What the hell am I doing in a Starbucks? This is unusual, especially when I have better options. This is a small one next to the cinema where I’ve just watched Wreck It Ralph – Ralph Breaks the Internet, or to be correct Ralph Breaks the World Wide Web – but that has less of a ring to it, so I’ll suspend my dis-belief a tiny bit more.

The theme I’ve taken away is to see what’s out there, use your skills, and don’t be afraid of change.

One Brexit conversation and 17 hours later…………………………….

My overriding feeling is that I’m not going back to Starbucks. I could have delayed my conversation for another day, but I didn’t. Now look what happened. Yes, Starbucks caused me to stop.

Blame anything. Get angry and whilst forgetting what you’re angry about! That’s what’s going on now. Starbucks was my choice. But this isn’t about Starbucks, it was my choice to change a routine and then slack off. And that’s the problem. I’m blaming something for something that was my choice. And to be fair, it’s not such a big thing, but worth keeping an eye on. If small things slip, bigger things might pass me by without me even noticing.

There are many good things going on, but these are little good things. Getting everything done takes time and effort. Ignoring all of the noise around you is even harder. And I suppose that this is what mindfulness is. Ignore the noise around you and enjoy the task you’re doing. Take little steps, and try to make sure that most of those steps are in the right direction. That means looking up every now and then and having a look to see if you have a clear view of where you’re going. And that’s not easy. Most of the time, you don’t get a clear view of where you’re going, so you need a map in your head, a mental compass that points the way, and a moral compass that helps you make the right decisions.

Today, I’m getting back on track. To be honest, the shock of not seeing any money in my bank account yet is a great focus. I can’t go out and spend anything for a few days. My new wheels, and GPS running watch were expensive spends, but in the long run good ones. This does leave me with a slight nervous feeling of  – I was right – wasn’t I? My feeling is yes. I’m getting a lot of use out of my new things, and in the long term they will be good for me, but it’s only some of what I should be doing. What I need to do is re-focus on the big things I want. No excuses!