10 principles of life

If I say I will do something, I follow through. I expect the same of others but often people are not true to their word. I find this frustrating as I'm quite literal and believe what people tell me.

Of course, being true to your word, whatever the cost, which is often how I approach things, is not necessarily a good policy. Sometimes we change our minds. Sometimes circumstances change and we can no longer do what we promised.

There's a trend now, and has been for some years, not to let people know if they have been unsuccessful at a job interview. I like to close the loop so that people are not left hanging. This applies in many situations. It's better to close the loop, especially in difficult circumstances rather than leaving people to guess.

As well as being literal, I'm quite direct. This can be a good and a bad trait. A lot of people don't like this or misconstrue where I'm coming from but it's who I am. As I've got older, I probably do direct more than going all round the houses.

I have a mental list of things I'd like to do. Sometimes an opportunity to achieve one of the items on my list presents itself. More often than not, I will ask the question. Can I sit with the pilot on the plane? This was something I did years ago, in my 20s. You probably can't do it now. Captain Crispin said yes to my question and I flew Manchester - Paris with a headset on, and ate a First Class meal. It's an approach that has opened up many doors. Occasionally the answer is No but I can live with that.

This can be hard. We live lives where we are discouraged to be ourselves, to speak our truth or to follow our dreams. Of all the principles, this is, for me, the most important. I believe we are here to align with our truth as much as we can.

I've always preferred to go my own way. I'm an introvert. I'm allergic to alcohol so social events were often not my thing. I would spend my time differently. It led me to do things that I wouldn't have done had I been part of a group.

What makes you happy? What lights you up? A lot of silly things make me happy - Hello Kitty, pink, fountain pens, stationery, cows. I'm not bothered about what others think of my choices. This links with being yourself. The two are very much connected.

A great film and it reflects my belief in how life unfolds. I don't think there are accidents. We meet people we're meant to meet. We end up in places we should be. I think there's some guiding force that leads us forward.

It's not all or nothing, black or white. There are endless shades of grey in the middle. There is so much to our lives and living on this planet that is not cast in stone. I think we have to be open to possibilities and believe that we don't know all there is to know. And that we could be wrong.

For quite some time I've contemplated oneness. We are all one. I think this principle is the one that could save us from ourselves.