Aren't you glad I've given you permission to read a classic?

I love reading but its not easy to find time in the day to read a book. It seems like a terrible indulgence, a luxury of self-gratification on a par with eating an entire chocolate cake by myself…especially when there's so much laundry and shopping and cleaning and writing and other responsibilities to take care of.  That's why I took great delight in instructing the readers of my book Change Your Life This Year (book 1) to find time in the month of April to just sit down, with a cup of coffee (and preferably a large slice of chocolate cake) and read a classic. 

In my book, I list my Top Ten recommendations for starting out with the classics and in a previous post, I featured an interview with author Fiona Veitch Smith who also shared her favourite classic reads with us. 

I recently discovered this no-nonsense book-lover on YouTube. I think that Samantha, owner of the YouTube channel Novels and Nonsense, has made a superb set of recommendations of which classics to read on beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so I do urge you to watch the video below (be aware, Samantha speaks as rapidly as a sten gun so..listen up!)

At the end of the day, reading is about enjoyment, about being transported to another world. Another delightful YouTube discovery this week was this tribute to the classics of childhood by Brian Patten. It's moving and beautiful. 

It leads me to believe that, perhaps, the very best place to start if you're going to tackle the classics, is with the classics of childhood. The Narnia stories by CS Lewis, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Dr Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (check out my video Lunch with Hugo to see the little row of houses that they used as Dr Doolittle's surgery in the BBC adaptation of the books..its just behind the man who waves at me from his tractor). After all, its never too late to have a happy childhood. 

Who were your favourite authors and what books made an impression on you as a child? 

Here's how you can transform a routine into a ritual

I don't like the word 'routine'. It sounds like something a faceless, nameless army would do. It sounds unthinking and mundane. I prefer the word 'ritual'. A ritual is also something that happens regularly; there is a liturgical sameness to it that is satisfying and comforting. But..there is room in a ritual for something wonderful to happen,  something unexpected and life-changing. A routine is something you do just to get through the daily grind, know what I mean? Whereas, a ritual allows for beauty and discovery in the everyday.

But what to do? Life is full of mundane tasks that need to get done every day. Agreed. Back in the days when I was employed by an advertising agency and went to work in an office every day, I had an hour-long drive every morning to get there. Routine. I transformed it into a life-satisfying ritual by stopping along the way to pick up a take-out coffee and cinnamon roll, by choosing to take the most scenic route and by playing praise music the whole way to remind myself that I am a child of God, therefore I can behave like one :) This ritual probably made the drive about 4 minutes longer, but it was worth it. Instead of dreading the drive every morning, I looked forward to it.

These days, like so many other people in this Internetted world, I am my own boss and I work from home. Here's an example of what my Morning Ritual looks like. It helps me to 'get good things done' like laundry and exercise - but it also adds a whole lot of satisfaction and delight to my day. There is room in my ritual for the unexpected and the Divine to break through. And that, after all, is the whole point of doing ritual in the first place.

How does your Morning Ritual flow? Are you even a morning person at all? I am, as you can see, and I really feel glum if I've gone to bed too late the night before to accommodate my Morning Ritual the next day. Have a happy day!

Here's what it takes to work anywhere in the world

If you like comfort, security, a medical plan, routine and the feeling of being part of a corporate infrastructure, then this post is not for you; but if just reading the headline got your heart racing..stay with me.

I'm writing this post in Bristol, England (that's me standing in Queen Square in the image above and the images below show me browsing books in St Nicholas Markets, affectionately known as St Nicks.) I don't live here but I do visit at least twice a year, to see my editors and publishers and to work alongside my husband in our ministry. Within a few days I'll be back in Cape Town, just in time for my granddaughter's 1st birthday, and a month after that, I'll be in the Middle East. I am what they call, location independent. But it wasn't always the case.

For many years I worked as the Creative Director in an advertising agency. I left home at 6am every morning and drove for an hour to get to work and then did the reverse in the evening. So how did I go from that..to where I am today?

After some analysis, I understood that there are 4 MAIN FACTORS involved in having what it takes to work anywhere in the world. If you think location independence is something you might want for your life, then consider this:

1.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to really want it

That may sound obvious, but bear with me. You may think you want the freedom to work for yourself and do the kind of work that you can do anywhere in the world; but do you really? Believe it or not, there is a downside to this kind of lifestyle. Like what? Like, no colleagues to have fun with. Like, most likely, no salary at the end of the month. Like, you'll probably be your own boss and not everyone can handle that. Like, travelling (FYI, travelling is not glamorous unless you're going Business Class.) Like, who is watering your houseplants while you're away? Like, you probably won't be able to keep a dog or a cat if you're travelling all the time. Like, what are you going to do with the kids? Once you've answered those questions, ask yourself why you want to be able to work anywhere in the world. Is it because there are certain places in the world you long to experience? If so, make sure the work you do allows for that..or you may find yourself being flown off to the Himalayas when you really hoped to end up in Paris.

2.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to do the right kind of work

When I tell people this they generally look very glum and say something like "yeah, I should never have gone into accounting". But there are ways to be location independent, even if you have the kind of career that generally is office-bound. There are essentially 3 kinds of people working anywhere in the world. Category A are those who are truly as free as a bird. These are the people who are either independently wealthy or whose work in no way depends on a set location. I am a writer. I qualify as a member of Category A because I can write anywhere in the world. Category B are the people whose work actually sends them all around the world. This is the businessman or -woman who is in France on a Monday and New York on a Tuesday. These people see the world (at least, they see the airports of the world) but they are not as free as Category A people because something outside of themselves is doing the sending. If you see yourself as a Category B person, there is lots of information and help to be found online at websites like http://myworldabroad.com and http://www.goinglobal.com.

3.  To work anywhere in the world, you have to be willing to change

And that brings us to Category C people. Category C people are the most interesting people of them all. These are the people who started out doing location-bound work but then, driven by their desire to work anywhere in the world, either changed careers or found a creative way of tweaking their existing work to make it location independent. I could write 100 blogposts on this topic and still not exhaust it. The bottom line is this, if you want to be able to work anywhere in the world, and you don't have that kind of skill set or job right now, are you willing to change your career and go and study so that you can have the kind of job you can do anywhere in the world? This is a long-term goal. Do you have the kind of determination it will require? Or, is there a way that you can tweak what you are currently doing so that you can do it from anywhere in the world? Sound impossible? Think again. So, you're a nurse. How about signing up to do locum or caring work in another country? So, you own a sock shop. How about turning your business into an e-business? I'm sure you get the idea. Start thinking creatively about what you're doing right now..is there any way that you could turn it into a location independent business? If you want more freedom, more control over your life and the opportunity to live and travel where you desire, and you want that all through a business that you can run from anywhere, then you're probably going to be involved in a digital business of some kind. If you need some help thinking this through, go to http://digitalnomadacademy.com.

4.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to become a self-starter

Working anywhere in the world is like being your own boss and having your own business with the added stress of doing that in many different locations and of having to organise travel logistics. If you don't know how to manage your own time and productivity, its going to be a disaster. That's something you can prepare for right here, right now by refusing to allow outside forces to manage your time and productivity any longer. Surprise your boss by getting to work early and finishing projects before due date. Amaze your spouse by getting your home 'lock up 'n go' ready. De-clutter and systematise your personal paperwork. Take control of your diary.

Now, more than ever, it is entirely possible to have a location independent career. Technology allows for it, clients are no longer intimidated by it and the world is an increasingly shrinking place that is used to working virtually. But here's the caveat: While there's a lot to be said for the freedom and stimulation it brings, I have to say that the main thing that working anywhere in the world has taught me, is that there's no place like home. Isn't that ironic?

Have a happy day.

Want to read a classic? Here's how to get started

I remain convinced that one of the main reasons why my youth novel, Sharkey's Son, won the Sanlam Youth Literature Gold Award in 2007, was because of the contribution of my editor, Fiona Veitch Smith.

It was so exciting for me to be able to re-connect with her on my recent visit to the UK - at Alnwick Castle, of all places! Alnwick Castle is the Hogwarts of Harry Potter fame and also the scene of one of the episodes of Downton Abbey. Fiona lives near the castle and, being an historian as well as a novelist, she was able to fill me in on the fascinating history of the area.

I asked her to bring along some of her favourite classics to share with us because life-changer #3 in my book Change Your Life This Year is Read a Classic. Here's a video clip of the interview she graciously granted me at Alnwick Castle.

I'm sure, once you've watched the clip, you'll be dying to read a classic, as well as Fiona's latest novel, The Jazz Files. Get hold of it by clicking The Jazz Files. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is the first in the Poppy Denby Investigates series. Poppy is a young journalist who investigates murder and mystery in 1920's London. I can't wait for book 2 in the series to come out. According to Fiona, we don't have long to wait.

These Poppy Denby books are delightful collectors' items, on a par with the No 1 Ladies Detective series by Alexander McCall Smith, a great favourite of mine. And Poppy is every bit as loveable, admirable and memorable as Mwa Ramotswe.

Did you find Fiona's reviews, and her advice about getting started reading the classics, helpful? I certainly did. If I can distill her top 3 tips, they are:

1.  Start with a lighter read, one that is amusing or full of human interest, like The Importance of Being Earnest or Pride and Prejudice.

2.  Tackle a thinner read before a thicker read, even if it carries serious themes, like Heart of Darkness does. Another thin, but serious, book is Brighton Rock by Graham Greene.

3.  Do a little bit of research about what the book is about, and the themes it explores, before starting to read. It will help you to understand and enjoy the book so much more.

Have a happy day.