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Home » Miscellaneous
Feb14 0

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Posted by Ben Drury in Leadership, Miscellaneous

Out of the night that covers me,Black as the pit from pole to pole,I thank whatever gods may beFor my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstanceI have not winced nor cried aloud.Under the bludgeonings of chanceMy head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tearsLooms but the Horror of the shade,And yet the menace of the yearsFinds, and shall find me, unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate,How charged with punishments the scroll.I am the master of my fate:I am...

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Sep09 0

Book Review: The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

The strap line for this book is “The answer that changed my life and might just change the world!”  This book certainly has changing lives at its heart and it changed mine. Richard Stearns (President of World Vision) starts his book with his journey of discovery from highly paid corporate CEO to a full understanding of the sacrifice necessary for putting the gospel into action.  He covers the desperate need in the world; he wonderfully expounds the scripture truth about service;...

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Sep08 0

Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

Posted by Ben Drury in Leadership, Miscellaneous

Fearless is a book that has been written for such a time as this when the world seems to be overwhelmed with fear and worry. In this, Max Lucado’s new book, he tackles a complex subject that is extremely relevant to us all, he breaks it down in to bite size chunks that are easy to digest and inspires courage and hope – it is such a compelling read it is difficult to put down.  In his poetic and lyrical style Max covers topics such as fear of the future, fear of overwhelming challenges...

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Jun23 0

Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

A wonderfully told story about the impact a kindly stranger has on a local community.  His uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time to offer refreshing encouragements to individuals facing life’s crises has a profound impact on almost the entire town, over many decades. The book, based on a true story, describes the author’s sporadic encounters with this stranger, Jones, interspersed with tales of how Jones’ “chance” meetings with others in the town brought fresh...

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Apr03 0

The Success of Failing!

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

This story was written by Mike Scogna. You can find out more from Mike at www.buildyourbliss.com On April 25, 2003, a thirteen year old girl who had won a singing competition prepared to sing the national anthem at an NBA game. Natalie Gilbert had been singing the national anthem at large events including NBA games since she was 8, but tonight was special. She was chosen from among 6 finalists and would perform at this key game in the first round of the playoffs. She had been sick with the...

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Apr02 0

Procastinating? Here’s how to get started!

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

Do you ever get to a point where so much is going on and there’s so much to get through, so much to achieve that you just can’t see any way at all that it’s going to get done? All the jobs are just too big. Your huge list of “To Do’s” just seems enormous, so you just sit there like a deer in the headlights. Not knowing quite what to do next. Then an amazing thing happens. With an almighty flurry and flash of inspiration, you tidy your desk. You organise...

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Mar26 0

Life’s not about to begin – it’s already started!

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin.  I was just on the cusp of being able to really live to the full. Just round the corner was real life and it was fun, exciting and easy. I was almost at that place where everyday would be like an extended holiday! But there was always some obstacle in the way.  There was always something else to be gotten through first.  Some unfinished business that needed to be tidied away, some time to still be served, a debt to be...

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Mar25 0

Creativity: Anyone can do it!

Posted by Ben Drury in Design, Miscellaneous

Hands up if your creative. (I hope you all put your hand up!) I was just reading a back issue of ‘Fast Company’ magazine. The December 2004 issue – I like to return to stuff I thought I learnt just to make sure I still understand it! This issue was all about creativity. Articles like ‘What Makes Beautiful Minds’, ‘Finding Your Inner Creative’, ‘The 6 Myths Of Creativity’ and ‘The Fabric of Creativity’. It suddenly struck me that...

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Mar23 0

Getting Started In Entrepreneurship (2): How do you find a business idea?

Posted by Ben Drury in Leadership, Miscellaneous

AchieveGood.com wants to help you start excellent businesses, so every Monday they are running the Getting Started In Entrepreneurship series. This week is part two: How do you find a business idea?  Visit http://achievegood.blogspot.com.

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Feb18 0

What they don’t teach at school!

Posted by Ben Drury in Miscellaneous

This is quite an old list, but I found it the other day and thought it was still quite good, so here’s eleven things they never teach you at school (courtesy of Bill Gates!) Number 1: Life is not fair – get used to it! Number 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Number 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of school. You won’t be a chief executive with a car...

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"Ben is a pleasure to work with and had a real impact at NCG. He is someone who is highly creative and forward-thinking. Combined with the ability to develop intimate customer understanding and apply this to innovative developments that deliver real outcomes, Ben will be an asset to any business. I would not hesitate to recommend him."
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