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The Mind of Simon
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Simon's Stories

Real moments, honest lessons. Each one is a short take on a post from The Mind of Simon, with a link to read it in full.

07
The journey

I'm not buying a sports car. I'm training for an Ironman.

At forty two, Simon decided against the classic midlife purchase. Instead he signed up for Ironman Lanzarote 2027. He knows the swim, the bike and the marathon will hurt. But he believes the hardest part will be mental. It will be the moment deep in the race when every role and every mask falls away and only the real Simon is left.

He calls it a contract with himself for the year ahead. He is filming every session for YouTube so that one day, at ninety, he can look back and remember who he was when he chose to find out what he was made of.

“The real race happens entirely between my ears.”

The lesson: Put yourself under pressure on purpose. That's where you find out who you are.

Read the full post →
06
Calm

I used to think meditation was for people who had time

Simon once saw meditation as a luxury for people with spare hours. Then a line from the philosopher Blaise Pascal, about humanity's trouble with sitting quietly alone, changed his mind. He sat for twenty minutes a day, breathing, then wrote down whatever surfaced.

For a couple of years he kept waiting for results. Then he realised the change had already happened. He was calmer, slower to anger and no longer took things personally. Today his practice is simple. Ten minutes of silence every morning. Just being.

“The busier you feel, the more you need to stop.”

The lesson: If twenty minutes feels impossible, start with one. The restlessness is a sign to keep going, not to quit.

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05
Calm

Calm always

Years ago a customer insulted Simon to his face again and again, mocking his weight. It got to him at first. Then he flipped it. Every insult became a chance to practise staying calm and not taking it personally.

That is where his motto was born. He learned that other people's opinions are only noise, and that the story he tells himself about who he is matters far more. It took reflection, writing and a lot of unlearning. It still does.

“Something is only true if you believe it about yourself.”

The lesson: Turn your hardest moments into practice. Calm is the cradle of power.

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04
Action

You can do it or you can make excuses

A chat with someone who felt too old and too sore to try new things got Simon thinking. Nobody gets perfect conditions. Everyone is carrying something. At some point you either do what you can with what you have, or you spend years explaining why you can't.

He believes excuses repeated long enough become part of who you are. And he believes small, steady actions like walking, training and learning change a person more than we expect.

“You don't have to become superhuman overnight.”

The lesson: Small actions, done often, beat waiting for the perfect moment.

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03
Mindset

Talk to yourself in a helpful way

We all have a voice in our heads, and for most of us it is harsh. Simon points out that we repeat negative thoughts so often that we end up believing them. So why not repeat helpful ones instead?

He reminds readers that the odds of being born are estimated at around 1 in 400 trillion. Then he suggests a simple morning habit. Say “I feel incredible” ten or twenty times, even if it feels silly, until your state starts to shift.

“Talk to yourself in a helpful way. You're listening.”

The lesson: Your mind learns through repetition. Choose what it repeats.

Read the full post →
02
Calm

We are human beings, not human doings

Simon starts the day with gratitude. He woke up. He is alive. His body and mind are healthy. A phrase he heard years ago made him notice that he was always busy and rarely still.

So he began sitting in silence for ten minutes a day, with no phone and no music. It felt strange at first. Over time it brought clarity, awareness and peace, and helped him watch his thoughts instead of being run by them.

“Today is a great day to have a great day.”

The lesson: Ten minutes. No agenda. Just be.

Read the full post →
01
Connection

Talk to everyone

Simon's lesson of the day was simple. Don't be afraid to talk to people, however important they seem. Titles and status don't remove anyone's doubts, and most of us are quietly hoping for connection.

Chat to colleagues, to the stranger in the coffee shop, to the person beside you at the gym. One conversation can lift your day, build your confidence and open doors you never expected.

“Most people are waiting for someone else to speak first. Why not let it be you?”

The lesson: It's good to talk.

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