As many of you know, I am working towards world peace because I believe that a good leader can change the world (sadly the reverse is also true), and I want world peace! I believe that great leaders come from those who focus on getting themselves in the best mental health they can. This might sound like I’m creating selfish leaders, but my experience (and research backs me up) is that if a person is in a good place, then their focus will turn outward. People who are struggling on the inside will only be focused on themselves. This isn’t narcissism; this is biology.

When I was in the Maldives 20 years ago, I haggled so hard over the wooden Buddha you see in the picture, that the shop owner told my husband he wished I was his wife and took us for ice cream! He wanted me to come and work for him! 

20 years later, I have a little grandson who is just 2. Twice now, when he’s come to my house, he sees the figure of the Buddha with his head in his hands. He crouches down with his head almost touching the floor, trying to see the Buddha’s face, and says, "Are you okay?" as he strokes his back. It makes my heart ache even remembering it. 

I work from a cabin in my garden, so several times a day I walk down my garden and back. In summer, this isn’t really noticeable, but in winter, when the grass is longer and the ground is damper, a distinct ‘path’ forms. Even though I notice this and try to make myself walk a different route to save the grass, I just can’t seem to absentmindedly stop following this path. It’s crazy because I could literally walk anywhere else in the garden, but still, my mind just follows this indented pathway.