anthony, accustomed to kale smoothies and artfully plated power lunches, devoured his meal with abandon. It was rustic, unpretentious, and life-affirming—the kind of meal that tastes better when you’ve earned every bite. Or maybe it was the first one he’d actually savoured in years.

Day 3: Blisters and the Art of Slowing Down

The second day of walking hit differently. Anthony’s body protested with every step, but it wasn’t the kind of ache that demanded an ice bath—it was the good kind, the kind that whispered, Hey, remember me? I’m your body, not just a chauffeur for your overclocked brain.

As the group moved through the countryside, Anthony began to notice things he would have normally brushed past in a blur of notifications: the sweet tang of apple blossoms riding the breeze, the satisfying crunch of gravel beneath his boots, the rhythmic ebb and flow of Bella and Henri’s conversation as they swapped stories. Bella shared tales of transformative retreats, while Henri recounted his first Camino with such reverence that even Anthony had to admit the man-made silence sounded like a TED Talk waiting to happen.

Midway through the hike, Henri slowed the group. “Let us walk wiz no talking,” he suggested, his tone gentle but firm. “Just listen. Ze Camino will speak.”

Anthony bit back a smirk. He wasn’t here for spiritual epiphanies or existential whispers from a gravel trail. Still, he played along, falling into step behind the others as the group dissolved into quiet.

At first, the silence felt awkward, like a boardroom with no agenda. But as they moved in unison, something in him softened. Without the constant ping of emails, the relentless tick of deadlines, or the unspoken pressure to dazzle an audience, Anthony’s mind began to unfurl like a map he hadn’t consulted in years.

Memories bubbled to the surface—late nights coding in his college dorm, fueled by ramen and sheer ambition; standing in front of strangers pitching his scrappy startup with nothing but a dream and a deck of slides; the electric thrill of building something from nothing. It wasn’t just nostalgia. It was a reminder of who he used to be before success turned into spreadsheets, projections, and quarterly targets.

Somewhere along the trail, it hit him like a gust of fresh spring air: when had he stopped being the creator and become the operator? When had his life shifted from passion to process?

He didn’t have the answers yet, but for the first time in years, he felt the pull to find them.

Day 4: Anthony’s Discovery

By the third and final day of walking, Anthony was—dare he admit it—enjoying himself. Yes, enjoying. The man who once considered a “break” five minutes spent skimming emails on a treadmill wasn’t checking his phone. He wasn’t even wearing his Apple Watch. Time, for once, was measured in footsteps, sunlight, and the easy rhythm of conversation.

Henri proved to be excellent company, dispensing his unique brand of French-accented wisdom like confetti on a parade route. “Zis path,” Henri said, gesturing to the Camino ahead, “it teaches us to let go of ze baggage. Sometimes, we carry too much—old fears, old beliefs, old goals. We must make space for ze new.”

Anthony nodded, the words landing deeper than he expected. His mind wandered to the metaphorical luggage he’d been dragging through life: the relentless pursuit of more. More success. More prestige. More zeros stacked neatly in his accounts. But Henri’s words posed a simple, startling question: what if more wasn’t the point?

That night, back at the farmhouse, they gathered for a celebratory dinner under strings of golden fairy lights. The hostess brought out bottles of local wine, the kind that felt like the earth itself had been bottled. Bella, radiant as ever, suggested a round of reflections. “What did the Camino teach you?” she asked, with the air of someone expecting answers to rival Rumi.

Anthony, uncharacteristically, didn’t rush to speak. He listened as Bella shared how she’d reconnected with her purpose and Henri mused about the joy of simplicity. When it was finally his turn, he raised his glass, his words slower and more deliberate than usual.

“It taught me…” he began, pausing as the room leaned in, “that sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is… nothing at all.”

The table erupted in applause. Bella dabbed at misty eyes, clearly moved. Henri, ever the sage, raised his glass with a knowing smirk, as if to say, Finally, he understands.

And for the first time in years, Anthony wasn’t thinking about the next big thing. He was just there—present, content, and strangely light.

Day 5: Back to Reality (with New Priorities)

The retreat ended over a farewell breakfast of flaky croissants and strong coffee, punctuated by heartfelt goodbyes. Anthony exchanged emails with Bella and made a vague promise to Henri to “stay in touch.” (They both knew he probably wouldn’t, but the sentiment felt right.)

On the flight home, Anthony noticed something subtle but undeniable: he felt… lighter. Not in a clichéd, I found myself in the French countryside kind of way, but in a quieter, more grounded sense—like he’d hit a mental reset button he didn’t even know existed.

Back at work, the changes started small but rippled outward. He delegated more, trusting his team instead of micromanaging every detail. He left the office at a reasonable hour—not as a reward for finishing the day’s tasks, but as a rule. Meetings became walking meetings whenever possible, the fresh air adding a clarity the boardroom couldn’t replicate.

And every now and then, he’d catch himself smiling. Not because of a quarterly win or a big deal closed, but because he remembered the crunch of gravel under his boots, the tang of apple blossoms in the air, or the way the sun had warmed his face on those endless trails.

The Camino hadn’t handed him all the answers on a silver platter. It wasn’t magic. But it had done something far more valuable: it shifted his perspective. It nudged him to ask different questions—the kind that didn’t fit neatly on a spreadsheet.

For a man who’d once equated success with never slowing down, learning to pause felt like a breakthrough. And in his world, breakthroughs were never small.

Epilogue: Anthony’s Notes

Back at his sprawling corner office, overlooking a skyline that once filled him with pride, Anthony began to see things differently. His old ways—the relentless pace, the obsessive need to achieve—felt like wearing a suit that didn’t fit anymore. Something about those three days on the Camino had shifted his priorities, not in a dramatic, sell-it-all-and-live-on-a-goat-farm kind of way, but in subtle, powerful ways.

One night, while flipping through an old notebook from the retreat, he jotted down a few principles—guidelines, really—that the Camino had quietly handed him. At first, it was just for himself, but eventually, he found himself sharing them with friends, colleagues, even his board of directors.

Here’s how it went:

  1. The inbox is a black hole—don’t get sucked in.
    “Your inbox will never be empty,” he explained to his assistant one day with a wry grin. “It’s like chasing a finish line that moves every time you blink. Decide what really matters, and let the rest go.” From then on, Anthony made a point of closing his laptop at a reasonable hour. He discovered that the world didn’t fall apart if he responded to an email the next morning—and, shockingly, neither did his business empire.
  2. You don’t need to climb every mountain in a sprint.
    The Camino had forced Anthony to slow down, literally and figuratively. He’d learned the value of a steady pace—of appreciating the path, not just the destination. He began applying this principle to his life: spending time with his family without checking his phone every two minutes, pausing to enjoy a conversation instead of rushing to the next meeting, even taking up the utterly unproductive habit of sitting on his balcony and staring at the stars.
  3. When in doubt, eat that baguette.
    This one started as a joke but turned into a mantra. During the Camino, a simple picnic had reminded him how much joy could be found in life’s small pleasures—a perfectly crusty baguette, a good bottle of wine, or a quiet sunset. “It’s not always about the big wins,” he’d tell people, laughing. “Sometimes, it’s about letting yourself savour the little things. Life’s too short to skip the carbs.”

These principles didn’t turn Anthony into a completely different person. He was still ambitious, still loved a challenge, and still occasionally fell into old habits of overworking. But now, he recognised the signs. He knew when to step back. And for a man who used to believe success was about running harder, faster, and longer than anyone else, this was revolutionary.

And every so often, when the demands of the world crept back in and his calendar started looking like a game of Tetris on steroids, he’d grab his hiking boots. Maybe it was just a stroll through the park, or a day spent walking the hills near his vacation home, but it was enough to bring him back to the lessons of the Camino: slow down, enjoy the view, and remember that life isn’t just a race to the next milestone.

Anthony didn’t need the Camino to change his life entirely—just enough to make him feel like he was living it again. And if that meant occasionally ditching the suit for hiking boots, well… even titans of industry need a little fresh air from time to time.

From Troubled to Triumphant

The Camino de Santiago walking retreat Anthony attended was one of my From Troubled to Triumphant Camino de Santiago retreats—a carefully curated experience for high-performers who are ready to hit pause and reconnect with what truly matters to them. These retreats aren’t about “roughing it” or chasing yet another trophy for the shelf. They’re about stripping back the noise, giving your overworked mind and body the space to breathe, and finding clarity in the simplest, most unexpected moments.

This isn’t just about rustic indulgence—it’s about intentionality. My retreats are designed to provide a perfect balance: enough structure to guide you toward self-discovery, and enough freedom to let you (re)define what “triumph” means for you. Whether it’s the peaceful rhythm of your boots crunching gravel or the unexpected insights shared over dinner with your fellow travellers, every detail is engineered to inspire connection—with yourself, with others, and with the life you’re truly meant to lead.

If you’ve mastered the art of “more” but are ready to explore te meaning of “enough,” these retreats offer a rare chance to reset, because the road to living a meaningful, impactful and fulfilling life doesn’t have to be paved with compromises.

iNFINITE iMPACT

After returning from the retreat, Anthony felt a shift he couldn’t ignore. The grind that once fueled him now felt hollow, and he found himself craving something deeper—more meaningful, more impactful. Inspired by the clarity he’d found on the Camino, he signed up for my iNFINITE iMPACT mentoring program, ready to channel his newfound perspective into action. This wasn’t about abandoning his success; it was about redefining it—building a life and legacy that aligned with his values and lit him up from the inside out. With tailored guidance, bold strategies, and a touch of that Camino magic, Anthony began turning his epiphanies into tangible, transformative and longterm impact.

For more information about the T2Tretreats and/or iNFINITE iMPACT, send an e-mail to OpenLockedDoors@gmail.com

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

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12 Unconventional Strategies for Creating a Unique Legacy

Live Your Legacy

Part of the #12 Strategies Collection

Introduction

You’ve mastered the art of achievement. The corner office, the strategic acquisitions, the industry recognition – you’ve checked all the traditional boxes of success. But in quiet moments, a persistent question emerges: Will any of this truly matter in fifty years?

The most influential leaders in history didn’t just leave behind impressive balance sheets or prestigious titles. They engineered ripple effects that transformed lives for generations. While your peers focus on traditional metrics of success, there’s a more sophisticated approach to crafting a legacy that outlasts quarterly earnings reports.

This isn’t about adding another accolade to your LinkedIn profile. This is about architecting lasting change through methods that most high-performers overlook – methods that can multiply your impact exponentially while others remain trapped in conventional thinking.

So forget about naming buildings after yourself or stockpiling gold bars for your grandkids. The most powerful legacies often come from the unexpected – the quiet revolutionaries who reshape lives through unconventional wisdom, the strategic mischief-makers who inspire change through creative disruption, and the masterful mentors who plant seeds of transformation in surprising ways.

Define “Legacy”

“The greatest purpose of life is to live it for something that will last longer than you.” William James

Most people think legacy is about leaving things behind – money, buildings, or that embarrassing high school yearbook photo that somehow made it onto the internet. But real legacy is about sending things forward. It’s the invisible software updates you install in the world’s consciousness, the behavioural patches you deploy in your community, and the inspirational bugs you intentionally introduce into society’s status quo.

A legacy isn’t just the stuff that ends up in your Wikipedia entry (or these days, your ChatGPT knowledge cutoff date). It’s more like a complex algorithm of influence that keeps running in the background of humanity’s operating system. It’s the ideas you released into the wild that went viral in real life, the minds you helped reshape that went on to reshape others, and the changes you set in motion that took on lives of their own.

In its purest form, a legacy is what continues to grow, evolve, and impact others even when you’re too busy haunting your great-grandchildren to manage it directly. It’s the difference between leaving footprints in the sand (which wash away with the next tide) and teaching others how to build sandcastles that inspire future architects.

Closer to Home

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Helen Keller

Life has a way of rewriting our carefully planned scripts. At the height of my medical career, when most would say I had “made it,” fate introduced an unexpected plot twist. As a doctor who had dedicated years to helping others manage stress, I found myself facing a deeply personal battle with an insidious eye disease that threatened to steal not just my vision, but my entire professional identity. The irony wasn’t lost on me – the healer now needed healing. But what initially felt like an ending became the catalyst for something far more profound. In that moment of forced reinvention, standing at the crossroads of who I was and who I needed to become, I began to see my legacy through a different lens. It was no longer about the patients I could treat in my lifetime, but about creating ripples of impact that could touch countless lives, even without my physical presence in a consultation room.

Here are 12 delightfully different strategies I have considered myself, that will ensure that your impact on the world extends well beyond your browser history. Whether you’re 25 or 85, it’s never too early or too late to start leaving your unique mark on the world.

The 12 Strategies

  1. Document your failures openly and thoughtfully. Create a “failure resume” or journal that shares not just what went wrong, but what you learned and how it shaped you.
  2. Become an “experience collector” rather than focusing on material achievements. Deliberately seek out diverse life experiences and document them – whether through writing, photography, or recordings. Then share these experiences and the wisdom gained with others.
  3. Create “wisdom time capsules” by writing letters to be opened at specific future dates by loved ones or even strangers. Include your perspectives, advice, and hopes based on that moment in time, creating bridges between generations.
  4. Practice “reverse mentoring” – actively seek to learn from those younger than you while sharing your own knowledge. This two-way exchange creates ripple effects of learning and challenges age-based hierarchies.
  5. Start a “living library” of skills where you systematically document and teach others the unique abilities you’ve developed throughout your life, from practical skills to problem-solving approaches. This makes your knowledge accessible even after you’re gone.
  6. Develop a personal “giving curriculum” – instead of just donating money or time randomly, create a thoughtful framework for how you can best serve others based on your unique combination of skills, resources, and experiences.
  7. Create “connection projects” that bring together different groups who wouldn’t normally interact. This could be across generations, cultures, or beliefs. Document these interactions and their impacts to inspire others to bridge divides.
  8. Practice “future archaeology” by deliberately creating artifacts that tell your story in interesting ways – not just photos and videos, but objects with meaning, letters explaining their significance, and the context that made them important.
  9. Build “idea lineages” by tracking how your thoughts and approaches influence others, who then influence more people. Actively document these chains of impact and encourage others to build upon your ideas while crediting their origins.
  10. Create “legacy challenges” that inspire others to take specific actions or achieve certain goals, with clear guidelines for how to participate and share results. This turns your legacy into an active, growing movement rather than a static memorial.
  11. Develop a “wisdom garden” – systematically plant ideas, projects, or initiatives that are designed to grow and evolve after you’re gone. This could include organisations, scholarships, or community projects with built-in mechanisms for adaptation and renewal.
  12. Practice “legacy mapping” by regularly reflecting on and documenting the invisible impacts you have on others – the small moments, conversations, and actions that might seem insignificant but have profound effects. Share these observations to help others recognize their own subtle but important influences.

Each of these strategies moves beyond traditional approaches to legacy-building like financial success or professional achievements. Instead, they focus on creating lasting positive impact through connection, learning, and the deliberate sharing of wisdom and experience.

The Benefits of Creating a Legacy

Why crafting a thoughtful legacy matters:

  1. Fulfillment and Meaning
    Beyond the ego boost, designing a meaningful legacy satisfies our deep human need for transcendence. It transforms success from a personal scorecard into a contribution to humanity’s broader story. When you know your actions create lasting positive change, it adds a profound sense of purpose to your daily decisions.
  2. Amplified Impact Through Time
    A well-designed legacy acts like compound interest for influence. Rather than your impact ending when you step away, it continues to grow and evolve. Your ideas, methods, and values can shape decisions and inspire actions decades or even centuries after you’ve introduced them.
  3. Cultural and Social Evolution
    By intentionally crafting your legacy, you help shape the direction of society itself. You’re not just solving today’s problems – you’re influencing how future generations will approach challenges and opportunities. This creates a form of immortality through persistent positive influence.
  4. Knowledge Transfer Across Generations
    A strategic legacy preserves and transmits crucial insights that might otherwise be lost. It creates bridges of understanding between different eras, ensuring valuable wisdom isn’t lost to time. Your hard-won insights become stepping stones for future innovation.
  5. Network Effect of Influence
    When you deliberately design your legacy, you create cascading effects of positive change. Each person influenced by your legacy can go on to influence others, creating an expanding network of impact that grows exponentially over time.
  6. Increased Resilience
    Unlike achievements that depend on specific circumstances, a well-designed legacy can adapt and remain relevant as the world changes – because it will. It’s like creating an evolving organism rather than a static monument.
  7. Enhanced Decision-Making
    Thinking about your legacy brings long-term thinking into present-day choices. It helps you make decisions that aren’t just good for the immediate future but will stand the test of time.
  8. Creation of Living Systems
    Rather than just leaving behind static resources or ideas, a well-designed legacy creates self-sustaining systems that continue to generate value. These might be educational frameworks, methodologies, or organizations that can evolve to meet future needs.
  9. Cross-Pollination of Ideas
    Your legacy can serve as a bridge between different fields, cultures, and perspectives. This cross-pollination often leads to breakthrough innovations and fresh approaches to persistent challenges.
  10. Personal Growth Acceleration
    The process of designing your legacy forces you to distil your experiences into transferable wisdom. This reflection and synthesis process accelerates your own development and understanding.

iNFINITE iMPACT: Where Exceptional Achievement Meets High-Altitude Impact

In a world obsessed with immediate gratification, true visionaries understand that enduring influence operates on an entirely different wavelength. At iFINITE iMPACT exceptional achievers become architects of generational change. Here, we decode the algorithms of lasting influence, helping you to design a legacy that continues evolving and expanding long after its inception.

Think of iFINITE iMPACT as your personal legacy accelerator, where we transform your success from a simple headline into a multi-generational story worth telling. We take your already-impressive achievements and teach you how to amplify them into waves of influence that keep rippling long after you’ve moved on.

This isn’t merely mentoring; it’s a masterclass in exponential influence. While others focus on climbing ladders, my clients learn to build elevators that lift entire communities. I operate at the intersection of strategic brilliance and societal transformation, where your accumulated wisdom becomes the catalyst for cascading positive change.

Are you ready to use your experience, insights, and aspirations to create a legacy that transcends traditional measures of success?

If so, let’s talk. Send an email to OpenLockedDoors@gmail.com to book a complementary 30-min consultation.

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

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The Rise of Healing Organisations: A New Business Paradigm

Summary

Healing organisations prioritise stakeholder well-being while pursuing sustainable success. This model challenges traditional profit-centred approaches by integrating compassion, non-judgemental support, purpose, and environmental stewardship into core business operations.

Introduction

This morning my stepbrother, knowing that I would be fascinated by anything that would help my Camino de Santiago Walking retreat guests get more from their hiking adventure, sent me a link to a website called Walking Well. It’s a shop window for a book called “Walking Well: A New Approach for Comfort, Vitality, and Inspiration in Every Step” by Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman.

Sally Helgesen, author of “The Female Advantage” and “Rising Together” said of this book, “Walking Well helped me to relearn a fundamental skill that’s been diminished by multiple surgeries over the past two years. This has improved my confidence and balance while offering me a pathway to more robust health. I especially love the animal imagery — so vivid and practical. “

Definitely a book I need to read.

A Revelation

I scrolled down the home page and at the very bottom, I found a short 5-minute video called “The Healing Organisation” – about how we can make a difference by helping organisations cultivate a higher purpose.

It resonated so loudly that it literally knocked me for SIX.

It’s about another book, “The Healing Organisation: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World” by Raj Sisodia and Michael J. Gelb.

Deepak Chopra said of this book, “The Healing Organisation is based on a simple, profound revelation: Businesses that operate from love and make human flourishing their first priority will enrich the lives of all their stakeholders, generate more sustainable abundance, and can help solve many of our current crises.”

On the point of upgrading my business in this very direction, I could not have come across the video at a better time.

The role of business owners has evolved. It’s no longer just about achieving financial success or dominating your industry. Today, it is also about making a lasting impact, having the influence to inspire positive change, and enjoying the financial rewards that come from authentically leading with integrity.

In my humble opinion.

What exactly is a “Healing” Business?

A “healing” business or entity that prioritises the well-being, growth, and support of its employees, customers, and the broader community as a core mission. It strives to create a positive impact on people’s lives and the environment while pursuing sustainable success. The term often refers to businesses that integrate values of kindness, compassion, and purpose into their operations, challenging traditional profit-centred models.

Key Characteristics of a Healing Business

  1. Purpose-Driven Leadership
    Business owners focus on making a meaningful difference, prioritising service to others over purely financial metrics.
  2. People-Centered Practices
    Policies are designed to nurture owners’ and employees’ physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Examples include flexible work arrangements, mental health support, and personal development programs.
  3. Ethical Operations
    Decisions are guided by moral and ethical considerations, including fair labour practices, sustainability, and transparency.
  4. Community Engagement
    Healing businesses actively support their communities by addressing social challenges, contributing to public well-being, and facilitating inclusivity.
  5. Environmental Stewardship
    These businesses are committed to protecting the environment through sustainable practices and reducing their negative ecological impact.
  6. Systems of Support
    They increase their employees’ and clients’ resilience by providing tools, resources, and a supportive environment that generates growth during challenges.

By being a healing organisation, a business can achieve sustainable success while deeply enriching the lives of its customers and stakeholders and contributing positively to society.

Examples of Healing Organisations

Some suggested real-world examples of companies that have successfully transformed into healing organisations, as described in The Healing Organization by Raj Sisodia and Michael Gelb or related sources:

  1. LifeGuides – A Public Benefit Corporation that connects people in need with those who can help, fostering healing and support for individuals.
  2. FIFCO – A Costa Rican beverage company that shifted its focus to sustainability and social responsibility, making bold commitments to reduce water, carbon, and waste footprints.
  3. IFlatiron Health – A healthcare tech company organizing cancer data to improve patient care and accelerate research.
  4. Patagonia – A leader in environmental sustainability, focusing on reducing its ecological footprint while promoting employee well-being.
  5. DTE Energy – Transformed its business model to focus on renewable energy and community engagement, creating a positive impact on stakeholders.

Starting with Sustainability

I have made sustainability a cornerstone of my Camino de Santiago walking retreat business right from the start, opting to run smaller retreats that would cause less damage to the environment, especially on the Camino, while at the same time contributing to the local community’s economy.

Also, I feel more like the custodian than the owner of my little French farmhouse here in the southwest of France – I feel very privileged to live here. As its custodian, my intention is to look after it to the very best of my ability and to preserve it for generations to come. In the meantime, I share the exceptional natural beauty, the rich cultural heritage and the nurturing tranquillity of my house with my guests without harming the natural environment and helping environmentally aware local producers at the same time.

How Can a Solopreneur Build a Healing Organisation?

Yes, even a one-person business can become a healing force! It’s all about your approach and the heart you put into your work. Now that I’m starting my Infinite Impact Mentoring program, my plan is to make it a healing force by focusing on the following key aspects:

  1. Creating a clear mission statement with the clear purpose of helping others overcome major life challenges: Mission Statement Infinite Impact Mentoring: “To empower clients to transcend success, discover their purpose and add meaning to their lives. Through tailored mentoring, I guide them to align their ambitions with their values, cultivate resilience, and create an impactful legacy that resonates far beyond personal achievement.” Still working on it
  2. Prioritising authentic human connections by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions with clients and by using technology to facilitate connections rather than replace them.
  3. Offering transformative services and products that promote holistic well-being. This will include courses, coaching, mentoring and digital products aimed at personal development.
  4. Practising regular self-care and mental health awareness by acknowledging the importance of my own well-being. I learned this the hard way.
  5. Supporting my community I have chosen to work with and donate to charities close to my heart: the L’Association Française de Thérapie Assistée par l’Animal (AFTAA) which promotes animal-assisted therapy, including equine therapy, to support individuals facing psychological and emotional challenges, I am a member of the board of Les Amis de Abbaye de Flaran, which works to valorise and maintain this 800-year-old Cistercian abbey on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and I am a volunteer at the local branch of the Order of Malta in France which provides comprehensive humanitarian services including healthcare, social assistance, emergency relief, food aid, and support for vulnerable populations, managing numerous facilities and mobilizing over 12,700 volunteers nationwide.
  6. Continuously educating myself, learning from experience, keeping abreast of the latest developments in my field and adapting my approach to better serve my clients.
  7. Aligning my business practices with my values: The plan is to ensure that all aspects of my business, from marketing to delivery, reflect my mission and ethical standards.

By implementing these strategies, any solopreneur can create a business that not only provides valuable services but also contributes to the overall well-being of clients and the broader community.

At the end of the day, being a solopreneur doesn’t mean you can’t make a big impact. With the right mindset and actions, your business can be a place where real transformation happens—not just for your clients, but for you and your community as well.

Examples of Solopreneurs’ Healing Businesses

Some suggested real-world examples of solopreneurs with healing organisations:

  1. Sara Jones, founder of Sparkle – Sara transformed her digital marketing agency into a healing organization by incorporating energy healing practices. She offered regular healing sessions and workshops for employees, boosting morale and performance while attracting more clients and increasing revenue.
  2. David Lee, co-founder of InnoTech – David applied energy healing techniques to his software development process, visualizing outcomes and tapping into intuition. This led to breakthrough products, awards, and a culture of innovation within his company.
  3. Lily Chen, founder of Bloom – Lily used energy healing to overcome personal challenges and launch a successful online platform connecting women entrepreneurs. She offers free healing sessions and workshops to support her community members.
  4. Tim Emerson, founder of Kwan Yin Healing – Tim created a niche “Healing for Healers” program, offering targeted support and tools for other healers. This approach led to significant growth in his client base, online engagement, and media coverage.
  5. Pieter Levels – While not explicitly focused on healing, Levels’ solopreneur journey demonstrates the power of experimentation and adaptation. His project Nomad List became a successful platform supporting digital nomads worldwide.

These examples highlight how solopreneurs can integrate healing practices into their businesses, leading to personal growth, increased success, and a positive impact on their communities.

FAQ about Healing Organisations

How can customers support Healing Organisations?

By choosing to buy from businesses that demonstrate ethical practices, sustainability, and a commitment to societal well-being. Their purchasing power encourages more businesses to adopt healing principles and drives broader change across industries.

Can a Healing Organisation still be profitable?

Yes, Healing Organisations are often more profitable in the long run because they inspire loyalty, creativity, and trust among employees and customers. By aligning their purpose with the greater good, they create a sustainable model of success that results in financial health while contributing to societal and environmental well-being.

Can small businesses or startups become Healing Organisations?

Absolutely. Healing Organisations are not defined by size or industry but by their intent and actions. Small businesses can implement healing principles by creating a purpose-driven culture, treating employees and customers with respect, and actively contributing to their communities.

How can a Healing Organisation measure its success beyond profit?

Success in a Healing Organisation is measured through a broader lens, including metrics such as employee well-being, customer satisfaction, community impact, environmental sustainability, and the organisation’s contribution to alleviating societal suffering. These indicators show how the business positively transforms lives.

What challenges do Healing Organisations face?

Challenges include resistance to change, balancing short-term financial pressures with long-term purpose, and overcoming scepticism from traditional business leaders or shareholders. However, clear communication of the benefits and demonstrating success through small wins can help overcome these obstacles.

How can a business transition to becoming a Healing Organisation?

The transition begins with a commitment from the business owner to embrace purpose-driven change. Steps include redefining the organisation’s mission, creating a caring workplace culture, aligning policies with healing principles, and engaging all stakeholders in co-creating a vision for positive impact.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company or working solo from your home office, you can make a real difference while building a thriving enterprise. The key isn’t in perfect execution, but in taking that first step – maybe it’s offering mental health support for your team, switching to sustainable suppliers, or simply restructuring your services to better support your clients’ wellbeing.

I’m looking forward to seeing more businesses embracing this model. As it becomes clear that purpose-driven companies outperform their peers while making a positive impact, the question isn’t whether to become a healing organization, but how soon to begin the journey.

Ready to join the movement?

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

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Are You an Analytical, Functional, Intuitive or Personal Communicator?

What is Your Communication Style and why is it Crucial to Determine This?

During any major life change or transition, whether it is personal or professional, it is crucial to communicate clearly—both with yourself and others. Life changes can be overwhelming, filled with uncertainty, and often lead to misunderstandings. Whether you’re processing the end of a significant chapter in your life, navigating a career shift, coping with a deteriorating relationship, or moving to a new country, expressing your thoughts, feelings, needs, and boundaries with clarity is vital.

Clear communication not only helps you articulate your emotions and intentions but can also create stronger connections with the people who support you during these times. When you learn to communicate effectively, you invite understanding, collaboration, and a sense of control back into your life—even when everything else feels chaotic.

What is YOUR communication style? Personally and professionally?

In this post, we’ll explore why clear communication matters so much during life transitions and look at the various styles of communication to help you discover yours.

Communication styles have been categorised according to various classification systems:

Personal Communication Styles: Passive, Aggressive, Passive-aggressive, Assertive and Manipulative

  1. Passive Communication: Characterised by avoiding conflict and not expressing one’s own needs or feelings. Passive communicators often defer to others and may struggle to make eye contact. Example: “I’m okay with whatever you want to do” while avoiding eye contact.
  2. Aggressive Communication: Involves expressing oneself forcefully, often at the expense of others. Aggressive communicators may dominate conversations, use intense eye contact, and speak loudly. Example: “This is what we’re doing” or “Get over it”combined with crossed arms, eye rolling and finger pointing.
  3. Passive-Aggressive Communication: Combines passive and aggressive elements. Passive-aggressive communicators appear passive on the surface but subtly express anger or discontent through indirect means, such as sarcasm or giving the silent treatment. Example: Saying “Sure, I’ll do it” but not following through and spreading rumors.
  4. Assertive Communication: Considered the most effective style, it involves direct and honest communication while respecting others’ feelings and needs. Assertive communicators use “I” statements and maintain good eye contact. Example: “I feel… when you… and I need for you to do…” accompanied by eye contact, straight posture, and relaxed gestures.
  5. Manipulative Communication: Used to influence others covertly in the speaker’s favour. Manipulative communicators may use subtle tactics to guide others’ actions. Example: “I wonder if it’s good enough” while using subtle tactics to influence others.

Professional Communication Styles: Analytical, Functional, Intuitive and Personal

  1. Analytical Communication Style: Analytical communicators represent a methodical and data-driven approach to communication. If you are an analytical communicator, you prioritise facts, evidence, and logical reasoning in your interactions. You typically approach conversations and decision-making processes with a systematic mindset, carefully examining every detail before forming conclusions. In professional settings, analytical communicators are known for their precision and thorough research, often asking probing questions to gather comprehensive information. Their communication is characterised by a preference for quantitative data, statistical evidence, and structured arguments. They tend to be more reserved in emotional expression, focusing instead on objective information. When presenting ideas, they will likely use charts, graphs, and detailed reports to support their perspectives. While this approach ensures accuracy, it can sometimes make them appear distant or overly clinical in interpersonal interactions.
  2. Functional Communication Style: Functional communicators are process-oriented individuals who excel in structured environments. If you are a functional communicator, you prioritise clear, step-by-step instructions and well-defined processes in your communication. You are most comfortable when you understand exactly how something should be accomplished, preferring detailed guidelines and specific timelines. Your communication style is pragmatic and focused on implementation. You ask “how” questions to understand the precise mechanics of a task or project. Functional communicators value consistency, reliability, and systematic approaches to problem-solving. In team settings, they are often the members who ensure that plans are meticulously executed and that every detail is carefully considered.
  3. Intuitive Communication Style Intuitive communicators are visionary thinkers who focus on broad concepts and future possibilities. Unlike your analytical counterparts, you are less interested in minute details and more excited by overarching ideas and innovative potential. You communicate using metaphors, analogies, and big-picture perspectives. Your communication style is characterised by creativity, forward-thinking, and a tendency to challenge conventional thinking. Intuitive communicators quickly identify patterns and trends, often making connections that others might miss. They become impatient with excessive details and prefer discussions that explore potential outcomes and transformative ideas. In professional environments, they are often the strategic thinkers who inspire teams with their visionary approaches.
  4. Personal Communication Style: Personal communicators prioritise emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships in their interactions. You are deeply attuned to the feelings and emotional states of those around you, making you exceptional team builders and conflict mediators. Your communication style emphasises empathy, diplomacy, and maintaining positive group dynamics. You excel at reading emotional nuances and creating supportive environments. Personal communicators are skilled listeners who can intuitively understand underlying team tensions and work to resolve them harmoniously. While their approach is relationship-focused, they can sometimes be perceived as overly emotional or indirect by more task-oriented communication styles.

Both Personal and Professional: Verbal, Non-verbal, Visual and Written

Communication can be delivered verbally, non-verbally, visually, and written communication. Verbal communication involves spoken words, whether in person, over the phone, or via video, and it relies on tone, clarity, and language to convey meaning. Non-verbal communication includes body language, gestures, facial expressions, and even silence, which often reveal emotions or intentions that words alone cannot. Visual communication uses images, symbols, charts, or videos to present ideas, often simplifying complex concepts or making them more engaging.

Finally, written communication involves text-based messages like emails, letters, or reports, providing a permanent record and allowing for careful crafting of ideas. Together, these forms of communication interact and complement each other to ensure clear and effective exchanges in different contexts.

Verbal communication can further be subdivided into intrapersonal communication and interpersonal communication. Intrapersonal communication refers to the internal dialogue or self-talk that occurs within an individual. This type of communication involves reflecting on thoughts, feelings, and experiences, allowing for personal insight and decision-making.

Interpersonal communication is the direct interaction between two individuals. This face-to-face communication can be informal or formal and is essential for building relationships, resolving conflicts, and exchanging ideas.

By recognising and respecting different communication preferences, professionals can create more effective and inclusive communication strategies.

Identify your own Communication Style

  1. Self-reflection: Consider how you typically approach problems, express thoughts and feelings, listen to others, handle stress and conflict, and adapt to different situations. This introspection can provide insights into your natural tendencies.
  2. Self-assessment tests: Take a communication style quiz or assessment specifically designed to determine your primary style. These tests often categorise styles into four main types, such as Passive, Aggressive, Passive-aggressive, Assertive and Manipulative, ex. the VeryWellMind Quiz Or take the Analytical, Functional, Intuitive and Personal Quiz
  3. Seek feedback: Ask colleagues, friends, or family members for their observations on how you communicate. They may notice patterns in your communication that you’re not aware of.
  4. Analyse your preferences: Reflect on the types of messages you prefer to receive. Your preferred style of receiving information often aligns with your own communication style.
  5. Observe your behaviour: Pay attention to your typical communication habits, such as your tendency to ask questions or make statements, your comfort level with small talk versus getting straight to the point and your natural inclination towards assertiveness or passivity.

By combining these methods, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your primary communication style. Remember that most people use a blend of styles, with one or two being more dominant. Understanding your style can help you capitalise on your strengths and address any weaknesses, ultimately leading to more effective communication.

How Understanding Your Communication Style Helps You During Major Life Changes

Your communication style can be a powerful tool when navigating life transitions.

Most of us don’t stick to just one communication style in every situation—we adapt depending on the context. But being self-aware about how you naturally communicate can make a big difference in handling transitions effectively.

Step 1: Get to Know Your Style

Are you Analytical, Functional, Intuitive, or Personal?

  • Recognise Your Strengths and Weaknesses: If you’re Analytical, you probably thrive on data and details during transitions—but don’t forget to check in on your emotions. On the flip side, Personal communicators might lean into their feelings but could benefit from adding a little structure.
  • Adapt to Others: Not everyone speaks your “language.” Learning to adjust your approach—whether that means softening a logical tone or grounding emotional expression—can facilitate even the trickiest conversations.
  • Speak Your Needs: A support network can’t help if they don’t know what you need. Nail down how to communicate your wants effectively, and you’ll find people showing up for you in the best way possible.

Step 2: Strengthen Relationships

Transitions can strain even the strongest connections. Knowing communication styles helps you navigate interactions with a little more finesse—and way fewer misunderstandings.

  • Navigate Different Styles: Your Intuitive friend might want to dream big about the future, while your Functional partner wants a step-by-step plan. Adapt to their communication style, and you’ll both feel heard and understood.
  • Keep Conflict Low: Stress can make everyone snippy. By understanding how others communicate, you can avoid accidental tension and smooth over any bumps before they become roadblocks.
  • Ask for (and Give) the Right Support: Need emotional check-ins or practical advice? Understanding your style—and theirs—means you can give and receive help that truly resonates.

Step 3: Build Coping Strategies That Actually Work

Your communication style doesn’t just shape how you talk—it’s your compass for navigating tough situations. If you’re an Analytical communicator, you might find comfort in research and cold, hard facts. Gathering data about your situation or creating charts and spreadsheets can help you feel in control. Functional communicators, on the other hand, thrive on structure. They’re the planners who find calm in detailed, step-by-step action plans.

Intuitive communicators see the big picture and focus on future possibilities, which can be a powerful way to reframe challenges as opportunities. Meanwhile, Personal communicators turn to their emotional connections, finding strength in sharing their journey with friends, family, or a trusted confidant. By leaning into your natural tendencies, you can create coping mechanisms that not only work but also feel authentic to who you are.

Step 4: Decode the Flood of Information

During major transitions, you’re bound to be bombarded with advice, options, and decisions. How you process all this noise often comes down to your communication style. Analytical communicators zero in on the details, preferring to sort through information systematically to ensure nothing gets overlooked. Functional communicators excel at breaking down that same information into manageable steps, making it easier to act.

Intuitive communicators, however, tend to focus on patterns and overarching themes, piecing together the big picture to guide their decisions. Personal communicators approach information through the lens of relationships, paying close attention to who is delivering the message and how it makes them feel. Understanding your natural approach to information processing can help you stay focused, avoid overwhelm, and make decisions that align with your needs and values.

Step 5: Say What You Need (and Mean It)

Life changes stir up a whirlwind of emotions, ideas, and decisions—and knowing your communication style makes expressing all of that much easier. When you understand your strengths, you can articulate your needs clearly and confidently. Analytical communicators often prefer to stick to the facts, presenting their concerns in a logical, straightforward manner. Functional communicators are great at breaking down their thoughts into a clear plan of action, ensuring nothing gets lost in translation.

Intuitive communicators often gravitate toward the big-picture impact of what they’re expressing, focusing on long-term goals and implications. Personal communicators shine when sharing emotions and building deeper connections, which helps them express vulnerability in a way that fosters trust and support. By embracing your natural style, you’ll find it easier to communicate your concerns, choose the right method (whether that’s writing or talking), and frame your messages in a way that others understand and respond to positively.

The Bottom Line

One specific communication style is no better or worse than another—it’s all about using the right one for the situation. If you pick the wrong style for your audience, whether you’re talking to one person or a whole crowd, it can make it harder for your message to be absorbed. By staying flexible in how you communicate, you can adjust your approach to match what works best for your audience. That way, your message is more likely to get through.

Big life transitions don’t have to be uphill struggles. By understanding and leveraging your communication style, you can navigate life transitions more smoothly, maintain stronger relationships, and develop effective coping strategies tailored to your natural tendencies. Consider it your secret superpower—one that helps you thrive in even the messiest moments.

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Why SMART Goals Might Not Be So Smart After All

A Fresh Perspective

Introduction

At the beginning of this new year, many of us are making plans and setting goals for the year ahead. Whether it’s career ambitions, fitness targets, or personal development objectives, we aim to map our paths to success. To make it easier, you may have been advised to set “SMART” goals. But before you start crafting perfectly specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives, let’s pause for a moment. This popular framework might not always be the smartest choice.

Ever found yourself hitting every target but still feeling like you’re missing the mark? You’re not alone. While SMART goals have become the darling of corporate boardrooms and self-help gurus, this widely embraced framework might actually be holding us back in ways we hadn’t considered.

I have been setting SMART goals for more than a decade, sometimes successfully, other times not so much. Sometimes they’ve helped me achieve exactly what I set out to do – like completing the Amsterdam marathon or creating my nail-your-life-purpose course. Other times, they’ve felt like handcuffs, constraining my creativity and limiting my ability to adapt to changing circumstances. I have discovered that while SMART goals can be powerful tools, they’re not always the answer to every challenge.

These seemingly foolproof objectives might sometimes be outsmarting themselves. In fact, their limitations might surprise you.

The Hidden Limitations of SMART Goals

The Measurement Trap

SMART goals can inadvertently prioritise easily measurable outcomes over meaningful ones. Imagine a teacher who sets a SMART goal of “increasing test scores by 10% this semester.” While this fits the SMART criteria perfectly, it might lead to teaching to reach test scores rather than teaching creative, engaging lessons that spark lifelong learning. The question becomes: are we measuring what matters, or just what’s easy to measure? – Aghera A, Emery M, Bounds R, Bush C, Stansfield RB, Gillett B, Santen SA. A Randomized Trial of SMART Goal Enhanced Debriefing after Simulation to Promote Educational Actions. West J Emerg Med. 2018 Jan;19(1):112-120.

Tunnel Vision and Missed Opportunities

The framework can also create tunnel vision. When we’re hyper-focused on specific, measurable targets, we might miss unexpected opportunities or creative solutions that fall outside our predetermined path. A startup founder rigidly pursuing a SMART goal of “acquiring 1000 new users per month” might overlook valuable feedback suggesting their product needs fundamental changes. SMART goals can act like blinders, for example:

In Business

  • A retail manager focuses solely on hitting quarterly sales targets, missing crucial customer experience issues that later drive away loyal customers
  • An investment firm sticks rigidly to its “10% annual return” goal, passing up innovative but unconventional investment opportunities that could yield better long-term results
  • A software company maintains strict sprint velocity goals, forcing developers to choose quick fixes over necessary architectural improvements

In Personal Development

  • A writer determined to write 2000 words daily ignores feedback suggesting their story needs structural revision
  • An athlete so focused on specific strength metrics overlooks mobility issues that later lead to injury
  • A student fixated on achieving a perfect GPA takes only “easy” classes, missing out on challenging courses that could better prepare them for their career

In Professional Growth

  • A designer pursuing specific certification goals misses emerging design tools and methodologies that could give them a competitive edge
  • A middle manager focused on efficiency metrics fails to notice growing team burnout and cultural issues
  • A freelancer strictly pursuing income targets turns down lower-paying projects that could lead to valuable portfolio pieces and industry connections

In Innovation and Research

  • A research team so focused on meeting grant-specific milestones overlooks unexpected findings that could lead to breakthrough discoveries
  • A product development team adhering to rigid feature delivery schedules misses crucial user feedback suggesting a pivot in direction
  • An environmental organisation focused on specific conservation targets overlooks innovative community-based solutions that could have a broader impact

The “Achievable” Paradox

By emphasising realistic, achievable goals, we might set our sights too low and miss breakthrough innovations. We might even be programming ourselves for mediocrity. History’s greatest innovations – from the Wright brothers to breakthrough medical treatments – often emerged from pursuing what seemed “unrealistic” at the time.

The Environmental Mismatch

Rigid Goals in a Fluid World

Today’s rapidly evolving landscape demands adaptability, yet SMART goals assume a relatively stable environment. A goal that was relevant when set might become obsolete before it’s achieved. A company might set a SMART goal to optimise its retail strategy, only to find consumer behaviour dramatically shifting due to unexpected events . A five-year business plan in certain industries might be disrupted by new technologies. Career goals in professions might not exist in another decade.

The Creativity Conundrum

Time-bound deadlines can sometimes be counterproductive, especially for complex creative or innovative work – it fundamentally misunderstands the creative process. Imagine telling Mozart to “compose three symphonies in the next quarter” – the pressure of arbitrary deadlines might have stifled his creativity rather than enhanced it.

The Human Factor

Perhaps most importantly, SMART goals can overlook the human element. They don’t necessarily account for personal growth, learning processes, or the intrinsic motivation that often drives meaningful achievement. A person might successfully hit their SMART goal of “reading 52 books this year” but miss out on the deep engagement and joy that comes from truly savouring and reflecting on what they read.

SMART goals often overlook the psychological elements that drive true achievement:

  • Intrinsic motivation versus external metrics
  • Personal growth and learning processes
  • The role of passion and purpose
  • The importance of flexibility and adaptation

Meeting quantitative targets doesn’t always translate to qualitative success. Ter illustration, allow me to introduce you to Trevor Scribblesworth.

The Tale of Trevor Scribblesworth, the Word Count Warrior

Once upon a time in the bustling city of Procrastinopolis, there lived a writer named Trevor Scribblesworth. Trevor was a seasoned wordsmith with a sharp wit and an even sharper deadline. His editor, Ms Punctuality Prose, had set him a daunting task: write exactly 1,500 words per day, every day, for the lifestyle blog “Living Your Best Life (But Better).” It was specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Perfect! His productivity app gleamed with green checkmarks. His word-count spreadsheet was a thing of beauty. His writing… well, that was another story.

Monday’s post: “10 Ways to Drink Water More Effectively”
“Water is very wet,” Trevor typed furiously. “It’s also quite liquid. Some people drink water every day, which is interesting because days happen all the time. Speaking of time, did you know that fish swim in it. But not all fish. Some fish are actually in the sea, which is like water but bigger and saltier, kind of like potato chips, which make you thirsty, which brings us back to water…”

Tuesday’s post: “How to Breathe Like a Pro”
“Breathing is essential for living your best life,” Trevor began, eyes fixed on his word counter. “In fact, most successful people breathe multiple times per day. Here are some places where you can practice breathing: inside, outside, upstairs, downstairs, in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse…”

By Wednesday, he was really struggling. “5 Signs You’re Actually Alive”
“Being alive is trending right now,” he wrote desperately. “You know you’re alive when you can read blog posts about being alive, just like this one, which you’re reading right now, which proves you’re alive, unless you’re not, in which case this is awkward and you should probably seek medical attention immediately or possibly yesterday…”

Thursday’s masterpiece: “Why Chairs Are the New Standing”
“Chairs have been around for literally several years,” Trevor typed, watching the word count tick up with relief. “Some chairs have four legs, while others brazenly display three or even five legs, which really makes you think about life and its many mysteries, speaking of which, did you know that chairs often support sitting? This is a fascinating development in the chair community…”

Friday’s piece de resistance: “The Ultimate Guide to Looking at Things”
“Looking is a crucial skill,” Trevor declared, madly hammering at his keyboard. “Without looking, how would you know where your coffee is? Or your cat? Or your coffee-drinking cat? Some experts suggest opening your eyes while looking, though this is still debated in certain circles, particularly among professional nappers and people who walk into walls…”

His posts hit the required word count every single day. His metrics were perfect. His engagement stats, however, told a different story. Comments ranged from “Did an AI write this?” to “Are you okay?” to “I’ve read fortune cookies with more depth.”

By Saturday, Trevor’s editor finally intervened. “Trevor,” she said gently, “I notice you’ve met every single word count goal this week.”

“Thank you!” Trevor beamed. “I’m crushing it!”

“You wrote three paragraphs about how shoes are ‘foot clothes.'”

“But it was exactly 1,500 words!”

“And yesterday’s post was just the word ‘nevertheless’ repeated 375 times.”

“It was about persistence!”

Ms Punctuality Prose sighed. “Maybe we need to rethink these goals.”

Trevor gasped. But before he could respond, he had to go write his next post: “The Revolutionary Art of Existing in Space While Time Continues to Move Forward (A Comprehensive Guide).”

Some say he’s still out there somewhere, hitting his word counts with the precision of a Swiss watch and the depth of a puddle. But at least his spreadsheet looks amazing.

Rethinking Goal Setting

SMART goals can help you meet deadlines, but they won’t guarantee depth, quality, or relevance. Instead of abandoning the structure entirely though, consider these alternatives:

  1. Combine SMART objectives with flexible, adaptive frameworks
  2. Include qualitative measures alongside quantitative ones
  3. Build in regular review and adjustment periods
  4. Allow for serendipity and unexpected opportunities
  5. Focus on process goals alongside outcome goals

Research

Looking at the research done on the effectiveness of setting SMART goals, I found that it has yielded mixed results. Some studies have demonstrated positive outcomes, while others have found limitations or no significant benefits:

  1. Creative Performance: SMART goals were found to be no more effective for creative performance than do-your-best goals or non-specific, exploratory ‘open goals’ -Pietsch, Simon & Riddell, Hugh & Semmler, Carolyn & Ntoumanis, Nikos & Gucciardi, F.. (2024). SMART goals are no more effective for creative performance than do-your-best goals or non-specific, exploratory ‘open goals’. Educational Psychology. 44. 1-17.
  2. Quality of Goals: A study examining SMART goals set by Australian community pharmacists found that the majority of goals were classified as poor quality, with 81% scoring two or fewer points on a quality assessment scale – Stewart V, McMillan SS, Hu J, Collins JC, El-Den S, O’Reilly CL, Wheeler AJ. Are SMART goals fit-for-purpose? Goal planning with mental health service-users in Australian community pharmacies. Int J Qual Health Care. 2024 Feb 21;36(1):mzae009.
  3. Job Satisfaction: Research by Leadership IQ suggests that people who set SMART goals are less likely to love their jobs and may be less likely to achieve great things or maximize their full potential.

While SMART goals have demonstrated effectiveness in certain contexts, their universal applicability and superiority over other goal-setting methods remain subjects of ongoing research and debate.

Moving Beyond SMART Goalsetting: A Balanced Approach

The solution isn’t to abandon SMART goals entirely but to use them as one tool in a more comprehensive approach to achievement. Consider setting “direction goals” that define a clear heading while allowing for course corrections and unexpected discoveries along the way.

What really matters is creating a goal-setting framework that acknowledges both the measurable and immeasurable aspects of success – one that leaves room for growth, adaptation, and the fundamental unpredictability of meaningful achievement. After all, the most important outcomes in our lives rarely fit neatly into a five-letter acronym.

What’s your experience with SMART goals? Have they helped you succeed, or have you found yourself checking all the boxes but missing the bigger picture? Perhaps it’s time to get smarter about how we set SMART goals.

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

Are you ready to step into a more purposeful, meaningful and fulfilling life? Choose your path today:

Book a Camino de Santiago Hiking Adventure
Experience the life-changing magic of the Camino de Santiago. Disconnect from the noise, reconnect with your purpose, and rediscover yourself on this unforgettable pilgrimage.
Enroll in An Online Course
Empower yourself with the skills and strategies to create lasting change. These self-paced courses are designed for high-achievers who want to take control of their future, one intentional step at a time.
Apply for Mentorship
If you’re a successful professional looking to break through barriers, this exclusive mentorship program is for you. Work one-on-one with a seasoned mentor who will challenge, inspire, and guide you to achieve unparalleled growth.

👉The next step is yours. Let’s make this the year you align with your highest self.

🔎 Click on the links above to learn more or e-mail me at OpenLockedDoors@gmail.com to book a discovery call.
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You’ll Need to Reinvent Yourself in 2025

A Fresh Start in a Fast-Changing World

So, here we are in 2025, where AI writes poetry, cars practically drive themselves, and your coffee maker probably has more computing power than NASA circa 1969. If there was ever a time to reinvent yourself, now is the moment!

Especially if you are going through, or will be going through a major life change in 2025.

Remember when we thought 2020 was going to be “our year”? (Spoiler alert: it so wasn’t.) But 2025 is different. We’re not just standing on the threshold of a new year – we’re living in an era where change happens faster than you can say “digital transformation.” From AI revolutionising how we work to remote jobs becoming the norm rather than the exception, the world isn’t just changing; it’s doing backflips while juggling chainsaws.

 Trust me, in a world where your office is wherever you plop down your laptop, reinvention isn’t just a fancy buzzword – it’s your ticket to thriving in this brave new world. It’s about staying relevant, fulfilled, and maybe even sane in a world that’s changing faster than you can say “quantum computing.”

Why am I telling you this? Because in this brave new world, reinventing yourself isn’t just going to be a nice-to-have option – it’s practically going to be a survival skill. Think of it as upgrading your personal operating system. And don’t worry, this won’t be another one of those “wake up at 4 AM, take cold showers, and meditate while standing on your head” kind of guides. Instead, I’m going to walk you through some practical steps to inspire you to become the 2.0 (or maybe 5.0?) version of yourself.

1. Understanding the Need for Reinvention

Why on earth should you bother reinventing yourself in 2025? Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock (which, let’s face it, might be tempting sometimes), you’ve probably noticed that the world has gone a bit… bonkers.

Remember when we thought Zoom meetings were a temporary thing? Ha! Now we’re having virtual reality coffee breaks with colleagues from across the globe and we’ve got digital nomads running Fortune 500 companies from their hammocks in Bali.

The post-pandemic world has shuffled our priorities faster than a Vegas dealer. We’ve all become a bit obsessed with things like mental health, work-life balance, and finding out if sourdough bread really is the answer to all of life’s problems (spoiler alert: it’s not, but it’s delicious).

Mental health isn’t just a buzzword anymore – it’s right up there with your daily to-do list. And work-life balance? It’s gone from being a luxury to a non-negotiable, like high-speed, stable WiFi.

So, how do you know if it’s time for a personal makeover? Well, if you find yourself staring at your reflection and wondering, “Is this all there is?” or if you’re spending more time daydreaming about your ideal life than actually living it, it might be time to hit the reinvention button.

Seriously though, you might want to give serious consideration to reinvention if:

  • Your job description now includes “Knows everything about AI” (even though you’re still trying to figure out why your printer hates you)

  • The last time you felt truly excited about your work, TikTok wasn’t even a thing, never mind being banned

  • Your idea of personal growth is upgrading your smartphone

  • You find yourself saying “back in my day” more often than “I can’t wait to try this new thing.”

Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have travelled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction. If the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well. – Maya Angelou

2. Start by Reflecting on Your Current Self

Now, before you go all “new year, new me” and dye your hair purple (although, if that’s your thing, go for it!), let’s take a moment to figure out who you are right now. It’s like taking a selfie of your soul – slightly disconcerting, but useful.

Start by doing a self-audit. No, this doesn’t involve the IRS, thank goodness. It’s about taking a good, hard look at your strengths, weaknesses, and areas where you could use a bit of polish. Are you a whiz at Excel but a disaster at human interaction? Can you speak five languages but can’t seem to understand the language of your own heart?

There are tons of tools out there to help you with this soul-searching adventure. I’d suggest you try journaling (just don’t let AI write it for you, or you might discover you’re actually a 50-year-old man named Chuck).

It’s time for some honest self-reflection – and no, scrolling through your old Instagram posts doesn’t count. Although I suppose it depends on what you have posted there.

Start by asking yourself some targetted questions:

  • What are you actually good at? (Being able to binge-watch an entire series in one weekend doesn’t count… or does it?)

  • What makes you lose track of time? (Again, Netflix is not an option)

  • What would your friends say about you if you weren’t in the room? (Maybe actually ask them – just prepare for brutal honesty)

Use tools like personality tests if you want, but remember: they’re guides, not gospel. I find the 16Personalities Test very useful in my practice.

Just because an online quiz says you should be a deep-sea dolphin trainer doesn’t mean you need to quit your job tomorrow, though.

3. Now Visualise Your Future Self

Once you’ve got a handle on who you are, it’s time to define what reinvention means to you. Is it a complete career 180? A personal growth journey? Or maybe just finally learning how to cook something other than ramen?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in December 2025. What are you doing? Where are you? What kind of person have you become? (If your vision includes having a pet robot, you might be watching too much sci-fi, although I might be wrong about that.)

Creating a vision board isn’t just for Pinterest enthusiasts anymore. It’s about making your goals tangible. Want to become an AI ethicist? Put it up there. Dream of becoming a digital nomad? Add it to the board.

If arts and crafts aren’t your thing, try writing a personal mission statement. It’s like a Twitter bio for your soul, but with more than 280 characters. Be specific – “I want to be happy” is nice, but “I want to run a sustainable treehouse resort for burnt-out tech workers” is way more fun and actionable.

Remember to align your goals with the trends of 2025. Maybe you want to develop AI-related skills (like how to politely decline a date with a chatbot), embrace sustainable living (turns out, those reusable shopping bags were just the beginning), or foster deeper connections (yes, real human ones, not just adding more LinkedIn contacts).

4. Embrace Lifelong Reinvention

Here’s the plot twist: reinvention isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s more like a subscription service – you need to keep renewing it.

The beauty of constant reinvention is that you get better at it. The first time might feel like trying to dance salsa with two left feet, but eventually, you’ll be spinning through changes like a pro. Or at least like someone who’s watched enough YouTube tutorials to fake it convincingly.

Think of reinvention as a cycle. You assess, you change, you grow, and then you do it all over again. It’s like being the star of your own personal reboot series. The key is to stay adaptable and curious. In 2025, change is the only constant (well, that and cat videos – some things never go out of style). So, embrace it!

Once you’ve got this reinvention thing down, why not spread the love? Share your story with others. Inspire them. Your courage to change could be the push someone else needs to start their own transformation.

Time to Press Start on Your Reinvention

Look, I get it. Reinvention can feel scarier than a software update that says “Do not turn off your computer” without telling you how long it’ll take. But here’s the thing: the future belongs to those who are willing to adapt, grow, and occasionally make fools of themselves in the process of learning something new.

Remember: every expert was once a beginner who decided to start. Every success story began with someone thinking, “Well, this might be a terrible idea, but let’s try anyway.”

Reinvention isn’t about becoming a completely different person. It’s about becoming a better, more fulfilled version of you. It’s about aligning your life with your evolving goals and values, and maybe learning to code along the way (because let’s face it, in 2025, even your toaster probably needs programming).

The future is out there, and it’s being shaped by those bold enough to reinvent themselves. Will you be one of them? (Spoiler alert: The answer should be yes. Yes, you will.)

So, what are you waiting for? 2025 isn’t going to be the year things magically happen to you – it’s going to be the year things happen because of you. Take that first step.  “What’s one area of your life you’re most excited to reinvent in 2025?”

Or try a challenging journaling prompt: “What parts of myself have I been suppressing, and how can I courageously integrate them into my reinvention?”

Admittedly, not one for the faint-hearted.

As you explore the parts of yourself that you’ve been suppressing, you’ll uncover hidden talents, unexpressed passions, and the rich, complex layers of your authentic identity. This journaling exercise challenges you to confront the societal and personal expectations that have constrained your true self, creating a powerful space for radical self-acceptance. By diving deep into your innermost thoughts and feelings, you’ll begin to design a personal manifesto of unapologetic authenticity. The process is both vulnerable and empowering, encouraging you to honour every aspect of your being. Through this reflection, you’ll develop strategies to not just accept your genuine self, but to celebrate and integrate all of your unique qualities. This prompt is more than just writing; it’s a transformative act of courage, inviting you to step into the most authentic version of yourself.

If you need support with any of the above, why not attend one of my Camino de Santiago de Compostela retreats here in the southwest of France? Hiking the Camino can literally be a life-changing and profoundly life-enriching experience.

The future is calling, and trust me, you don’t want to leave it on voicemail.

Frequently Asked Questions About Reinventing Yourself

  1. Can I reinvent myself at any age?
    Absolutely! Reinvention is possible at any stage of life. Many people successfully transform their lives at 50, 60, or even later. Your willingness to change and grow is not limited by age.

  2. How long does it typically take to reinvent yourself?
    The process of reinventing yourself doesn’t have a fixed timeline, as it varies greatly depending on individual circumstances, goals, and the extent of the desired changes. Some people experience significant transformations in a matter of months, while for others, it may be a gradual process spanning several years. Reinvention can occur at any age and multiple times throughout one’s life. For instance, James Altucher, in his book Reinvent Yourself, notes that successful individuals like Picasso reinvented themselves every five years. Ultimately, the duration of reinvention depends on factors such as personal motivation, the complexity of the changes sought, and the support systems in place. The key is to embrace the process as a continuous journey of growth and self-discovery rather than a finite task with a set completion date.

  3. Why do I feel the need to reinvent myself?
    The desire to reinvent yourself often stems from a deep desire for personal growth, dissatisfaction with current life circumstances, and significant life events that prompt reflection or a natural response to evolving personal understanding.

  4. How difficult is it to reinvent yourself?
    Reinvention can be challenging but incredibly rewarding. The difficulty depends on the extent of changes you’re making, your personal circumstances, and your commitment to personal transformation.

  5. How can I maintain my new identity after reinvention?
    Maintaining your new identity after reinvention requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach. The key is to integrate your new self deeply into your core identity, making the transformation feel authentic and sustainable. It involves continuously reflecting on your values, practising your new persona consistently, and being patient with yourself during the transition. This approach helps make your new identity feel less like an external change and more like a natural evolution of who you are. Remember to be kind to yourself, stay open-minded, and understand that your reinvention may unfold differently than initially expected. The most successful reinventions are those that feel true to your deepest self, rather than a fabricated version of who you think you should be. (see Freeman, Steven. (2002). Identity Maintenance and Adaptation: A Multilevel Analysis Of Response to Loss. Research in Organizational Behavior. 21.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go reinvent my relationship with my smart fridge, which keeps judging my midnight snack choices. Some things never change – but you can, and if you want to, you will.

Author Bio: Dr Margaretha Montagu – described as a “game changer”, “gifted healer”, “guiding light” and “life-enriching author” – is an experienced medical doctor, a certified NLP practitioner, a medical hypnotherapist, an equine-assisted psychotherapist (EAGALAcertified) and a transformational retreat leader who guides her clients through life transitions – virtually, or with the assistance of her Friesian and Falabella horses, at their home in the southwest of France.

In a world that feels increasingly unstable — politically, economically, emotionally — what will you do when the rug is pulled out from under you? That’s why I created Survive the Storm — a 7-part online course designed to be a lifeline during a life quake. This is your personal survival toolkit for uncertain times — lovingly crafted and packed with practical tools, emotional support, and soul-nourishing insights to help you stay grounded, resilient, and resourceful when everything around you feels like it’s falling apart. Enrol in How to Survive the Storm Protocol, with or without additional mentoring.

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In the Middle of a Life Crisis, what can Priming do for You?

If you have obstacles that are holding you back from who you want to be, PRIMING is one of the most effective tools for bridging that gap. Tony Robbins

Introduction

When the storm hits—whether it’s a life-altering crisis or a seismic life transition— do you crumble? No, you adapt, rebuild, and rise higher. But let’s not sugarcoat it: that moment when everything feels completely out of control? That’s when even the most accomplished of us can feel the sting of uncertainty and self-doubt.

Here’s your game-changer: priming.

Not some woo-woo mantra or hack-du-jour, but a neuroscientific, high-performance tool that rewires your mental GPS to focus on clarity, resilience, and unstoppable forward motion. It’s what Olympians use before stepping into the starting blocks. What CEOs tap into before billion-dollar decisions. And now, it’s your secret weapon helping you to cope with a life crisis and thrive during a life transition—starting today.

Priming was one of my most significant discoveries last year, it is now a cornerstone of my Infinite Impact Mentoring Program.

What is Priming? (Spoiler: It’s Not Rocket Science)

Priming is when you nudge your brain in the right direction—kind of like a GPS recalculating your route after you’ve made a wrong turn (again). Basically, your brain is exposed to an idea, a smell, a word—and that idea, smell, or word influences how you think, feel, or act, often without you even noticing.

Scientifically speaking, priming is a psychological concept where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus, often without conscious awareness. It occurs when information, ideas, or associations are subtly “activated” in your mind, affecting your perceptions, behaviours, or decisions.

Now, before you roll your eyes thinking this is another self-help buzzword destined for a cringe-worthy TED Talk, stick with me. Priming is a legit, science-backed mental hack that can turn your panic into purpose. Think Olympian-level focus and resilience—without needing to run a single lap.

Types of Priming and Why They Matter

Understanding how priming works can make it easier to use it effectively in daily life. Here are some common types:

  • Semantic Priming: This involves related words or concepts. For example, seeing the word “doctor” might make you think of “nurse” more quickly because they are connected in meaning.

  • Associative Priming: This taps into relationships between stimuli. Seeing the colour red might make you think of an apple—not because they are related in meaning but because they’re often linked in your mind. Your brain builds relationships—unlike your ex.

  • Perceptual Priming: Based on similarities in structure or form, this type of priming makes recognising patterns or shapes easier.

  • Repetition Priming: Familiarity boosts recognition. The more you see something—like a brand name—the faster you’ll recall it.

  • Emotional Priming: This occurs when exposure to an emotionally charged stimulus influences your mood or reactions. For instance, watching an uplifting scene in a film can leave you feeling more optimistic.

Each type of priming influences your mental framework in subtle but impactful ways, shaping how you approach challenges and decisions.

Applications of Priming

Priming is widely used in:

  • Marketing and Advertising: Subtle cues like logos or slogans prime consumers to think of specific brands or products.

  • Education and Learning: Teachers might use specific words or phrases to prepare students to focus on a topic.

  • Mental Health Therapy: Positive affirmations or visualisations can prime individuals for healthier emotional states.

  • Everyday Interactions: People may prime others with compliments or suggestions to create a desired social outcome.

Priming For Stress Management

Priming can significantly improve your ability to handle stressful situations like life crises:

  1. Stress reduction: Priming can help reduce stress responses in challenging environments. A study found that participants primed with information about successful athletes’ motivation strategies had lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) when exposed to a negative sporting environment.

  2. Performance enhancement: Priming has been shown to reduce skill failure under pressure. Skill failure is the inability to successfully execute a perfectly mastered task due to distraction, fatigue, or stress, such as a skilled typist making numerous errors while typing under time pressure.

  3. Emotional regulation: Security priming can reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, helping you manage your emotions during stressful times. For example, security priming might involve showing you images of supportive relationships or having you recall memories of feeling safe and loved, which can then positively influence your mood, behaviour, and increase your ability to cope with stress.

  4. Anxiety and depression reduction: Research has demonstrated that attachment security (feeling safe, supported, and confident in your relationships, enabling you to explore the world and seek comfort during times of distress) priming can lead to less anxiety and depressive symptoms, both immediately after priming and in the following days.

  5. Resilience building: Regular priming exercises, such as Tony Robbins’ priming routine, can help prepare your mind to handle stress, anxiety, and fear more effectively throughout the day.

Integrating priming into your daily routine doesn’t require complicated rituals. Here are practical ways to get started:

  • Use Positive Self-Talk: Remind yourself of your strengths and past successes. This primes your mind for resilience and can reinforce your ability to handle the crisis confidently.

  • Create Pre-Stress Rituals: Deep breathing, visualization, or short meditative exercises can help prepare your mind to handle pressure.

  • Surround Yourself with Visual Cues: Display objects, quotes, or images that evoke a sense of calm. This can unconsciously activate related concepts and guide your choices during the crisis.

  • Seek Inspiration: Watch or read stories about overcoming adversity to prime your mind for perseverance.

  • Focus on Your Environment: Keep your workspace clean and organised, as it primes your mind for clarity and focus.

Priming For Decision-making in a Crisis

Priming can be a powerful tool to improve decision-making during a life crisis, but it’s important to use it thoughtfully and deliberately. Here are some ways to leverage priming to enhance your crisis decision-making ability:

  • All the above plus:

  • Implement a structured decision-making framework that incorporates critical analysis and logical reasoning. This can help counteract the emotional influences often present in crisis situations.

  • Be selective about the information you consume during the crisis. Limit exposure to potentially biasing or anxiety-inducing stimuli.

  • Interact with calm, rational people before making important decisions. Their attitude can prime you for more level-headed thinking.

  • Engage in activities that prime cooperation.

  • Use sensory priming by incorporating calming scents or music that encourage focus and rational thought.

By implementing these strategies, you can harness the power of priming to enhance your decision-making skills during a life crisis. Becoming better at crisis decision-making is an ongoing process that requires practice. Stay aware of potential biases and regularly question your assumptions to ensure you’re making the most objective decisions possible.

Priming by Storytelling

A Decision in the Dark

Samantha tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the rain pounded against the windshield. The storm was relentless, mirroring the chaos inside her mind. She glanced at the glowing screen of her phone on the passenger seat—another missed call from her boss. Tomorrow’s deadline loomed, but her mother’s unexpected hospital admission had thrown her carefully managed life into disarray.

Her heart raced, the pressure mounting as she tried to think of a solution. Should she cancel her meetings and stay by her mother’s side? Or trust the nurses and focus on the project she had worked so hard to secure? The guilt and uncertainty were paralysing.

The Trigger

As Samantha pulled into the hospital parking lot, a memory surfaced—her father’s advice from years ago: “When you’re overwhelmed, take a breath and focus on one thing at a time. You’re stronger than you think.”

She had heard those words countless times growing up, especially during her high school tennis matches. Back then, her father would repeat them before every serve, priming her to stay calm under pressure. It worked then—could it work now?

A Deliberate Pause

Samantha turned off the car engine, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. She pictured herself as she was during those matches: steady, composed, and focused. The memory of her father’s voice, her calm breathing, and the rhythmic sound of the rain began to ease the tightness in her chest.

Instead of rushing inside or spiralling into panic, she decided to prime herself for clarity. She reached into her bag, pulling out a small journal she always kept with her. On the first blank page, she wrote:

  1. What is the immediate priority?

  2. What actions will have the greatest impact right now?

  3. What resources or support can I tap into?

Just the act of writing these questions helped organize her thoughts. Her father’s words had planted a seed of focus, and now her intentional actions were watering it.

The Shift

After a few moments of reflection, Samantha walked into the hospital with renewed purpose. She greeted the nurse at the front desk and asked detailed questions about her mother’s condition. The nurse reassured her that while her mother needed monitoring, her situation wasn’t critical.

Relieved but still cautious, Samantha called her brother, who lived nearby, and asked if he could stay with their mother overnight. He agreed without hesitation, sensing Samantha’s need for support. With that arrangement in place, she felt a weight lift.

Before leaving, Samantha sat by her mother’s bedside for a while, holding her hand and whispering words of encouragement. Her mother smiled weakly but warmly, and Samantha felt a surge of reassurance.

The Decision

Back in the car, Samantha revisited her journal and the questions she had written down. With her mother’s immediate care in capable hands, she realized that focusing on her work deadline wasn’t abandoning her family—it was fulfilling another important responsibility.

Instead of returning home to work in isolation, Samantha called a trusted colleague and asked for help reviewing the final project details. She admitted she was feeling overwhelmed and needed a second pair of eyes. Her colleague readily agreed, offering both practical suggestions and emotional support.

The Outcome

By the time Samantha submitted the project the next day, she felt proud—not just of her work, but of the way she had handled the situation. What could have been a spiral of guilt and indecision had turned into a demonstration of focus and resilience, thanks to the power of priming.

Her father’s simple words, recalled at the right moment, had set off a chain reaction. By priming her mind to focus and act with intention, she had managed to reduce her stress, make clear decisions, and honour both her professional and personal responsibilities.

The Lesson

Samantha’s story is a testament to how priming can transform our approach to stress and decision-making. By deliberately activating memories, emotions, or routines associated with clarity and calm, we can train our minds to respond to chaos with focus.

In life’s toughest moments, a small shift in perspective can make all the difference. Sometimes, all it takes is a pause, a deep breath, and a reminder of your own strength to navigate the storm.

5 FAQs About Priming During a Life Crisis/Transition

1. What is priming, and how does it work in a life crisis?

Answer:
Priming is a psychological technique where exposure to specific stimuli influences your thoughts, feelings, and actions without your conscious awareness. During a life crisis, priming works by subtly shifting your focus to helpful ideas or emotions, such as resilience, clarity, or optimism. For example, listening to a motivational story can prime you to approach challenges with a problem-solving mindset instead of feeling overwhelmed.

2. How can priming help reduce stress during a crisis?

Answer:
Priming can reduce stress by activating positive associations and calming mental cues. For instance, deep breathing paired with affirmations like “I am capable and calm” can prime your brain to lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone. This creates a sense of control, making it easier to think clearly even in high-pressure situations.

3. Can priming really improve decision-making during a crisis?

Answer:
Yes, priming can enhance decision-making by focusing your mind on logical, solution-oriented thinking. By using techniques like pre-decision rituals (e.g., meditating or journaling) or surrounding yourself with visual cues of strength (e.g., inspiring quotes), you prime your brain to prioritize clarity and reduce emotional bias. This helps you make well-considered choices even when emotions run high.

4. What are some practical examples of priming during a crisis?

Answer: Practical examples of priming during a crisis include:

  • Reading or listening to success stories to activate a resilient mindset.

  • Repeating affirmations like “I can handle this” before addressing a challenge.

  • Creating a calm environment with soothing scents or music to prime focus.

  • Watching a video of someone calmly solving a problem to inspire steady thinking.

These actions subtly program your brain to approach challenges constructively.

5. What are the limitations of priming during a crisis?

Answer:
While priming is a powerful tool, it’s not a standalone solution. Its effectiveness depends on how consistently it’s applied and the intensity of the crisis. In deeply traumatic situations, priming might need to be combined with other strategies like therapy, support from loved ones, or structured decision-making frameworks. It’s also important to ensure the stimuli used for priming are truly positive and relevant to avoid unintended effects.

Conclusion

So. Not just another trendy life hack or fleeting wellness mantra, priming is a proven, science-backed tool used by high achievers—from Olympians to CEOs—to navigate challenges with clarity and resilience.

Priming isn’t about pretending challenges don’t exist. It’s about equipping your mind to face them with clarity, resilience, and intention. By adopting simple priming strategies, you can regain control in even the most chaotic moments and move forward with confidence.

And it’s accessible to anyone willing to harness it. With priming, you can shift your mindset, improve your decision-making, and emerge stronger from life’s inevitable storms.

With priming in your toolkit, you’re not only ready for life’s challenges but capable of transforming them into opportunities for growth.

Join successful professionals who’ve transformed their lives through the Infinite Impact mentoring program. In just one powerful discovery call, you’ll discover how the Infinite Impact program can help you design a meaningful and fulfilling life and equip you to make a purposeful impact. I have limited availability for new clients – send an email to openlockeddoors@gmail.com and book your call now.

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

Digging Deeper

This is for those of you who, like me, are interested in the science behind the concept. Priming is a well-studied phenomenon in psychology and research on priming has been extensive and diverse, covering various aspects of cognition and behaviour:

Key Findings

  1. Priming effects can influence various psychological processes, including word recognition, semantic processing, attention, and unconscious processing.

  2. The priming effect is most effective when stimuli are in the same modality (e.g., visual primes for visual cues), but cross-modal priming is also possible.

  3. Response priming, where a prime stimulus affects reactions to a target stimulus, can account for up to 25% of overall response time in some experiments.

  4. Priming can affect social perception, judgment, goal pursuit, and even overt behaviour.

Mechanism and Timing

Research has shown that priming effects can occur rapidly, with some studies demonstrating almost instantaneous effects. The time course of priming has been traced using various methods, including:

  1. Reaction time measurements

  2. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings

  3. Eye movement tracking

Applications

Priming research has been applied to various fields, including:

  1. Social psychology: Studying how subtle environmental cues can influence social behaviour and judgment.

  2. Cognitive psychology: Investigating memory and information processing.

  3. Consumer behaviour: Examining how priming can affect purchasing decisions and brand perceptions.

Recent research has focused on understanding the theoretical underpinnings and mechanisms of priming effects, moving beyond simply documenting their existence. While the science of priming has faced challenges in recent years, it remains an active area of research with implications for understanding human cognition, behaviour, and social interactions. Ongoing studies continue to refine our understanding of priming mechanisms and their real-world applications.

Citations:

Okoli, Justin & Watt, John. (2018). Crisis decision-making: the overlap between intuitive and analytical strategies. Management Decision. 56. 10.1108/MD-04-2017-0333.

Molden, Daniel. (2014). Understanding Priming Effects in Social Psychology: What is “Social Priming” and How does it Occur?. Social Cognition. 32. 1-11. 10.1521/soco.2014.32.supp.1.

Bermeitinger, Christina. (2014). Priming. 10.4018/978-1-4666-6599-6.ch002.

Weingarten E, Chen Q, McAdams M, Yi J, Hepler J, Albarracín D. From primed concepts to action: A meta-analysis of the behavioural effects of incidentally presented words. Psychol Bull. 2016 May;142(5):472-97.

Schmidt F, Haberkamp A, Schmidt T. Dos and don’ts in response priming research. Adv Cogn Psychol. 2011;7:120-31.

Bargh JA. What have we been priming all these years? On the development, mechanisms, and ecology of nonconscious social behaviour. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2006;36(2):147-168. 

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Set Daily Intentions Instead of New Year’s Resolutions

Every January, millions of us take a moment to reflect on the year ahead, enthusiastically penning New Year’s resolutions. Eat healthier. Get that promotion. Pivot your business. Finally start that profitable side hustle. These big goals can feel empowering, yet they often lead to stress, guilt, and, for most of us, eventual failure.

The Problem with New Year’s Resolutions

Resolutions often start with good intentions but quickly become burdensome. Studies show that most resolutions are abandoned by February. Why? They demand a level of consistency that life rarely supports, especially during major life changes.

Transitions—like a big career move, the loss of a loved one, starting/selling a business, upscaling/downsizing or a cross-country relocation—add loads of stress, insecurity and unpredictability. When life is in flux, rigid resolutions can become unattainable, eroding self-esteem and creating more aggravation than instilling motivation.

Setting daily intentions is often more useful than making New Year’s resolutions because daily intentions are practical, flexible, and rooted in the present moment, which makes them easier to implement and sustain. Daily intentions:

1. Put Your Focus on the Here and Now As a mindfulness teacher (with horses!) anything that helps us become more mindful is of interest to me. Daily intentions prioritise what you can do today, helping you stay mindful and engaged with the present moment. In contrast, resolutions often focus on long-term outcomes, which can feel overwhelming or disconnected from your daily reality.

2. Allows for More Flexibility Life is unpredictable, and daily intentions allow you to adjust to changing circumstances. Resolutions, on the other hand, are often rigid and fail to account for the natural ebb and flow of life.

3. Reduce Pressure Resolutions can create immense pressure to achieve perfection over a long period, leading to stress and disappointment if you fall short. Daily intentions are more forgiving, giving you a fresh start every day and reducing the risk of guilt or burnout.

4. Gives You a Higher Success Rate Small, actionable steps taken daily are easier to stick with than sweeping year-long goals. This consistency builds confidence and creates meaningful progress over time without the fear of failure that resolutions often bring.

5. Provide Clarity Daily intentions encourage mindfulness by helping you focus on your values and priorities for the day. This practice gives you clarity and a deeper sense of purpose, whereas resolutions can sometimes feel like arbitrary benchmarks disconnected from your inner needs.

In essence, daily intentions shift the focus from achieving sometimes overwhelming and unrealistic goals to meaningful, achievable actions in the present. This approach not only increases your likelihood of success but also helps you live with intention.

The Power of Daily Intentions

Unlike New Year’s resolutions, which aim for rigid outcomes, intentions focus on your mindset and actions for just today. They are flexible, achievable, and rooted in the present moment.

For example:

  • Instead of “Lose 20 pounds this year,” a daily intention might be, “Today, I will savor every bite of my meals and listen to my hunger.”

  • Instead of “Be more productive,” you could set an intention like, “Today, I will focus fully on one task at a time.”

Daily intentions encourage mindfulness, help you adapt to the ebbs and flows of life, and reduce the pressure to be perfect.

Setting Daily Intentions

For my Camino de Santiago walking retreat guests, I have created the Meraki Morning Program, which includes a meaningful daily intention-setting exercise:

  1. Morning Reflection
    Start your day with a moment of stillness. Take a deep breath and consider what you need most today—peace, focus, patience, or something else.

  2. Set a Specific Intention
    Choose one simple, actionable intention for the day. Make it realistic and relevant to your current circumstances.

  3. Visualise Your Intention
    Spend a few minutes visualising yourself keeping your intention. This can help you build a stronger emotional connection to it and make it feel more attainable.

  4. Write It Down
    Writing reinforces commitment. Jot your intention in a journal, planner, or even on a sticky note.

  5. Revisit Throughout the Day
    Check in with yourself periodically. Are you living in alignment with your intention? Adjust as needed.

  6. Evening Reflection
    At the end of the day, reflect on how your intention shaped your experiences. Celebrate small wins and learn from any challenges.

Daily Intention-Setting Challenges

  1. Consistency: One of the biggest hurdles is maintaining the habit of setting intentions regularly. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to forget or skip this practice

  2. Feeling overwhelmed: Trying to focus on too many intentions at once can lead to feeling scattered and make it harder to stick to any of them.

  3. Forgetting about your set intentions: As the day progresses, it’s common to lose sight of the intentions you set in the morning.

  4. Confusing intentions with to-do lists: Sometimes people mistake actions on a to-do list for intentions, which can lead to a lack of follow-through and negative self-talk.

  5. Lack of specificity: Vague intentions can be difficult to implement and maintain throughout the day.

  6. Not planning for distractions: Failing to anticipate and prepare for inevitable interruptions can derail your intentions.

  7. Disconnection from personal values: Setting intentions that don’t align with your core beliefs or long-term goals can make them feel less meaningful and harder to stick to[ see “Alternative Option” below].

To overcome these challenges, it’s important to start small, use reminders, connect intentions to daily routines, and regularly revisit and adjust your intentions as needed.

Tips for Sticking to Daily Intentions

  1. Be Realistic
    Choose intentions that align with your current energy and circumstances.

  2. Be Flexible
    Life happens. It’s okay to adjust your intention mid-day.

  3. Make It a Habit
    Dedicate a few minutes every morning and evening to this practice.

  4. Use Reminders
    Set alarms, leave sticky notes, or use a digital tool to keep your intention front and centre.

  5. Use “if/then” Strategies
    Use “if/then” strategies to help maintain focus and adapt to unexpected obstacles.

  6. Practice Self-Compassion
    If you falter, let it go. Tomorrow is another chance.

David’s Journey: How Daily Intentions Helped Him Thrive After Selling His Business

David was living the dream—or so it seemed. A self-made entrepreneur, he had built a successful marketing agency from the ground up over a decade. His business was his pride, his identity, and his legacy. But by the end of 2023, David made a life-altering decision: he decided to sell his company.

The timing was right. The market was favourable, and the offer was more than generous. But as the ink dried on the sale contract, David was overcome by a mix of emotions: relief, pride, satisfaction, but also uncertainty, and, above all, strangely enough, fear. What was he going to do now? Who was he without his business?

Immobilising Insecurity

When the calendar flipped to January 2024, David felt the familiar urge to create a list of New Year’s resolutions. Friends and colleagues were sharing their ambitious goals: train for a marathon, write a book, or start a new venture. David, however, felt paralysed. His life had just undergone a seismic shift—how could he commit to grand resolutions when he wasn’t sure who he was anymore?

Discovering Daily Intentions

While scrolling through articles on mindfulness one sleepless night, David stumbled upon the idea of setting daily intentions. The concept was simple yet profound: instead of chasing long-term, rigid goals, one focuses on the present by setting meaningful intentions each day.

Intrigued, David decided to give it a try. The next morning, he sat at his kitchen table with a notebook and wrote:

“Today, I will approach my day with curiosity and gratitude.”

That day, instead of worrying about the future, David focused on exploring new ideas and appreciating the freedom he now had. It felt liberating. For the first time in months, he wasn’t consumed by anxiety about what lay ahead.

A Year of Transformation

From that day forward, David embraced daily intentions as a core part of his routine. Each morning, he would spend five quiet minutes reflecting on what he needed most that day. Some days, his intentions were simple:

  • “I will take a long walk and enjoy the fresh air.”

  • “I will connect with an old friend.”

Other days, they were more ambitious:

  • “I will brainstorm three ideas for a new project.”

  • “I will tackle one thing I’ve been avoiding.”

As the days turned into weeks, David noticed a profound shift. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the vast unknown of his post-business life, he felt empowered by the small, meaningful actions he took each day.

Finding New Purpose

By mid-year, David had discovered a new passion: mentoring young entrepreneurs. Through his daily intentions, he had rekindled relationships with former colleagues, offering them advice and support. This led to speaking engagements, one-on-one mentorships, and even the launch of a podcast where he shared his journey and insights.

What made this process so rewarding was the absence of pressure. David wasn’t chasing a specific outcome—he was simply showing up each day, guided by his intentions. His life felt purposeful and fulfilling, even without a grand master plan.

Reflecting on the Past Year

As 2024 came to a close, David reflected on the year that had started with so much uncertainty. Instead of feeling lost, he felt grounded. Instead of clinging to a rigid identity, he had embraced a more fluid sense of self, guided by his values and daily choices.

David realised that the practice of setting daily intentions had done more than help him cope—it had transformed him. By focusing on what he could control each day, he had built a life filled with meaning, joy, and authenticity.

David’s Advice

When asked how he managed to thrive after selling his business, David shared this wisdom:

“Don’t get stuck in the trap of needing all the answers at once. Life isn’t about giant leaps—it’s about the small, deliberate steps you take every day. Set an intention each morning, and trust that those small steps will lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.”

David’s story is a testament to the power of daily intentions. It helped him navigate a major life transition with ease, rediscover his purpose, and build a meaningful and fulfilling life—one intentional day at a time.

FAQs About Setting Intentions

1. What is the difference between an intention and a goal?
An intention focuses on how you want to show up in the present moment or throughout the day, emphasizing your mindset and values. A goal, on the other hand, is a specific, measurable outcome you aim to achieve in the future. For example:

  • Intention: “I will approach today with patience and gratitude.”

  • Goal: “I will run a 5K in under 30 minutes by March.”

Intentions guide your journey, while goals define a destination.

2. How do I set a meaningful daily intention?
To set a meaningful daily intention:

  1. Take a moment to reflect: What do you need most today? (e.g., patience, focus, joy).

  2. Keep it simple: Focus on one intention to avoid overwhelm.

  3. Be specific: Instead of “I will be productive,” say, “I will dedicate 30 minutes to deep work without distractions.”

  4. Write it down: Use a journal, planner, or sticky note to reinforce your commitment.

3. What if I forget about my intention during the day?
It’s normal to get caught up in the busyness of life. To stay mindful of your intention:

  • Set reminders on your phone or smartwatch.

  • Place a visual cue (like a sticky note) where you’ll see it often.

  • Schedule brief check-ins throughout the day to reflect on your intention.
    Remember, this is a practice, not a test of perfection—be kind to yourself if you forget.

4. Can intentions help during major life transitions?
Yes, absolutely. Daily intentions are especially useful during transitions, such as a career change, moving, or relationship shifts. They provide structure and focus when life feels uncertain, helping you navigate challenges with greater mindfulness and resilience. For instance:

  • “Today, I will focus on the opportunities in this new chapter.”

  • “I will be kind to myself as I adapt to these changes.”

5. How can I make setting intentions a habit?
To make intention-setting a consistent practice:

  • Anchor it to your routine: Pair it with another habit, like your morning coffee or journaling.

  • Start small: Commit to setting an intention just a few days a week, then build up.

  • Reflect in the evening: Review your day to see how your intention influenced your actions.

  • Celebrate progress: Acknowledge how even small steps align you with your values and goals.

Alternative Option

What do I do every January in addition to setting daily intentions? I create a one-year vision statement. A vision statement can be a powerful alternative to New Year’s resolutions and complement daily intention-setting. And I review my ten-year vision statement.

A vision statement captures your VALUES, offering a clear sense of direction. Unlike New Year’s resolutions, which may focus on rigid achievements, a vision statement aligns with your long-term purpose and helps you stay motivated even as your circumstances change.

Conclusion

Life is full of transitions, and in these moments, traditional resolutions can fall short. Daily intentions, on the other hand, meet you where you are. They empower you to take small, meaningful steps each day—reducing stress, fostering mindfulness, and helping you navigate major life changes and transitions with confidence.

So, as you step into this new year, consider ditching New Year’s resolutions and embracing the power of daily intentions. As you face your own uncertainties, take a page from David’s notebook. Start each day with a simple intention, and watch how it transforms your life.

Are you ready to step into a more purposeful, meaningful and fulfilling life? Choose your path today:

Book a Camino de Santiago Hiking Adventure
Experience the life-changing magic of the Camino de Santiago. Disconnect from the noise, reconnect with your purpose, and rediscover yourself on this unforgettable pilgrimage.
Enroll in An Online Course
Empower yourself with the skills and strategies to create lasting change. These self-paced courses are designed for high-achievers who want to take control of their future, one intentional step at a time.
Apply for Mentorship
If you’re a successful professional looking to break through barriers, this exclusive mentorship program is for you. Work one-on-one with a seasoned mentor who will challenge, inspire, and guide you to achieve unparalleled growth.

👉The next step is yours. Let’s make this the year you align with your highest self.

🔎 Click on the links above to learn more or e-mail me at OpenLockedDoors@gmail.com to book a discovery call.

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

References

Research on setting daily intentions has shown several positive effects on behaviour change and goal achievement:

  1. Implementation intentions, a specific form of intention-setting, have been studied for their impact on behaviour change. Research by Gollwitzer and colleagues found that implementation intentions can increase commitment to goals by enhancing self-efficacy and reducing perceived barriers. Gollwitzer P (1999) ‘Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans.’, American Psychologist, 54, 493–503.

  2. A study on physical activity employed repeated implementation intentions, where participants identified when, how, and where they would add steps to their day over four weeks. The researchers hypothesized that this approach would lead to greater increases and maintenance of daily steps compared to a control group. Robinson SA, Bisson AN, Hughes ML, Ebert J, Lachman ME. Time for change: using implementation intentions to promote physical activity in a randomised pilot trial. Psychol Health. 2019 Feb;34(2):232-254. 

  3. Research indicates that the practice of setting intentions can prime the mind for action towards desired future states. This “science of priming” suggests that regularly reviewing and voicing intentions creates a connection between the conscious and unconscious mind, making goals more tangible and achievable. Weingarten E, Chen Q, McAdams M, Yi J, Hepler J, Albarracín D. From primed concepts to action: A meta-analysis of the behavioural effects of incidentally presented words. Psychol Bull. 2016 May;142(5):472-97.

These findings suggest that setting daily intentions can be a powerful tool for personal development, behaviour modification, and mental well-being. However, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects and optimal implementation strategies for daily intention-setting practices.

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A New Life Cycle, A New Chapter

At the close of one chapter and the imminent start of another, there’s often a pause. This pause can feel unsettling and disorienting—a disruption in your carefully curated rhythm. Yet, it’s also a moment brimming with untapped potential, a chance to realign with what truly matters to you. As the usual rhythm of life—marked by successes, milestones, and relentless forward momentum—slows, in anticipation of upcoming changes, questions often arise.

“What’s next?”
“Where do I go from here?”
“Who am I now?”

It’s in this moment, ripe with both destabilising uncertainty and extraordinary potential, that a new cycle begins. It’s like upgrading to a more powerful operating system, this new cycle offers the chance to realign with the highest version of yourself—more authentic, more purposeful, more impactful and more fulfilled.

At the Start of a New Cycle

You’ve climbed mountains that others only dream of scaling. From the outside, your life looks impeccable: success, influence, and accomplishments that inspire awe. But standing on this summit can fill you with a mix of emotions. Excitement at the prospect of new opportunities. Fear of losing the identity tied to your achievements. Uncertainty about how to channel your energy into this new cycle.

You might wonder if these feelings mean you’re losing your mojo. They don’t. They mean you’re human. We often struggle in these moments, torn between staying at the top of our game and yearning for something deeper, something more meaningful and fulfilling.

Transitions can make you feel untethered, as your ambition comes up against your need to live a meaningful life. The start of a new cycle is not a time to abandon ambition but to channel it differently. It’s not a disruption to be feared but a transformation to be welcomed.

Manage a New Life Cycle

To navigate life cycles with intention, use these three guiding principles: pause, reassess, and experiment.

1. Pause

Life moves fast. And when you’re in the thick of it—career goals, family responsibilities, endless notifications pinging at you—it’s easy to lose sight of what actually matters. If you’re heading into a new cycle, whether it’s a career pivot, a relationship shift, or just trying starting/selling a business, the secret isn’t in the hustle. It’s in the pause.

Stopping can feel counterintuitive—unproductive, even threatening. But it’s in this stillness that clarity emerges. A pause isn’t a retreat; it’s recharging your batteries in preparation for your next leap forward.

Here’s how to press pause, recalibrate, and start asking the big, meaningful questions:

  • Dedicate Daily Time for Reflection This doesn’t mean you have to retreat to a mountain cabin or light a dozen candles (unless you want to). Reflection can be as simple as carving out 10 minutes a day for stillness. No phone. No distractions. Just you, a quiet spot, and your thoughts.

Think of it as defragging your mental hard drive. In those 10 minutes, you’ll likely start noticing things—patterns in your thinking, emotions you’ve been ignoring, or even that nagging little voice saying, Hey, maybe there’s more to life than emails and errands.

Consistency is key here. These moments aren’t about having life-changing epiphanies every single day (though that’s a bonus if it happens). They’re about giving your mind space to breathe and recalibrate, so you can approach life with clarity and intention.

  • Get Grounded with Mindfulness Meditation Let’s get one thing straight: mindfulness isn’t about turning your brain off. It’s about learning to be where you are, instead of mentally time-traveling to the past or future.

Start small. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on the feeling of your feet on the ground or the air moving in and out of your lungs. When your mind inevitably wanders (because, spoiler, it will), gently guide it back. No judgment, no frustration—just a little mental course correction.

Why does this matter? Because when you’re fully present, the noise in your head quiets down. You stop reacting on autopilot and start responding with intention. It’s like hitting “refresh” on your mental browser.

  • Go on: Ask Yourself the Big Scary Question: What Am I Truly Looking For? Most of us live on a loop, chasing goals we’ve never stopped to question. More money, more accolades, more… stuff. But when you strip it all away, what are you really after?

A new challenge?

A deeper connection to others?

A sense of purpose that doesn’t vanish when the workday ends?

Grab a journal (or a napkin, or the back of a receipt—whatever’s handy) and start writing. Let it be messy. Don’t censor yourself. If your first answer feels shallow, keep digging. Keep asking, What else? until you hit the core of what you want.

  • Turn Reflection Into Action Here’s the kicker: reflection without action is just daydreaming. Once you’ve got clarity, use it to steer your decisions. Does that new job align with your values? Does your daily routine support the life you’re trying to create?

Starting fresh doesn’t require a dramatic overhaul. Sometimes, it’s the small, intentional steps that create the biggest shift.

And if it feels overwhelming, remember: the goal isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to start asking better questions. From there, you can build a life that’s not just busy, but meaningful.

When you pause with intention, you’re not losing momentum—you’re ensuring that your next move is meaningfully and perfectly aligned.

2. Reassess Your Values

Here’s the truth nobody tells you about ambition: sometimes, the goals that once lit your fire start to feel like lukewarm leftovers. The title you chased, the dream project, the “perfect” life plan—it all sounded great at one point, but now? Meh. And guess what? That’s not failure. That’s growth.

Transitions aren’t the end of the road; they’re the scenic detour where you pull over, stretch your legs, and make sure you’re still heading in the right direction. They’re your chance to pause, take a breath, and ask the questions that really matter: Am I still pursuing what fuels me? Or am I chasing what I’ve outgrown—or worse, what someone else thinks I should want?

Here’s how to manage the process of reassessing your values and redefining success:

  • Redefine Success on Your Terms Society loves a checklist. Career milestones, financial benchmarks, picture-perfect family moments—check, check, and check. But success? That’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s personal. Deeply, almost uncomfortably personal.

Ask yourself: What does success feel like for me? Not look like—feel like. Is it freedom? Creativity? Impact? Sometimes, the answer isn’t flashy, and that’s okay. True success isn’t about meeting external expectations; it’s about living a life that energizes you, not just impresses others.

  • Reflect, Revise, Repeat Your values are like your internal GPS—when they’re dialed in, they guide every decision. But sometimes, life’s twists and turns knock them out of alignment. Here’s how to recalibrate:

List Your Priorities. Write down what you think matters most to you right now. Then, compare that list to the things that actually light you up. Are they aligned? Or are you spending time on things that drain you?

Relive Your High Points. Think back to moments when you felt completely fulfilled, when time seemed to disappear. What were you doing? Who were you with? What made those moments matter? These are clues to your core values.

Talk It Out. Deep conversations with trusted friends, mentors, or peers can be gold. Find people who won’t just agree with you but will challenge your thinking. They’ll help you see blind spots and uncover truths you might be avoiding.

  • Realignment Doesn’t Mean Reinvention Let’s clear something up: reassessing your values doesn’t mean trashing everything you’ve built. You don’t need to torch your past ambitions or regret the path you’ve taken. Those goals served you at one point—they got you here.

Realigning simply means making sure the foundation of your future is built on what you care about now. Maybe that means tweaking your career trajectory, prioritizing relationships, or scaling back on things that don’t serve you anymore. It’s evolution, not erasure.

  • Start Small, Stay Intentional You don’t need to have all the answers today—or ever. Realignment is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Start by making one small decision that reflects your realigned values, and let that momentum build.

Remember, you’re not tied to the goals you set five, ten, or even two years ago. You’re allowed to grow, to change, and to chase new dreams. This is your life. Your definition of success. And the only person who gets to decide what that looks like is you.

So go ahead: revisit your values, rewrite the script, and build a future that energises you—not one that just checks someone else’s boxes.

Realigning with your values doesn’t mean abandoning your past ambitions. It means ensuring they serve as a foundation for your future self.

3. Experiment Boldly

Curiosity is your ultimate secret weapon when life shifts. It gives you permission to explore without the pressure of “getting it right” on the first try. And instead of clinging to certainty, it asks you to embrace experimentation—not as reckless leaps, but as deliberate, low-stakes steps into the unknown.

The goal? To uncover fresh perspectives, unexpected interests, and new paths that actually feel like you.

  • Why Experimentation Works You don’t have to quit your job, move to Bali, or abandon everything you know to start experimenting. Bold doesn’t mean reckless—it means intentional.

Experimentation is like trying on different hats. Some will fit. Others will look laughably bad. But every “hat” you try teaches you something about what works, what doesn’t, and what lights you up. It’s not about nailing the perfect answer right away; it’s about collecting data on what fulfils you.

This process isn’t failure-proof—it’s failure-friendly. And that’s a good thing. Each misstep, dead-end, or “meh” moment is a clue pointing you closer to your next breakthrough.

  • How to Experiment Boldly

  • Try Something Completely Outside Your Lane. Dabble in a project unrelated to your primary field. If you’re a data analyst, take a painting class. If you’re a teacher, join a local improv group. These ventures can unlock parts of your creativity or interests you didn’t know were hiding in there.

  • Volunteer for Causes That Speak to Your Values. Maybe you care about the environment, education, or mental health. Find a way to contribute—whether it’s an afternoon at a food bank or designing marketing materials for a nonprofit. Volunteering not only connects you to your community but also sharpens your sense of what really matters to you.

  • Attend Workshops or Retreats That Expand Your Horizons. Look for events that challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. Writing retreats, leadership workshops, mindfulness weekends—they’re all opportunities to not just learn something new but to meet people who can inspire fresh perspectives.

  • Why Bold Experiments Lead to Big Breakthroughs Experimentation has a way of loosening the mental frameworks that hold you back. When you let go of “I have to have this all figured out,” you create space to explore possibilities you’d never considered.

One small experiment—a new hobby, a side gig, a single conversation—can change your trajectory. Maybe that improv class reignites your confidence in public speaking. Maybe that workshop on sustainability plants the seed for your next business idea. Or maybe volunteering teaches you that purpose matters more to you than profit.

Bold experiments don’t just reveal what you love; they help you shed old ideas about who you’re “supposed” to be. They open doors you didn’t even know were there.

So, give yourself permission to experiment—not with the pressure of “figuring it all out,” but with the freedom to try, fail, learn, and grow. Bold experiments aren’t just a path forward; they’re the key to discovering a version of yourself you didn’t even know existed.

The Power of Story

Life transitions are like launching a new product. Before unveiling it to the world, there’s a phase of iteration: testing, refining, and aligning the product with its intended audience. Your new cycle is no different. It’s your time to refine who you are and re-align with your purpose.

Meet Jack: The Corporate Climber Who Dropped off the Ladder to Build a Bridge.

For 15 years, Jack was the tech world’s golden boy, the guy everyone envied—scaling the corporate ladder like it was a StairMaster. Corner office with skyline views? Nailed it. Six-figure salary? Cha-ching. A LinkedIn profile that made recruiters weep? Sorted. Prestige, power, promotions that came faster than espresso refills? Check, check, and check. Success, by every traditional metric, was his.

By the time he hit his mid-40s, Jack had climbed so high up the corporate ladder his head was in the clouds.

But then, at the top of his game, a disorienting thought hit him like a rogue notification: Is this it?

To Jack, the clouds were starting to feel like a smokescreen. Jack discovered a gnawing emptiness – growing void in his chest.

The constant grind, the back-to-back meetings, the bonuses that didn’t buy happiness—they all started blending into one big question: What’s the point? At first, he tried to shake it off, burying himself in more work and convincing himself that another promotion or a bigger paycheck would quiet the doubts. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

So, Jack did something that left his colleagues scratching their heads. Instead of charging ahead, doubling down on the grind, he did something unheard of in his world of perpetual motion: he hit pause. Not just a day off. Not for a long weekend on some tropical beach, but for a full-on, existential pit stop —a reckoning with himself. He took 3 months off and decided to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

In the quiet of those introspective weeks on the trail, he took a long, hard look at his life and asked himself the kind of uncomfortable questions most of us avoid: What do I actually value? What do I want to leave behind? The answer wasn’t a bigger corner office. It was impact. Legacy.

It started small. Jack began volunteering at a local nonprofit, lending his expertise to help them organize their data and streamline their systems. Then he signed up to mentor aspiring leaders, sharing the lessons he’d learned from years of navigating corporate chaos, coaching young professionals who didn’t have his advantages but shared his drive. Those little steps sparked something big.

Jack realised his years in tech hadn’t just been about climbing ladders—they’d been about learning how to build bridges. He started thinking about using what he knew to create something more meaningful, something that linked his business skills to his passion for helping others. Slowly, his priorities began to shift. What started as “giving back” began to feel like moving forward. He realised that his years in the boardroom weren’t wasted—they’d just been the training ground for something bigger.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Jack is no longer running on autopilot. He’s the founder of a booming social enterprise that uses his sharp-as-a-tack tech skills to solve real-world problems. Whether it’s helping small nonprofits scale or mentoring underrepresented entrepreneurs, he has turned his corporate know-how into a force for good. Jack’s work blends the best of who he was and who he wants to be.

It’s not an easier life—running a mission-driven business is anything but smooth sailing—but Jack’s never felt more alive. Every late-night meeting now feeds his soul instead of draining it. His life is full of meaning.

Jack didn’t give up success; he redefined it. He’s proving that you don’t have to settle for a career that leaves you feeling empty, no matter how shiny it looks from the outside. You can pause. You can pivot. And you can rewrite the instruction book to build something that actually matters to you.

Jack isn’t climbing anymore—he’s building a legacy that’s not just impressive, but truly impactful.

Like Jack, your new cycle isn’t about abandoning your achievements—it’s about channelling them into something even more aligned with who you’re becoming.

As someone who has guided others through life transitions, I’ve often drawn inspiration from horses. They’re incredibly resilient animals, able to adapt to shifting conditions with grace and strength. When faced with uncertainty, my Friesians freeze—and then they move forward, step by step, until they find solid ground again.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t about leaving behind what you’ve built—it’s about evolving into the most powerful and authentic version of yourself.

The start of this new cycle is your invitation to redefine success on your terms. It’s your chance to step into uncharted territory, guided by the lessons of your past and the promise of your future.

Ready to follow in Jack’s footsteps? Join successful professionals who’ve transformed their lives through the Infinite Impact mentoring program. In just one powerful discovery call, you’ll discover how the Infinite Impact program can help you implement the suggestions above and equip you to make a purposeful impact. I have limited availability for new clients – send an email to openlockeddoors@gmail.com and book your call now. Make today the day you start changing your life.

“I am an experienced medical doctor – MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach (dip.) Life Story Coach (cert.) Counselling (cert.) Med Hypnotherapy (dip.) and EAGALA (cert.) I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu

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