Last time, in Where it does it go from here, I finished writing about why and how Change is Constant was changing and my direction of travel. 10k feet summary being: “I’m writing to help me, get the things that I want to do, done”. One of those being “to do more with my music”.

This post, in my 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1 journal section, is the first time I’ve written directly about a “my music project deliverable’. Sorry, keeping things simple / in plain English – my music project deliverable is, in this case, a fully recorded and probably mastered song.

Starting a project, any project.

“Doing more with my music” is one of my main enjoyment aims, plans in retirement. If you like, it’s one of my main retirement projects.

To help me do it I’ve created a section within Change is Constant, called 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1. I did dally with creating a separate newsletter, just for music, but settled on it being a section within Change is Constant. I may well write about how and why I came to that conclusion, but that, is a different story.

I’m writing Change is Constant to help me do things I want to do. I’ve got know-how from 40^{1 /} 60^{2 +} years personal / work change, my life experiences to date.

I intend to keep using it. If it helps you too, happy days!

Over those c40 working years, I’ve delivered many, some award winning, projects, from Change to Transformation, across a spectrum of industry sectors, often helping organisations navigate growth and turnaround challenges.

I’m not gonna lie, they haven’t all gone smoothly. Arguably though, it’s those you learn the most from 😉.

At the end of the day though, I’ve been lucky enough that most seem to have largely ended well, in success.

If I was someone else, I might have said - that’s my legacy. But I’m not. And it’s not 😉.

Legacy 🎶 is though, something I do want to get done. It’s a project for me, right now.

In my experience it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to deliver a multi-million £/$/€ business project, wanting to change something about yourself personally e.g. lose some weight, or do something creative that arguably relies on a different set of skills / part of your brain.

The language you use may be different, but,

Good practice is good practice 🗒️.

And the good ways to get things done are cross discipline.

In my view.

Though just ‘cos I’ve been lucky, I thought I’d check, for a little bit of #funwithinsight that you also know what L.U.C.K is?

L.U.C.K. is 🗒️:

Labour

Under

Correct

Knowledge.

😂

Which brings me to the crux of this.

Do I know-how

When you’re starting something new, or indeed perhaps revisiting something you’ve done before, after you’ve had the idea, and decided that it is something you’d like to do, if you do want to have a chance at getting it done, ask yourself...

Do I know-how to do it 🗒️?

Not... do I know what to do. Frankly you can google that / I’m 99.999% sure that AI will confidently tell you what to do too 😉. Know-what is not the same as Know-how. IMHO.

Do I know HOW to do it.

What I know from 40^{1 /} 60^{2 +} years on this rock is that know-how is pretty dammed important to achieving what you want to achieve.

Granted, it’s not the only thing. I may talk about a number of these other things at another time. No-one said any of this stuff was easy.

Do I know-how to deliver Legacy 🎶

One day I’ll probably write more about what “doing more with my music’ means for me. For now, you can read a starter for 10 summary here 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1 if you’re interested.

It is, to motivate me to do more with my music.

And Legacy 🎶 is my music. Or more to the point it’s one of many songs I’ve written that I want to record. I want to get it to a decent standard.

That does not necessarily mean I want to try to get it to a published standard, let alone anything else, like it being commercially successful.

Getting it done, my objective if you like, means producing something that I’m content with. It’s good enough, for me.

Do I know-how to deliver Legacy 🎶

Answer – No.

I may or may not have the musical playing capability, but I defo do not (currently) have the song recording, mixing, mastering etc. know-how.

How would I?

Just because I have played piano and guitar for 50 odd years, was in one or two bands’ donkeys ago and have written songs most of my late teenage / adult life, doesn’t mean I’m any good at playing, or that I know anything about recording music.

OK, for transparency, I do have a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation, software for recording, fyi if you don’t know). I bought it 20 odd years ago, just after I lost both my parents close to each other.

Back them I felt they might have wanted me to continue that dream. So, I used some of their cash for my music.

I did start with good intentions, and I do have several part complete test projects on that PC / DAW. But tbh for one reason or another, again a story perhaps for another time, it never really got far. A little of that story is here -A deadline approaches.

In understanding / recognising that I don’t have the know-how, one might question whether I still felt it was the right thing to do, to try and do more with my music.

In this case, I’d already considered that I didn’t know how.

So - Yes, it is still the right thing to do.

And - No, I still don’t know how, yet.

Fine, but how could I achieve my ends if there’s a major piece (know-how) missing?

How to get the know-how

At the end of the day, it gets dark. Sorry, that’s true but it’s 100% a different story 😂.

How to get the required know-how for your project. It’s not hard. You either get someone else to do it for you or you get it yourself. Simples.

Let’s remember that acquiring this know-how isn’t the project. The project is delivery of “Legacy🎶”. That’s the scope.

So, at this stage, know-how (recording and so on) is, for me, like a mini project, a project in a project. I don’t know what I don’t know for sure. But also, I don’t know what I might need to know, to get Legacy done.

Too little know-how might simply not be enough. Acquiring more than I need to know, might over complicate things and get in the way.

For the avoidance of doubt... I’m pretty sure that acquiring music recording know-how even just in some of its forms is quite probably a lifetime’s work. There will be nothing mini about it.

Remind me why

The article isn’t about the ways in which one might control project delivery. But what I would say is that it’s very important to check back in from time to time with yourself, and others if you’re part of a team, and remind yourself why you’re trying to do something 🗒️. It helps with motivation and can keep you on track.

I’m doing this for me. I think I’ll enjoy taking something from an idea, through its creation, arrangement and delivery into something tangible, that I can be content with. That’s what much of my career has been about. Feels like it would work here too. I don’t want to get someone to do it for me. I want to do this myself. That’s a big part of my expected enjoyment.

Given I’m not planning on popping my clogs anytime soon 🤞, I’ve hopefully got plenty of time to have a go, practise, learn from my mistakes and with some luck, deliver several tangible recordings.

According to the classic iron triangle of project management, to work out the delivery answer for any project, there’s 3 things in the triangle - the time you have, the scope you’re covering and the resources available - to consider / play with to deliver what you want to deliver. I’d add quality of deliverable too, right in the centre, but then again, I’m picky.

I have loads of time 🤞.

My overall scope is sort of clear (i.e. my headline of doing more with my music, recording some songs I’ve written to a reasonable standard).

This scope is getting Legacy done.

I do have some resources, but IF I need to allocate them (aside from my own time) I’d want to do so carefully. For now, I want to see if I can learn.

So how am I acquiring the recording know how to get legacy done?

In summary I’m starting small 🗒️. Breaking things down into bite sized pieces 🗒️. Keeping it as simple as I can 🗒️. And hopefully getting a little help from my friends if they are able 🗒️.

I am trying to learn bit by bit as I go along. For now, this feels like the right approach.

I’ve got several books on recording, mixing and so on. I am reading them, or I’ve started to. I’m not gonna lie, they are a little dry. No mixing pun intended, or maybe there was 😂. They have examples of settings and techniques to get me started.

If you do click the A deadline approaches link, you’ll see me referencing Jeff Harrington - Release your song, his newsletter. And through that I’m also now subscribing to The Music Factory with Dave Johnston.

I’m mentioning both as I am finding things that each have said / written, that could well help me acquire the know-how I think I might need to record my own music.

Jeff has also kindly recommended a mixing course. It doesn’t look that expensive. It might be worth it. But as of now, I don’t know what I don’t know or what I might need to know. I need to know more first, I think. If I find I’m not learning enough, that’s a potential next step.

If I was on a different timescale or had different available resources, I might choose to go on some training courses or pay for some studio time and see how professionals do it.

As part of writing this article, I also decided to pen an email to my old songwriting partner of 40 odd years ago. Seeing if he’d like to collaborate. He wrote back yesterday, saying yes.

Plus, over the last year I’ve reached out to several old music friends, who are significantly more advanced than I am.

What I now need to do is start to use some / all the above to deliver Legacy. Doing so I am hopeful will improve by recording etc know-how, for the next one.

How is this helping me 🗒️?

It’s not only a good question, it also the right question.

As I’ve said before, if this (doing Change is Constant), doesn’t help me, why would I bother?

That question – which is essentially – does it pass the so what test 🗒️ - is a key question which IMHO must be asked on any project.

So let me reflect and play back to myself how writing this has helped.

This article is the precursor to my next step with Legacy 🎶. Getting my head in order, doing my final preparation prior to recording however many tracks make up Legacy.

The act of writing these words has helped cement what I want to do, how I want to go about doing it, what I mean by what I say.

Specifically, I know that both Jeff and Dave have mentioned technique and example settings about setting up for and recording audio.

Recording audio – acoustic guitars and vocals - will be a decent chunk of recording Legacy. This is a prompt for me to go find what they said, write it down and have a go. See how it works. Learn as I go.

That’s plenty of help, I think ✅.

Now, if only I could remember where I filed what and said... 😂

PS Thank you both and thank you in advance to all my friends who I’ve just roped into helping me. Well, what are friends for 🤞.

FYI.

Change is Constant “Notes 2 (my younger) Self”. Know-how stories from 40^{[1] /} 60^{[2] +} years personal / work change, my life experiences. My 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1 journal is within. They help me remember how to do the things I want to do in retirement. Doing more with my music being a big one. If these help you too, happy days!

If you like Change is Constant perhaps Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out 👇. Sharing, commenting, liking - is also great!

Subscribe now

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

Here’s a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There may be a few more of these than the posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

Thanks for reading.

^[1] 40 years – how long I worked.

^[2] 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

🗒️ Notes 2 Self

A couple of others...

Proper planning prevents...

Writing stuff down works.

Previously, starting in January 2026 I’d set out to tell you why and how I intended to change things here on Change is Constant. (To avoid too much repetition and only if you’re interested, those posts are linked within). Then, it’d been properly up and running for over a year. Maybe the trigger was because a new year had started, maybe it was simply that I’d reflected, using the ultimate success formula, and understood that, in summary, whilst through my eyes, it was OK, it wasn’t far wrong, equally it wasn’t quite doing it for me. I felt a change was needed. This is where it does it go from here.

Where have I been coming from?

To answer the where are we going / where are we trying to get to question, for me, I need to know where I’ve been coming from.

For me, it stands to reason, that if I don’t know where I’m starting from, at the very least I won’t have any idea which route or method to take to get where I think I’m going. And therefore, it’s entirely possible I’ll end up somewhere, I didn’t want to be.

Which through my eyes, isn’t a risk worth taking.

Particularly, when I do know how to manage change and get stuff done. Well, I’ve been doing it long enough, I ought to by now, surely 🤔.

I often tinker with how I write things, say things, do things. That’s me. It’s how I work. Granted, it might be a tad of procrastination, or possibly a leaning towards perfectionism [Ed – unlikely 😂!] but it does work for me, eventually!

So over time the words I’ve used to describe what Change is Constant is about, do change, and probably will continue to change.

But mostly my words said things like it’s about... mindset, insight, know-how for handling personal / work change, keeping my little grey cells going (cos I think I need that in my retirement), solving challenges, building confidence / resilience, saving time, getting the things I want to do done, making them stick. And maybe, eventually 😂, I’d produce some templates, guides, aide-memoires etc to help with all that.

And in all truth, I’ll probably continue to use many, it not all, of these words again at one point or another. Because they are not wrong.

They are also, not quite right too. They weren’t quite hitting the nail on the head.

Things can be wrong and right, at the same time. In the same way that things that look the same, can be different 😉.

If there’s one link herein, that helps my mindset square that circle, that might also help you, try this 👇

Just because you are right, does not mean I am wrong (and oldie, but goldie note I’ve recently published again. IMHO it’s that good)

What was wrong

What was wrong? Was it because:

👉 Each article was taking too long to write?

👉 It was becoming a chore?

👉 Some areas things seem to have grown, some shrunk?

👉 There was an itch I couldn’t scratch?

Yes – all those things and a few more too ✅.

In a nod to my Change career, things that go wrong are usually some combination of time, money and scope. The classic iron triangle of project management.

Change is Constant’s scope wasn’t quite there. It wasn’t costing me money as such, but it was costing me time. Life is too short 🗒️.

However, for clarity was it because...

Subscriber numbers and followers weren’t growing, fast enough.

No ❌.

Change is Constant isn’t what anyone, I suspect, would call a prolific publication. I don’t publish posts that often. Once or twice a month ‘ish.

I’ve retired. We have enough £, I think. I’ve never been seeking to build a business here. Sure, every little helps, but I think I’ve done well enough financially speaking to be able to have a comfortable retirement. We don’t have an income issue to solve, hopefully 🤞.

There are plenty of other things I want to do too.

Just as a little tangent. Of course I’ve looked at my subscriber count, who doesn’t?

Whilst I think I am internally referenced; I’m not convinced any of us are 100% this or that. We’re a bit of many things. Then again, I’m a Libran, so I do balance. Maybe you don’t? Not saying that’s right or wrong. It probably just is.

So, I don’t think anyone is immune to a little pat on the back now and again. And that then became part of the issue too. E.g.

My “numbers” seemed to grow pretty consistently, in fits and starts, a few a month. (yup more opposites that can be true together – for clarity in this case it depends on how long a timeframe one extends to show the consistency or how short to show fits and starts).

But looking at them, maybe thinking that every little bit helps, wasn’t helping me.

Because I found myself, for a while, reading too many “how to make it big on Substack” techniques and then thinking about how to work them into my writing, than writing!

I was getting sidetracked. There were too many things, occupying the same space, vying for my attention, muddying the waters for me.

I needed to be more disciplined at doing the do, be less distracted.

What was right

Most of where I’ve been coming from above is still true. Mindset, grey cells, aide-memoires, solving issues and so on. Quite a lot of what I was doing, was OK.

In the round I still enjoyed doing it. It did make me happy, overall.

It was helping. I have started to do more with my music. We make time to travel, see family and friends, enjoy the world around us. Even my Spanish is starting to improve, a little.

I also know that, for me, writing, can solve a writing problem (try it, it works, if you allow it – it’s working again for me too right now 😉). But I wasn’t taking my own medicine. I just wasn’t doing it.

It’s important to do whatever it is that works for you.

It might seem that there’s more negatives I’ve written about. Well, I’m a Brit. That’s in our nature. But if you look, most of it was a tangent (❌) into being clear about a thing that really doesn’t matter to me.

Anyway, back in the room.

So what.

👀 I know, on the one hand, good enough is good enough 🗒️.

But sometimes it doesn’t matter if it’s only a little way off. If it’s off, it’s off, that’s enough. It’s not good enough.

Fundamentally I understood that,

👉 It wasn’t helping me (enough) to do the things I wanted to do

👉 I wasn’t happy (enough).

It was because ultimately, it just felt that what I was doing was just a little bit 💩.

And that my friends, is the point. You can do all the thinking in the world. If you really want death by Excel, PowerPoint or any other form of paralysis by analysis, be my guest but... at the end of the day,

It’s about judgement.

And judgement is personal.

Yours (or in this case mine). No-one else’s.

I do not need to seek anyone’s permission to change.

That said, why takes time. Not always, but often.

I make no apologies for saying this:

Mine, I’ve understood, is simply... “I’m doing this for me”.

Not you. Sorry 😉.

If it helps you too though, happy days.

It wasn’t just one thing.

That realisation of I’m doing this “just for me” happened somewhere in Q1 2026. I’d known it for a while, but maybe I hadn’t said it out loud or properly, or enough. I hadn’t written it down. It hadn’t quite solidified itself in my psyche.

In my experience, it’s often not just one thing that gets you to understand or buy in and equally things can happen across a timespan.

I said I’m internally referenced and that none of us are 100% one thing or another. Other inputs do help. For example, whilst I’m 99% sure that they don’t realise it (I haven’t told them yet, I am now) 4 fellow Substackers have helped solidify this “doing it just for me” in my psyche.

If I don’t write this down - Lynn J Broderick and Marlana Aka Outtamy damnmind neatly summed up both where I’ve been at and where I want to go with Change is Constant.

John Ward’s, The Things that Matter, told subscribers why things had been a bit quiet on one front for him and where he was going.

Lastly, during this period whilst I have re-written my “about” pages, trying to succinctly say the things that are in here, they still don’t quite hit the spot. Though I suppose life itself is a work in progress 🚧 😂.

BUT I had a comment on these updated “About” page(s). And this did hit that spot 👇.

“Welcome to the cruise“ is such a good reframe for pace and momentum. The idea of writing notes to your younger self not as a lesson but as a way to keep moving forward yourself — that’s a really honest reason to write. Jacob Taylor.

Thank you, one and all. You’ve all helped me.

Hopefully this might help you somehow 🤞.

✅.

I’m just a boy who’s a Caveman at heart.

Cast your minds back. Ok, go back a little further. We know don’t we, that our Caveman ancestors were the original wall artists. And if you’ll allow me to acknowledge a little thought for the day,

It’s the same today too isn’t it 🗒️.

Here in the UK, today we have Banksy. Don’t know him? Ask your friend Google if you want, he’s famous here.

And what Banksy and the rest of the graffiti / wall artists may be doing I think, is simply modern-day cave paintings. Their take on today’s life stories to tell / things we might want to see.

The cave may be different, some messages too. But the reason, the why, has probably stayed much the same 🗒️.

It’s the same thing with more up to date ancestors. E.g. say before we had pens and paper, people told stories – this is who we are / here’s the know-how to get things done.

I’m the same. Except I’m no artist. I’m no writer either. But I can type.

When I die, I don’t want to leave behind a raft of things that need clearing up and chucking out. I don’t want to put our children though that. So, one of our retirement plans is to de-clutter our lives. E.g. our house. We’ve got loads of stuff that frankly... just needs to go. You?

And - many of us probably have an old shoe box (or similar) of photos of yesteryear passed down the line. If you have one, in how many of these photo’s do you know who the people are? Let alone, why it was taken, what it was recording and so on. Yup me too 😉.

In the same but different way... I also don’t want to leave a shoebox that means nothing to the generations following me.

Please don’t let me be misunderstood 🎶

I want to leave Something 🎶 that might have meaning to my future generations, my Legacy🎶. If I don’t do it now, soon, I might not be able to in the future.

I want to try and bottle any know-how I might have, so I can use it and, so that my children can at least consider if that helps them. In retirement, I don’t want to just drift, or worse.

There are plenty of other things I want to do. More creative, things that I’ve not had the time to do or find the focus for, and 100% I want to do more with my music

I believe that writing Change is Constant will help me do the things I want to do. Well, I hope so anyway. If it doesn’t, I’ll do things differently.

Life is too short - I want to enjoy it 🗒️.

For that I need my brain to work. Plus, some other things like I need to be as fit and healthy as sensible.

These things took time to think through. To develop if you like. And tbh they will probably develop further as we go along.

Life is a rollercoaster 🎶... and a work in progress.

But as succinctly as I can… my reason for writing is to help me.

Where does it go from here? 🎶

My plan is to write “my scrapbook” – i.e. something that tells some stories about what’s happened along my way. For ease, I think it’ll cover broad stages in my life.

The current working title is - Aid memoirs of an MD. The current stages (parts of the scrapbook) are - The ABBA years (After birth, before adulthood); Two’s Company– my 20’s; And then there were three – 30’s; Roaring forties - 40’s; Freedom from 50 - Life begins (again) at – 50’s, Present Day – Freedom at last – 60’s

[Ed – far too over convoluted / too clever word play – no-one will get it. Still, it wouldn’t be you otherwise. Me – I’m doing this for me, remember! I did say... working title.]

I’m imagining it’ll be about what sort of person was I to begin with, stuff that happened, why things went well, didn’t. How did I deal with the up’s and down’s and so on. So yes, at its heart, personal and work, life change stuff, through my lens.

Maybe from some of that I’ll produce some actual guides / books for publication, maybe I won’t. We’ll see. I’ll probably never get as far as that. But it’s the thought that counts!

But as I’ve said before. Plans are just plans. They change.

FYI.

Change is Constant “Notes 2 (my younger) Self”. Know-how stories from 40^{[1] /} 60^{[2] +} years personal / work change, my life experiences. My 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1 journal is within. They help me remember how to do the things I want to do in retirement. Doing more with my music being a big one. If these help you too, happy days!

If you like Change is Constant perhaps Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out 👇. Sharing, commenting, liking - is also great!

Subscribe now

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

Here’s a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There may be a few more of these than the posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

Thanks for reading.

PS. In case you’re thinking... I know that line, but where the hell does it come from.

Clue - it’s not a song title, this time.

Ok the answer... Where does it go from here? 🎶

... is it down to the lake, I fear?”

“Love Plus One” by the 1980s pop/new wave band Haircut 100 👍.

I know I know. Sorry. For those of you that do know it. It’s gonna be in your head for the rest of the day. Well, these things happen 😂.

^[1] 40 years – how long I worked.

^[2] 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

🗒️ Notes 2 Self

Good enough is good enough.

Life is too short

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

🎶 These will eventually appear in one of my Songs in the key of Change Spotify playlists. You can of course find them yourself. But, at this point, you will not find Legacy. ‘Cos that’s one of mine. Unpublished. Well, actually hardly started recording it. Part of doing more with my music see 😂.

This version is from “Half 1” 2026.

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” Kurt Cobain

Why do I make use of music references if I can?

Music has always been a constant / a big part in my life. I like listening, creating, remembering older and discovering new stuff. Putting these playlists together is all this and a bit of fun.

Also, given that we all learn in different ways, it seems to me that we would all remember how to do things in different ways too.

These playlists are also another way of me remembering, musical aide-memoires, if you like. To recall how to and motivate me to get on and do.

If these help you too, happy days!

For those that prefer the science^[1] of how music helps, it’s along the lines of what is at the end. (thanks, google AI).

created through Canva, by a human

Songs in the key of change 2026 - Spotify playlist unwrapped.

The list below follows this convention:

Month

Song - Artist

Where (e.g. post / note) used.

It’s not always the song title, sometimes it’s the lyric.

21 songs, 1hour 31 mins, 20 artists. If you decide to tune in.

January 2026

Advice for the young at heart - Tears 4 fears

The Riddle - Nik Kershaw

Roll with it. - Oasis

Advice for the young at heart 1

Just the way you are - Billy Joel

Start the way you mean to go on

Keep on runnin - Spencer Davis Group

Advice for the young at heart 2

February 2026

99 red balloons - Nena.

99 balloons and rising

Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits.

Rip it up and start again - Orange Juice

Thank you - Led Zeppelin

King of pain - The Police

For you - Judie Tzuke

Great songs in my life

March 2026

Again and Again - Status Quo

Today in 1931, Mikhail Gorbachev

Brilliant Mind - Furniture

Things going on - Lynyrd Skynyrd

I can see clearly - Johhny Nash

Advice for the young at heart 3

Don’t look back - Boston

The best of you - Foo Fighters

Don’t look back

Circumstances – Rush

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

April 2026

Welcome to the cruise - Judie Tzuke

Notes about Change is Constant

May 2026

I gotta feeling -Black Eyed Peas

I gotta feeling

Southbound - Thin Lizzy

Southbound

Music has been a rock in my life. My constant in a world of Change. A wise man 🤔?

2^nd half of 2026 will come later.

FYI.

If you like Change is Constant perhaps Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out 👇. Sharing, commenting, liking - is also great!

Songs in the key of change 2026 - Spotify playlist unwrapped.

Songs in the key of Change – Change is Constant

Change is Constant “Notes 2 (my younger) Self”. Know-how stories from 40^{[2] /} 60^{[3] +} years personal / work change, my life experiences. My 🎶’s 2 An Audience of 1 journal is within. They help me remember how to do the things I want to do in retirement. Doing more with my music being a big one. If these help you too, happy days!

Subscribe now

Here’s a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There may be a few more of these than the posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

Thanks for reading.

^[1] The science bit - Music feels so good because it triggers a powerful response in the brain, releasing “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine that are associated with pleasure and reward. It also connects to emotions, memories, and social bonds, providing stress relief and a sense of comfort. Ultimately, the complex interplay of rhythm, melody, and personal experience creates a profound and often euphoric effect.

Too many big words for me 😂 but I’m glad the science backs up that I gotta feeling. (thanks though, google AI)

^[2] 40 years – how long I worked.

^[3]60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

Pensions / Investment aside, you’re not being paid by someone else, or yourself if you were self employed.

What you’ve done is simply start another stage in life.

One which frankly seems to have most of the same challenges that so called working life does. But that’s a different story for now 😉.

Now I know when you start something new, that it’s often good practice to start at the beginning. But.. I’m not going to.

‘Cos… I have a deadline looming. So a quick summary first… in retirement, one of my aims is to “do more with my music”. I thought a separate newsletter to Change is Constant would help. But frankly it’s not. Too much like hard work on the one hand but also, more importantly, things I may have to say to myself under the guise of doing more with my music, may well also be relevant within the wide Change oriented publication.

So as of today, I now have a separate section within Change is Constant - Music Journal / 🎶‘s 2... - I think (hope🤞) I’ve set it up so that it’s an “opt-in” approach. i.e. existing Change is Constant subscribers need to opt it. Right now I’ve no idea how subscribe / subscribe section prompts could be offered, and sooner or later I will close the Notes 2 An Audience of 1 newsletter. These are not today’s challenge though, bear with.

Subscribe now

^{I write Change is Constant as a broader set of notes on change, life, and getting things done, to help me. If the music side of that journey is the part you would like to follow more closely, you can opt into Music Journal / 🎶‘s 2... for those posts within your own subscriber settings, I believe 🤞 .}

Today’s aim is that I want to note something relevant to what I’ve been doing for the last few days. And that is,

Submitting a song submission for the songwriter circle review.

Which in this instance equates to - Prepping one’s song submission file to send in to next songwriter’s circle… so I can participate in it.

One of my favourite anecdotal phrases is “You learn something new…, every day”, followed up by, “Most of it is utterly useless 😂 but it’s true, you do learn something new every day. Occasionally it’s actually helpful.”

And when that’s combined with an approaching deadline… often one finds that one focuses on things perhaps more than at other times (I.e. in this case focus = learning how to get stuff done).

So, this is what happened, what I learnt, over the last few days, when me, myself and I, were prepping to submit my file for the next songwriter’s circle. Deadline Friday 24th July, noon. That said, having said it’s focused on learning how to do stuff, these days, probably because at my advancing age, it seems mostly to come down to remembering how to do things, cos there are too many C.R.A.F.T moments. If you know you know 😉.

Well not everyone will have to do this, but I did. But why do I need to tell you?

Well I don’t tbh.

I’m writing Change is Constant for me. If it helps you too, happy days.

Ultimately it’s to help me do the things I want to do. And if it doesn’t help me, why would I bother.

And I think that what I went though over the last few days is going to be required again. I need to retain that knowledge. Or more to the point, I need to know / remember where I can quickly go again to retrieve that knowledge. And we all know that it depends on the day of week what answers one is going to get back from our friendly neighbourhood AI assistants don’t we we folks 😂?

In summary, I need to know what steps I went through so that I can repeat them again in the not too distant when the needs arises.

Now whilst I do actually have a pretty good memory, [Ed - for certain things],I’ve also learnt over the years that writing stuff down helps. It works, for me. And in the first Note 2 Self of this piece…

🗒️ Note 2 Self . You need to use whatever method works, for you.

👀 lots of people say, there’s no need for me to write it down. I can remember.

I’ve done it myself. Or I used to.

🗣️ Well… they are wrong. Sooner or later. Everyone forgets. It’s called being human. None of us are perfect.

But hey ho, you can carry on thinking you’re right if you want 😉.

For me I 100% know that I need to make a note of it, cos I’ll have to “Do it again” 🎸

(OK truth is out, this post was just an excuse to get that great Steely Dan song included in my Songs in the Key of Change play list, when I update next 😂).

Well yup, you got me, there is some truth in that. But really, it’s not just that I know I’ll need to repeat these stapes, this method in the future, it’s also that actually writing them down is helping the process of embedding into my psyche of what that method actually is. So I will be able to remember in the future, without having to look it up.

Yup, again you got me, at some point it’ll fail again, because I’ve forgotten, as too much time has gone by, or I’ve been lazy and missed a step. But no problem now. I’ve written it down. I can find it again. Now where did I write it down… 😂.

Actually in all seriousness… as some of you knew and others now know on here, one of my main retirement aims is… to “do more with my music”. Jeff’s songwriters circle group helps me, not just to have way of getting some (free!) advice, but also, it acts as a motivational aide to me. As an added benefit, I also get some hear some music from, frankly, some really talented and world class musicians, that I would not have come across before. Plus the way that their music is put together also gives me ideas I would not have thought of otherwise.

And therefore I am finding ways to both “do more with my music” and also inspire, motivate me to. All in all, a win win.

🗒️ Note 2 Self . You may well want to do something. Finding ways to motivate yourself… will only help you.

It was 20 years ago today…🎸

Well not exactly, but 20 odd years ago I started trying to “do song recording”. It never really got far, for a variety of reasons. So I thought I’d resurrect one or two of these and offer them as submissions to said songwriters circle.

Anyway, the song, Legacy, is on Cubase SL3, on a 20 odd year old Windows “Music” PC. It’s not finished. It’s barely started tbh. It was last worked on on 31st December 2008 around 7pm. Now what I was doing working on song recording on New Years eve is frankly a completely different question. But I want to send it in as the closing date for submission looms.

Previously I think Jeff’s indicated it’d be interesting to hear the next version of songs that have previously been submitted, i.e. taking into account the hints, tips and constructive critique previously offered.

A few months back I did submit an Apple voice notes version of Legacy - me and my acoustic, very rough and raw.

And that’s a great thing about Jeff’s songwriters circle. You can submit whatever you want, from my end of the very rough and raw spectrum to proper quality, professional produced published music, in all sorts of genres. Anyway Legacy apple voice notes version, was not exactly sophisticated. I did tho get some really useful (and nice) feedback.

So I thought… I know, I’ll do that, send an updated version, sort of. But me being me, I decided instead to submit an earlier version of Legacy. One that had a little more thinking and consideration to arrangement and so on -[Ed - for clarity the focus words here are “a little”]. I.e. the original last worked on on New year’s eve 2008. And in this case it’s only stored in working Cubase SL3 form on the old Windows music PC.

My logic is I want to see if I was going down the right track back then (no pun intended) 20 odd years ago. And to see if previous songwriters circle offered advice would alter at all. Because from my perspective, it’s all grist to the mill. It’s all an opportunity to learn something. Which is the stage I’m at.

What could possibly be so hard about that?

Well where should I start?

I started with a quick plan. Loosely written down. Didn’t need much more than a back of a fag packet tbh. But it was a plan. One to be followed and duly updated. Plan - Do - Check Act see.

So firstly I had to actually get the Windows music PC to turn on. It’s been boxed up for perhaps the last 10 or more years. Cables, keyboard, mouse duly found I plugged it all in. Cutting to the quick, turning it on resulted in, vaguely remembering that 15 years ago I couldn’t get it to turn on either.

I asked a friend 😉, Google / YouTube helped. It turned out that a likely cause, of not turning on, was a little battery that stores some quite helpful settings; as far as PC’s working were concerned back then, re BIOS, CMOS; and if said battery was dead, so was your computer. So I bought a CR032 battery and fitted it. Thanks YouTube.

Still didn’t turn on 😣.

Ahh… but maybe it’s the wireless keyboard. No not the ones we have today. Earlier ones, with big dongle things that can plug into USB or the dedicated port slot.

I’d remembered that the USB plug didn’t work, god knows why, it just didn’t, so I had to used the purple port slot instead. Lights came on the dongle, so it wasn’t that. If at first you don’t succeed…

Hmmm, maybe it’s the keyboard itself. Has got a battery? I turned it over, and it did. A couple of AA batteries later and lo and behold, it turned on! Hurrah.😊.

I duly navigated to where my Cubase music files were and double clicked. Cubase launched [Ed - autocorrect made that laughed - that might have been more apt!]. The track view came into place. This was encouraging 😉 🤞.

First test.

So with bated breath… I clicked play. And it played 😊. I could see the track roll nicely moving along as it used to 👍 .

But… no sound. Hmmm 🤔.

Ahhh… did the computer have a speaker? [Ed - Well that’s what we had to put up with 20 odd years ago]. So… I found my little mixer,

plugged it into the sockets, even got the right ones, put my headphones into the mixer and … lights, camera, action… well no, no camera, but there was music, sound. And it was as I remembered it👍.

This is getting good I thought ✅.

A few days went by. Well the weather’s been good, had to enjoy the garden see. And then I remembered Jeff’s deadline was looming.

I listened to Cubase Legacy several times. I played about with a couple of mix levels between the instruments as the drums, guitar and DX bass sounded too soft or too loud. It did (imho) improve but the object of me sending something into Jeff was to send it warts and all, to see what next steps I could take from here. It wasn’t to critique a final or frankly even half finished thing. So I deliberately didn’t save the new settings.

Then I thought, right I’ve never exported a song from Cubase before, I never got that far, what do I do.

But, like most computer things, often one can work out what it could be. File Export in this case. OK what next. Now I know that previously people have generally submitted MP3’s into the songwriter circle. So, I had a google, and selected the steps that should have exported a MP3 file.

I got a little warning message along these lines - if you continue you’ll use one of your Fraunhofer MP3 export allowances. You have 20, you’ll have one less. Then you’ll have to buy more from Steinburg.

But aside from not a clue as to what a Fraunhofer MP3 export allowance, was, my software is 20 years out of date. So a bit more googling later I found that whilst these licence restrictions have long since been out of licensing arrangements, Steinburg (Cubase authors) have also long since stopped offering a way to top up the licences. ARGGH I immediately thought. I’m thinking I’m going to use this old PC while I revisit my learning how to do recording ideas. I can see my quickly using up these limits and I’ll be knackered.

Can I work around the problem?

Drawing on my old Change experience, when things were nearing deadlines, one often reached for “is there a workaround”. Often not ideal but nevertheless one can actually get the job done. And there was.

One could export WAV with no limitations. Happy days! And it turns out one can then convert a wav file into a MP3 file. In my case using Apple Music. This involved…

The things I’ll need to know again.

Follows is mostly a copy paste from google (thanks pal) so I can use it again, as ultimately I seemed to work. . [Ed - I haven’t actually sent my song submission file to Jeff but the resultant MP3 s only 6Mb so I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine]. By all means skip this part unless you happen to have this same issue.

The problem / answer

“Cubase SL 3 says I have 20 Fraunhofer MP3 encodings - for more order from Steinburg. What does this mean?

This message means that your version of Cubase only includes a limited 20-use trial of the Fraunhofer MP3 encoder. In older, lower-tier versions of Cubase (like LE, AI, Elements, and your legacy Cubase SL 3), Steinberg did not include the full commercial MP3 license to keep the initial retail price of the software lower

Every time you export a track as an MP3, your countdown decreases by one. Once you hit zero, Cubase will completely block you from exporting MP3s directly. Because Cubase SL 3 is a legacy product, purchasing an upgrade from the long-defunct Steinberg online store is no longer a viable option”.

The solution method. (The steps for me)

The WAV Export Method:

1. Set your locators and go to File > Export > Audio Mixdown.

2. Choose WAVE file (lossless) instead of MP3.

3. Export the file to your computer.

4. Drop that WAV file into a free, modern audio converter tool to turn it into an MP3

“Will apple music convert wav to mp3.

Yes, the Apple Music app on a Mac can convert WAV files to MP3”

How to do it on a Mac:

1. Open the Music app.

2. Go to Music > Settings (or Preferences in older versions) from the top menu bar.

3. Click the Files tab and then select Import Settings.

4. Under “Import Using,” change the option to MP3 Encoder and choose your preferred audio quality (e.g., 192 kbps or 320 kbps).

5. Click OK to save.

6. Drag your WAV file(s) into your Apple Music library.

7. Select the song(s) in your library, then navigate to File > Convert > Create MP3 Version

Back in the room.

I can’t imagine you were overly interested in all the steps in the things I need to know again. You probably don’t have a 20 year old PC and if you are doing music, you’re probably way more advanced than me. But maybe you can relate to how technology moves on and how hard it is to keep up with all the things you might need to know for a same but different challenge?

But I am interested. I write Change is constant for me. To help me do the things I want to do. So with the above, the next time I want to get something off that old “music PC” I have half and idea of how I’d do that.

🗒️ Note 2 Self. Write things down helps… to remember how to do something and as a reference for when you need it again!

(If you can remember where you wrote it down😂).

Test and test again.

So I followed the above WAV steps. And sure enough there was a satisfying “chime” when the export had finished not many seconds later.

But where was it?

No idea. I couldn’t find it in folders or on Apple Music itself.

So I googled (again), where is my exported song? [Ed -Yeah I know, that’s getting to be habit… not sure if its a habit worth forming mind].

Duh it said… it’s in your Apple Music library.

No it damn well isn’t I thought.

But actually it was. I was just being a little impatient with it.

🗒️ Note 2 Self . Patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait. Sometimes 😂.

I right clicked the file, well actually there were 3. One that I just imported without changing the above import MP 3 setting, so it was AAC or whatever the Apple Music default file setting is.

And 2 that, having found some patience, were indeed MP3’s. HURRAH 👍✅.

Recap and reflection

👉 Where there is a will… there is a way.

👉 Sometimes you just need a little patience and a mindset to test first, deploy second.

👉 Next step - send file to Jeff 🤞.

This wasn’t as I said above the first thing I thought I’d write about in this guise. But…

🗒️ Note 2 Self. Plans are just plans - they can and do change.

🗒️ Note 2 Self. You gotta start somewhere.

Thanks for reading.

Post headlines, from the quarter, full content linked. Plus, notes examples, library links. No need for further explanation.

FYI

Young self, dreamt of writing songs then work, family life took over. 40+ years¹ business / personal change know-how later, I’m retired.

Change is Constant, is what I’ve learnt and experienced 60+ years² along the way to; help me do what I want to do now; note stuff down for my children; fulfil my dreams. If it helps you too, happy days 😊.

It’s Notes 2 Self type stories, with aide-memoires, guides & tips that worked / didn’t, woven in. About motivation; mindset; starting new stuff; developing confidence, skills, resilience; dealing with challenges & change; staying on track / recovering from mistakes and maybe more.

Because at the end of the day I know now what works and doesn’t for me, and I’ll need all of it to get the things I want to do done.

If I don’t write this down now, to help me remember stuff, I never will.

Subscribe now

👀 See below - there’s not a fat lot this time you might have missed, tbh I’ve had better things to do.

Plus mostly so far this year, I’ve been trying to work out for myself what I’m trying to do here. The preceding FYI is the general direction.

I did update my “About” pages (Welcome to the Cruise).

I am dithering over a new newsletter – Notes 2 an Audience of 1 – versus a separate Change is Constant Notes 2 Self section.

I think it’ll be the latter so don’t sign up to Audience of 1 atm.

None of these are quite how I’d like it yet.

I’m doing this for me. If it’s not helping why would I bother. But if it does help you, happy days.

Change is Constant in Q2 26.

Change is ConstantQ1 26 published 2 main column posts:

Created by a human using Substack image generator

Two sides to a story

Why and what. One should not exist without the other. One should not confuse one with the other.

Sorting out the wheat from the chaff

I can’t think of a better candidate for - The ultimate success formula –one, than - Plan – Do – Check – Act.

Created by a human (pretty sure as it’s way before AI) but I’ve no idea who. It’s genius tho.

Q2 26 notes examples.

Project Schedules are like train schedules

Proper Planning Prevents...

Today in... One Conversation, intro, chance meeting is all it takes.

There were quite a few more.

The notes library.

Here is a link to all my notes. Scroll to see what grabs you. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

My approach:

Mostly free stuff. There’s no schedule.

Posts maybe once / twice p.m.

Notes perhaps more often.

If that helps me do what I want to do.

You won’t be bombarded.

Note 2 Self – Plans are just plans, they change! If this doesn’t help me, or I stop enjoying it, why would I do it?

👀 The paywall. I’m not going to lie; I’ve wrestled with this. Here’s where I’m at:

👉 Posts are categorised (except general ones), some are paid only ✅.

Categories are Change – Mindset – Fun with Insight (web only, Substack app does not currently seem to show them).

Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

If you like Change is Constant:

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

Subscribe now

Created by a human using Canva

¹ 40 years – how long I worked.

² 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

"No pain, no gain" is an idiom meaning that success, improvement, or results require hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. It implies that you must push through discomfort or struggle to achieve your goals.

Having "no skin in the game" means a person has nothing at stake, zero personal risk, and no vested interest in the outcome of a situation. Because they will not suffer any consequences if things go wrong, their perspective or advice often lacks true accountability.

Thanks Google, for these, that’ll do.

I’ve come across these multiple times, in sport, business, and general life. I suspect you have too. But first a “government Change is Constant health warning”… 😉.

For the avoidance of doubt this post is not intended to express political views. And I’m 💯 not encouraging any comments along those lines. To date I’ve mainly written about Change. This post is about Change. The subject matter example may be politics but the questions are about Change, and more explicitly, how we change.

Particularly when you’ve been trying to do stuff for a very long time and it’s just not getting you anywhere.

Towards the end of this article there’s a potentially big question suggesting a way to (regenerate) change, in the UK. It might not be the one people are seemingly currently clamouring for. Its intention is to offer up a way of getting Change, whatever your politics. If you feel minded, do comment / answer the poll question. Note intentions above tho please. It could apply equally to other nations too I guess.

Change comes in two types.

Change comes in two types. Planned and unplanned. Planned is usually, not always, better than unplanned. Change is instigated, heralded and/or triggered by many things. But these are different stories 😉.

But summarising, Change is usually nurtured - driven, by, where you want to be; from what you see coming down the line; and what you don’t. Starting from where you are. Influenced by what gets done along the way.

But how do you actually get there?

Planned, unplanned, ok got it. But irrespective, how do you actually get there? How does one actually get from “a” to “b”? You know, the promised land. Where we want to be.

Well, again these are different stories, there are many, many ways but for sure, sooner or later,

One has to know where “a” is.

Where you actually are. Not where you think you are, or assume / perceive you are, where you actually are. In this case perception is not reality.

If you, for example say, I want to go from the East Coast to the West Coast (of the USA).

Where do you start from?

Let’s say, on a map, you stick your start pin at New York? Or Washington DC?

Seems about right? Yup, they are on the East coast.

But what if you’re starting from Miami? Or Maine? And what if you want to get to San Francisco, or Seattle, not L.A.

If you don’t know where you are, how can you possibly know how you’re going to get to wherever it is you want to get to?

Now, we in the UK know where we are now don’t we?

We’re happily sailing up 💩 creek, without a paddle. C’Mon you know it’s true! 😂.

And if you’re the one leading the Change?

What if you’re the one trying to encourage / get buy-in how do you do that? Yes that includes encouraging oneself.

Do you use the carrot or the stick? Btw one of those things on the image ☝️ is supposed to be a stick! If so, clearly it’s not a very big one 😉.

Or is there another way?

Ten years gone 🎸.

10 years ago… Brexit vote. “52%” wanted change, “48%” didn’t. As if anyone in the UK needs reminding 😗.

Recently it’s been said that this vote was the greatest act of economic self harm ever. That may or may not be completely accurate (it was said by a politician 😂) but most experts say there is considerable evidence to support that the UK has gone downhill a lot (6-8% less of GDP) as a direct consequence of Brexit.

Yes we’ve had Covid, wars and, well, let’s just say someone who’s allegedly the most powerful human in the world, who may or may not be (balance see 😉) bat 💩 crazy. Not my words, honest. Someone else’s. But the word used by these so called luminaries, was “direct”. I.e. just from one gross act of economic self harm, we’re one helluva lot worse off.

One way or another, the significant majority do now seem to have concluded that the UK is much worse off now not being in EU directly due to Brexit. I.e. we’re up 💩 creek. We may or may not have much of a paddle.

Maybe some of us didn’t fully understand where we were starting from in the first place? And thus maybe it was easy to believe in the promised land. Ok, I’m being generous. Well it’s Sunday as I write this. Feeling chilled. But c’mon it wasn’t that hard to see the truth or the lies for what they were. Oh sorry, that was a tad political. Wrists duly slapped 😩.

Whether one wanted it or not, saw it coming or not, tried to get it done, or not, I think one could fairly say, there’s been lots of pain and little / no gain since 2016.

Cards on the table, I voted to stay in the EU. But aiming for balance…

Ten years gone 🎸, it seems to me that neither side got what they wanted.

We have not got there. Change has happened, it got worse.

How did we get here.

I have 40+ years¹ of Change know-how. I know that buy in / engagement is low or non existent unless you have skin in the game. Even then it’s not easy and should not be taken for granted. I’ve been around for 60+ years².

What did we want?

So let’s look at how people who were eligible to, voted.

According to brexitfactbase the actual % split of the registered electorate was:

• 37.4% voted Leave

• 34.7% voted Remain

• 27.8% did not vote (12.9 million people!)

Now I’m pretty sure that when people voted for change in 2016, however stupid oops sorry, slapped wrists again, misinformed they were, they didn’t want things to get worse. They wanted change for the better.

And those that wanted to remain, felt staying was for the better.

But what did the third side, the c28% want? Good question 🙋‍♂️.

And now for something completely different?

Fast forward. Soon, the UK is about to have its 7th Prime Minister since that Brexit vote. 7 FFS!!

Many people are calling for another general election as “we” haven’t elected whoever becomes the new PM (as if there’s any doubt 🧐).

But in the UK, technically we don’t vote for the Leader, i.e. The Prime Minister. We vote for an MP.

In truth that’s too simplistic.

Some do vote for their MP, perhaps based on local track record, promises or maybe charisma.

Some vote for the party, and some of those never change in their life time. E.g. “we’ve always voted Labour, wealth should be redistributed, welfare state is vital. We’ve always voted Tory, tax should be low, welfare is only for those who need it”.

I’m not saying that either of these are true, just generalising how some may think.

Some do indeed for the leader, the one who is or will be PM.

Some for anyone but xyz. Some vote tactically to stop a party / person getting in.

Many don’t bother at all.

Why?

Surely they have skin in the game?

Maybe they can’t see that they do.  Maybe they think it’s someone else problem. It’s not btw. That’s just an abdication of responsibility IMHO. I’ll leave that topic for another time tho.

Are they the same 28% that didn’t bother in 2016. In truth who knows. But, I did a quick search of how many voted / didn’t over the years. Statista was my main source.

In summary it seems that the highest engagement in the last 100 or so years was c84% turnout around 1950. The lowest, c60%, in 2024. So put another way, in 2024, 40% did not vote. I’m not sure of the exact numbers eligible to vote in 2024 but 40% would be something like 18.5 million voters, if there were the 46.5 million eligible voters as of 2016. I’ll say that again… 18.5 million potential voters, 40%, did not vote.

To me that feels awfully like the same issue as in 2016.

18.5 million is a lot of Apathy?

So what is the problem we’re trying to solve?

Is UK politics broken? The facts seem to make it obvious don’t they. For the last 30/40/50 years, voter apathy has generally been somewhere between 25 and 40%.

If you’ve got skin in the game, and let’s be clear, who in the UK doesn’t have skin in the game - we want housing, education, have to live with the roads, the laws, feel secure, be thankful for the health service and if you’re in such need the welfare state and more - Why aren’t you voting?

So we have skin in the game, but large numbers still don’t vote.

So why, falling back on my 40 years¹ of working nous, using my good practice change principles, don’t they vote?

Apathy / disinterest may count for most of these. Which IMHO is just not good enough. You’ve got skin in the game, vote! There are only 3 choices. You want something better. You don’t want something worse. You’re Ok with more of the same. It’s not that hard FFS.

I didn’t say engagement and buy in were easy tho even if you have skin in the game did I?

Can’t see the wood from the trees?

I think that voter apathy may well be rooted in a broken system.

And might it be because they can’t see what a new system might look like?

I learnt during my career that sometimes with change, you have to build “the infrastructure” before people come along. Words, promises just won’t do.

Infrastructure can be many things. It could just be an early days promise of hope. Or an early small scale success. It could be phase 1 or more, of the whole development.

I was involved in a few area regeneration schemes as a Non Executive. At that time I was no housing expert. I’m not now either. But I quickly learnt, that with these regeneration schemes, you have to build the roads, utilities, services and of course the houses before people are attracted to the new thing. People won’t flock to an empty potential building site.

This attraction to Infrastructure is not a new thing.

It is what we as a human race have always been drawn to.

It used to be for example, we’d be drawn to the hill top, for defence, the river / lake for water, or the caves for warmth.

It’s the same today. Just our names for the infrastructure we want have changed.

Plus ca change…

Regeneration is needed.

I think that’s where we could be now with our politics system. Just like Dr Who. It needs regeneration. Tho I 💯 concede, timing is everything.

👀 Look, we know don’t we, politics is broken. We (I think / hope) also know we need our governments (ie politics & politicians) to be motivated and rewarded to work (selflessly in an ideal world) on our behalf. To deliver what we want.

But we also don’t seem to get that we probably need something quite different. Because, and let’s be as balanced as we can, are we really getting anywhere with any of it / them?

To quote Einstein… “insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results”.

Or maybe we do get we need something different, but we don’t know how to get there. (Which is often a lot of what I usually talk about here).

Maybe we need the “infrastructure” built, even a little, before we can see if this - is the way (to Amarillo 🎵 well, it wouldn’t be a change is constant post without a music reference 😂, tho I also snuck ten years gone 🎸 in earlier too 😉).

So look 👀, for clarity, I’m not saying that “we” or indeed any of our current politicians will build the right infrastructure. How the hell do we or they know? 25-40% aren’t saying what they want FFS.

So here’s a thought.

Let’s take things step by step. Break the problem down into bite sized pieces.

Step 1.

We need to know what the vast majority of those eligible who have skin in the game want. Surely? (let’s say for simplicity that they are looking out for those they are responsible for too, their children who aren’t yet eligible to vote, because what’s it all for if not for our future generations?).

As a minimum we need an idea of what they want.

We need to know what the people want don’t we?

Carrot doesn’t seemed to have worked.

So Stick it is!

How do we find out?

We ask! (Not rocket science really is it).

The big question.

So here’s the aforementioned potentially big question.

Similar to paying tax, should it be the law that if you are eligible to vote, you must, by law?

If we don’t know what most want, how the hell do we start to envisage, yet alone build the infrastructure that we probably need?

Try the Poll. It’s - Yes or no. Clarity is needed.

You’ve got a week. (If I’ve set it up right🤞, first time I’ve done this)

Yes of course some questions are big & complex. But that’s what leaders are for. To sort the wheat from the chaff. To find the answers. To solve the problems.

For sure there will be caveats / carve outs - like not being in prison, physically of sound mind etc. I also think it’s imperative that there is an “abstain” option. People need to be able to say… none of it works for me. I want something else. And that has to be a clear positive choice. Not a spoiled voting paper.

What do we get if Abstain has the majority. I don’t know. I have a thought. If we get more who voted abstain than for other “candidates” maybe it’s our public servants, that should then be part of that solution? If you believe the most excellent “Yes Minister / Prime Minister” BBC TV series from yesteryear, they are the folk that really keep the ship sailing forwards anyway. 😂.

And if people don’t follow the law, then £ fines and worse, if appropriate. Just like the tax laws if you don’t.

Other steps?

We’re experimenting regionally with proportional representation.

Is that better? I don’t know.

I’m pretty sure first past the post has had its day. We need change.

We may need to change the people, the parties.

We need people to embrace that they do have skin in the game.

I’m not convinced the carrot is working, is it time for the stick?

I think we need to change the system. The infrastructure. Soon.

Before we’re really stuck in the 💩 and have lost our paddles.

Is there another way? No idea! But maybe a little carrot (infrastructure) and a little stick (legal obligation to vote) might help?

No pain… no skin in the game

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What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Thanks for reading.

1 40 years – how long I worked.

2 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

Postscript.

Look I’m not what you’d call a political person. I vote. I believe in certain things. We need to help those who need it. Stuff needs paying for. We can’t borrow from the future indefinitely. And so on.

I don’t generally write about politics, tho I may use topical stuff to make an observation. Don’t subscribe if you want politics.

I’d generally say I’m pretty central. I would not have known that at 18 on my first vote. I think I know it now. I’d say I was right of centre when young and probably left of centre now.

Which I’m told is the opposite of what direction many take.

Hey ho, that’s me. Reliably unpredictable. Not predictably unreliable 😉🤞.

I’m a change animal. I loved helping people and organisations with Change. That’s not saying I embraced changes myself mind.

I also concede that Henry Ford is supposed to have said, if we asked the people what they wanted, they’d have said faster horses.

But one has to start somewhere.

Hmmm Note 2 Self?

Related post.

When you leave out the sax.

Having you been doing something for a while which, in your heart of hearts you know isn’t right? Yet you’re still doing it. Could it be because you’re not sure how to go about changing it? Well, me too, sort of.

Well, OK that’s a lie. I know how to do change. Though there was some truth in my uncertainty too.

I was / am trying to use my nous to help me do the things I want to do. But there’s more to it than that.

✅ Change is Constant: Is Notes 2 (my younger) Self.

I dreamed of writing songs. I got 40+ years ¹ change know-how. Retired with 60+ years ² experience. I write Notes 2… to help keep brain going for what I want to do, like make music now.

Future me knows there will be challenges to overcome, setbacks to recover from. And I’ll need inspiration & motivation to help me turn my “want to do ideas” into reality.

These things seem annoyingly repetitive to me, irrespective of one's stage of life.

I’m far from perfect, I don’t always recall stuff when it’s needed. I’ve learnt I need reminders e.g. - Mindset aide-memoires, guides & tips - to keep me on track.

So if I don’t write down what I know now, it may never happen. I have forgotten stuff. One day, I may not remember at all. I write for me. If I can help you too, happy days.

Reading this is great, thanks. Like, comment, share, subscribe if it gels🤞.

The ultimate “how to do…” success formula?

Many years ago, I attended a leadership training / workshop session. It was held… in a cinema. As I walked through the doors, I thought – “OK this is different. I wonder what we’ll get. Same old, same old?”

Call me a cynic, I’d been on a few by then see.

But, well, NO! Far from it. This, ultimate success formula, stuck.

Why was that?

Maybe it was simply the setting? Maybe. It was the deluxe studio. Seats were very comfy. Leadership guy* was on a stage, had a wireless mic. Hadn’t seen one of those used for speaking before. (This was sometime back). Felt like I was at a show or a gig. Maybe it somehow tuned in to my musical tendencies.

Maybe though it’s ‘cos you just resonate more with one person than another. It’s not just what they say, it’s how they say it. How they come across. I know there’s lots of science that supports that. For some reason, you like them. It feels right. That’s certainly possible.

Or, they say in life that – Timing is everything. So maybe on that day I was just more receptive to the messages. Again, quite possible.

But sometimes it’s the message that sticks. Or perhaps better the simplicity of the message. Keeping things simple works.

In truth it’s probably all of these, and maybe more.

If you want the 10k foot view, it goes back to Professor W Edwards Deming. “The father of quality”. It’s known as – The Deming Cycle.

Now google has actually just told me that it originates from Deming’s mentor, Walter Shewart. I didn’t know that. Google is never wrong, right 🤔?

Today you’ll also find it as the PDCA (Plan – DO – Check- Act) cycle. And I’ve used it in work and personally for many, many years. It’s one of my top go to’s. It works consistently. I still use it now.

In the aforementioned training workshop, a slide was shown depicting the PDCA cycle. Badged as “The ultimate success formula?”.

Put simply - It got me, I got it. It stuck. So it is 😉. (And I’ve shamelessly used it like this ever since. But thanks William Montgomery / AskTen*).

In truth, I generally subscribe more to the quote from George Box. “All models are wrong, some are useful”.

To me, that means – you have to work out which bits of what work for you. But…

If there was ever a candidate for - The ultimate success formula – I can’t think of a better one, than

Plan – Do – Check – Act.

What I am sure about is that Deming didn’t depict it like this.

Looney Tunes / Wily-e-coyote was for me synonymous. I’ve no idea who created this graphic, I’ve had it for years. It is brilliant, thanks, whoever you are. Note 2 Self – sometimes you know what’s coming, sometimes you don’t. With Wily-e-coyote, you did didn’t you, but it still always made me chuckle 🤭.

Less is more

In most of my posts I go a little further than the 10k foot view. This time in a nod to some of the things I intend to tell you about soon, that’s it. Less is More.

Plan – Do – Check – Act.

Doesn’t need any further explanation, does it?

You plan what you intend to do.

You do it.

You check what you’ve done.

You act on what you now know.

You revise your plan, your to do list and go around the cycle again. Improving as you go. Simples.

Yes, you do need to know something about what you want to do in the first place. If you don’t, how can you possibly plan what to do.

But that’s another story. Two sides to a story might help with that.

Recap & Reflection.

This post starts from the basis that you’ve been pursuing your big idea for a while. But you have this nagging feeling you can’t shake and you don’t know how to go about shaking it down.

Look, keeping it simple, in this and frankly for many situations IMHO…

Plan – Do – Check – Act.

Is the ultimate “how to do…” success formula.

It is simple. Easy to grasp. Widely applicable. And if Wily-e-coyote doesn’t help remind you of it, then work out a Note 2 Self that does.

Once you have an idea there’s nothing stopping you, well apart from you 😉, in doing it is there?

Don’t stop, believin’ (Journey) 🎶

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great!

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PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

Next time?

I intend to discuss the differences between personal and work change and how PDCA works equally as well for both.

[Ed - Well that didn’t happen, this did. No pain… no skin in the game.]

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope. 

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Thanks for reading.

1 40 years – how long I worked.

2 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

This one is for those in a personal or work initiative, who feel something’s not quite gelling. Which is where I’ve been recently. You may find pointers where to look to sort it out.

✅ Change is Constant: Is Notes 2 (my younger) Self. From 40+ years personal / work change know-how. Mindset aide-memoires, guides & tips.

Solve challenges, choose wisely. Improve confidence, resilience. Save you stress, time & money. Turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

This is not the beginning. But it is a beginning. *

I last published a proper “Change is Constant” post (Advice for the young at heart #4, near the end of March 26). In it, I said I was going to start telling you the story of how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

It might gel if you’re in a similar situation, where you’ve started something, that’s not quite working for you. It may help you find ideas and tips you could apply to your own world.

I will get to the story of how.

But we need to back up a little first.

Even by my - publish when I want to standards - it’s been a while since the last proper one. Well, I’m retired see, I have other things I want to spend my time on too.

That’s part of the reason why it’s been a while. And for sure there might be a tad of procrastination too (which I’ve written about before).

But if I’m honest with myself, these are not the main reasons.

I’ve not written a proper post because I knew that something was amiss and I didn’t want to do the next thing until I’d worked out what that was.

Writing helps me work stuff out see. Yes, of course you can go for a long walk, or whatever it is works for you to think things through. But writing stuff down works. That’s why I keep notes, everywhere tbh. Digitally and in good ole paper. Because that works for me.

I realised that it’s all very well telling you how, but have I told you why I want to do things a little differently?

I don’t think I have.

How will you understand any context, engage with what I’m trying to do, if you don’t understand what’s driving me. What my desire / purpose / North Star is, in writing Change is Constant: Notes 2 (my younger) Self.

It’s all very well recognising I’ve not told you why, but hey, I don’t think I’d told me either. And given I’m doing all this to help me… Duh.

Bottom line…

Mine has changed. Not massively tbh, but subtly enough.

Now I just need to Tell me why 🎤. And if this helps you too, happy days.

If you want the 10k foot view, it’s not - All about the bass 🎸, it is - All about the why.

Or as Simon Sinek wrote, Start with Why. A great read 📕 btw.

created using Substack’s image generator

It ain’t what you want.

👀…from all my 60+ years on this rock, I know that when initiatives go awry, people jump straight into what they think needs doing to fix it.

E.g. I need to be more disciplined at doing the do, be less distracted.

And that’s not wrong. It can be obvious what needs fixing.

But it’s (too) often not right either! It wasn’t for me.

And, what is going wrong, is usually some form of a combination of time, money and scope. The classic Iron Triangle of project management.

What I’m doing…

is taking longer than I thought.

is costing more than I thought.

seems to have grown / shrunk.

is… really a bit 💩.

There are two sides to a story aren’t there?

What, is one.

But what we are doing is frankly not particularly helpful without knowing WHY we are doing it.

Why and what are the two main sides of any change story.

One should not exist without the other.

In the real world, what often exists without the why. Meaning, people carry on doing the what yet often misunderstand or forget why.

And that my friends, for the avoidance of doubt, is at the heart of why things go wrong.

We get carried away with the what. We fuss over meaningless stuff like time, cost and scope. We forget about the why.

Time, cost and scope are irrelevant. It matters not, how long it takes, how much it costs, or what was in or out of the delivered scope… if it doesn’t meet the why.

The #1 reason, bar none, why we fail to accomplish stuff is.

We forget WHY we’re doing it in the first place.

But in my case, it wasn’t that I’d forgotten about my why, I’m a Change professional remember 😂, it was subtly different.

Why takes time.

It wasn’t that Change is Constant was going wrong. I was doing what I’d said I’d do. Writing stuff about Change, I enjoyed doing it. Subscriber / follower numbers growing steadily.

But I had this nagging feeling, that it wasn’t quite gelling.

Knowing your why is an important Note 2 Self.

But here’s an important subtlety note.

Whilst the #1 reason, bar none, why we fail to accomplish stuff is, we forget WHY we’re doing it in the first place.

That does NOT mean we always know our WHY in the first place.

Or more likely in the real world, we often don’t know enough about our why, when we start.

We get an idea, it seems a good one. We crack on. We even write it down. We follow the plan. We do the tasks noted. We check and balance against what. But be honest, do we check and balance often enough against our why. Don’t kid yourself. You know this is right. We get wrapped up in doing and forget.

Look, like everything else in life, why needs time to develop, to grow. Your idea is a like your baby. It needs, nurturing, encouragement, support.

The road to my why.

In my case, when I started Change is Constant, I’d just retired. Observing retirement for perhaps the decade or so leading up to it, partly I felt, there seemed too many retirees who pop their clogs too quickly once they have stopped work. And Covid happened halfway through that decade too. Which also made me stop and think about the future… a lot.

Maybe there’s some truth in what’s said. Retirees suddenly feel lost, there’s no framework. They are without purpose. That brain they’d used for 60+ years didn’t have anything to do. So, at best they drift quietly into themselves, slumped in their favourite chair. At worst…

One way another and whatever the truth, I defo didn’t and don’t want either of those.

Let’s be clear though, fear and risk are strong motivators.

A few years ago, I thought I was a goner. That’s another story. I was scared that was it. Back then, I wanted to live and I also felt that I had more to do.

Back in the present, I don’t want to pop my clogs anytime soon now either. I want to live. I want to enjoy life. I have more to do.

I’m mindful of the negatives, they play a part. But primarily it’s the positives I’m focused on. It’s what I want to do that’s defining my why. That’s’ my mindset. Though I admit, not every day. I do need reminding every now and again. Partly that is why I’m writing Change is Constant.

The road to my why, is not the road to nowhere 🎶. Hopefully.

Then and now.

Back then… I was Sigmund 🎶 – no sorry that’s an Elton John reference.

Paraphrasing, back then when I started Change is Constant. My why was - I want to keep my brain going, give something back, help others. With tips, insight, opinion etc about Change, cos I know about it. You’ll probably see that in the “goner” link.

It might add some retirement pocket money if I write up the various guides and templates I’ve used successfully for donkeys’ years. Every little helps.

I said I it wasn’t sitting quite right with me.

So, in Q1 2026, I had a good look and think about what I’d been doing and… why I’d been doing it.

I’ll tell you more about “how” I went about that thinking, that review next time.

What I came to realise was that, and I make no apologies for saying this. The reason why I’m writing stuff here, is for me. Not you. Sorry 😉.

If it helps you though, happy days.

Don’t misunderstand me.

I do STILL want to keep my brain ticking over. ‘Cos I want to live a while longer yet. I’m STILL happy to give something back and if I make some money, great, but tbh I don’t need the extra cash. As they say although, every little helps.

Where I’m at now, in Q2 26 is - I’ve come to understand, for me writing Change is Constant is about helping me do the things in retirement that I want to do. Because I don’t want to drift, or worse etc for sure.

But 100% I want to do, more creative, things that I’ve not had the time to do or find the focus for, and other stuff I want to enjoy. Like do more with my music. Because… Life is too short and I want to enjoy it.

For that I need my brain to work. Plus, some other things like I need to be as fit and healthy as sensible.

These things took time to think through. To develop if you like. And tbh they will probably develop further as we go along.

But as succinctly as I can… my reason for writing is to help me.

But even though I’ve recently rewritten my Notes 2… pinned post / About pages, trying to say that, it’s still not quite hitting the spot for me.

I did say it’s a work in progress 🚧 😂. Just like life perhaps.

Recap & Reflection.

Look it could well be that your big idea is pretty clear from the off. You know your why. If that’s the case, happy days. I thought I knew mine. And I did. But it needed time and space to develop. And it will probably develop more.

So don’t forget to keep yourself in balance & check back in on your baby once in a while too.

Babies need a lot of time, encouragement and support for to develop.

More likely yours, perhaps more like mine, has a decent basis, but

No amount of theory is as good as the real world.

So, give yourself chance. Allow yourself some time and space to work it out.

Let it blossom let it grow.

Let it grow 🎸Eric Clapton

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great!

Or Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out 👇.

Subscribe now

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

Next time?

The story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026. Probably.

(* Thanks again to Robert Jordan, Wheel of time – “This is not the beginning, but it is a beginning” for the idea.)

Now that is a great story.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Thanks for reading.

1 40 years – how long I worked.

2 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

Notes 2… is for me for “Doing more with my music“, and maybe for you?

Growing up I always wanted to be a songwriter. Then work / family life took over.

Now I’m retired. And I want to “do more with my music”.

My journal of songwriting - discovery - recording, mixing, mastering production progress - probably setbacks - & perhaps eventually publishing - is to motivate me to do more with my music.

Through Notes 2 An Audience of 1 🎶 maybe I can help myself do more with my music, and you similarly, or with other creative pursuits. It is intended to be complementary to Change is Constant.

Or if you like the sound of Change is Constant: Notes 2 (my younger) Self that’s equally fine with me.

Please note, Change is Constant subscribers will not be automatically subscribed to Notes 2 An Audience of 1 🎶 and vice versa. Subscriptions are separate.

Just for clarity.

Substack has Notes too. These are from the person, i.e. me! Not the publication. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too.

Here is a link to all my “notes”. Scroll to see what grabs you.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

I also have other things I want to spend my time on! Life is too short.

E.g. improving my Spanish, seeing more of the world, maybe some creative garden projects and absolutely spending time with the people I want to. Plus, I want to stay relatively fit and active and need to manage our finances well enough to be able to do all these things.

So, there might be the odd post / note on these too, perhaps linking to Notes 2... somehow, just to mix things up. We all learn in different ways, don’t we?

I’ll do this as long as I feel like so doing. It’s that simple.

Thanks for reading.

🗒️ Change is Constant: Is “Notes 2 (my younger) Self”.

Growing up I always wanted to be a songwriter. Then work / family life took over. 40+ years¹ of practical personal / work change know-how later I’m retired. I’ve learnt and experienced a lot along the way.

I’m retired, not stopped! It’s another stage. Like you, there’s a balance of personal, family and work interest 😊 stuff to do. Oh, and dealing with ** stuff ** that seems to constantly come up at many stages of life, including mine! At the end of the day,

I’m writing Notes 2... to keep my brain going & help me do what I want / need to do. If it helps you too, happy days 😊.

Change is Constant “Notes 2 (my younger) Self” is to help me (& maybe you 🤔): Solve challenges, choose wisely; Improve confidence, resilience; Save stress, time; Make ideas real, stick.

Mindset; Insight; Aide-memoires; Guides; Tips.

👉 What I’ve learnt and experienced 60+ years² along the way, to help me do the things I want / need to do. If it helps you too, happy days 😊.

That’s what Change is Constant is about.

It’ll cover mindset, motivation, starting new stuff, developing / (re) learning the right skills, dealing with challenges & change, staying on track / recovering from mistakes (hopefully not too many 🤞) and getting stuff done.

At the end of the day, I know I’ll need that to help me do what I want / need to do.

It may have topical, fun content. We all learn in different ways 😉.

If you want to - Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞

My approach:

👀 Plans are just plans, they change! If this doesn’t help me, or I stop enjoying it, why would I do it?

🗒️ Note 2 Self – No need to do things you don’t need to do.

👀 The paywall. I’m not going to lie; I’ve wrestled with this. Here’s where I’m at:

👉 My posts are categorised (except general ones), some are paid only ✅.

Categories are Change – Mindset – Fun with Insight (web only, Substack app does not currently seem to show them).

At the end of the day, I’m not trying to create a business. I’m never going to write daily, or even weekly. But there is a value to know-how and experience. You may decide you value mine. I know how I tick and what works for me. It might work for you too. Plus, later in life I found I really enjoyed writing.

Writing Notes 2... is me combining these things to help me do the things I want / need to do, in retirement.

Also, Substack provides all this stuff free, and I’d like to do my little bit to support.

If you decide you value this, and support via the paywall, that’s great. But it’s entirely your call, there’s no refund.

🤔 I may (no commitment) document a few of my 40 years¹ of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates. If that helps me do what I want to do. If so, I think I’d put a few more of these behind the paywall.

Welcome to the cruise whatever you decide.

Thanks for reading.

You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too.

Here is a link to all my “notes”. Scroll to see what grabs you. https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Find back copies (archive) here. Change is Constant.

¹ 40 years – how long I worked.

² 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

Just for clarity.

I’ve been posting Change is Constant since October 24. In Q1 26 I reviewed what I’m trying to do here (well I’m retired - there’s no rush 😂) and how I’m going about it, in line with my reason, my why, for doing it.

I’ve re-aligned a little as above, to Change is Constant – Notes 2 (my younger) Self. I’ve also created a 2^nd Substack, Notes 2 an Audience of 1 🎶.

“Doing more with my music” is one of my main enjoyment aims in retirement. Notes 2 an Audience of 1 🎶 is a journal to help me do that.

Both publications are intended to be complementary to each other, potentially with some of the same content.

I also have other things I want to spend my time on! Life is too short.

E.g. improving my Spanish, seeing more of the world, maybe some creative garden projects and absolutely spending time with the people I want to. Plus, I want to stay relatively fit and active and need to manage our finances well enough to be able to do all these things.

So, there might be the odd post on these too, perhaps linking to Notes 2... somehow, just to mix things up. We all learn in different ways, don’t we?

I’ll do this as long as I feel like so doing. It’s that simple.

PS – If you’re wondering why I’ve subtitled this “Welcome to the cruise”.

Music is a big thing in my life and IMHO “Welcome...’ is a great Judie Tzuke song.

Different phrases / ways of saying things can help understanding. So,

👀 Life is not a sprint. Amongst other things establishing pace & momentum; and building energy & rest; in my experience are important to getting stuff done.

Cruise ships seem to reflect pace, momentum, energy and rest to me.

Maybe – Welcome to the cruise – conveys that to you too?

Thanks for reading further.

“Music can change the world, because it can change people”. (Bono).

<<<(Updated 1 )>>>

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

Why do I make use of music references if I can?

👀 No two people are exactly alike. We all learn in different ways. Some of us are more visual, some like to hear, some prefer to read, and some engage from the touch and feel of stuff.

If we all learn in different ways, then surely once we’ve learnt things, we all remember how to do things in different ways too.

IMHO it doesn’t matter how you remember, just that you do. So, I often offer different ways of saying the same sorts of things, to find the aide-memoire, tune or ear worm that sings for you.

For those that prefer the science2 of how music helps, it’s along the lines of what is at the end. (thanks, google AI).

Music has been a rock in my life. My constant in a world of Change. A wise man 🤔?

From Walking on sunshine, to Help! when I’m feeling down. Old, new, borrowed or blues, I’m a believer. Music is food for my soul. If I’ve ever needed to find my way from a Road to nowhere, music offers me so much More than words.

Songs in the key of Change are titles or lyrics used across my posts and notes in 2025 in Change is Constant.

I hope you can Let it be, A little help from a (my) friend(s), to help you change your (Mad) world😀.

✅ Change is Constant: Is Notes 2 (my younger) Self. From 40+ years3 personal / work change know-how. Mindset aide-memoires, guides & tips.

Solve challenges, choose wisely. Improve confidence, resilience. Save you stress, time & money. Turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞

Songs in the key of Change.

Change is Constant’s Spotify playlist – unwrapped.

Songs in the key of Change – Change is Constant

The list below follows this convention:

Firstly the: Song / Artist

Secondly: When (e.g. note / post) / Where used.

If I’ve used a lyric as the post hook, it’s in italics.

Now you might well be thinking that it’s a little late for my 2025 list. I did do one in Xmas 25; it was only curated from my posts. I’ve trawled back through 2025’s notes and added these in. Hence notes ones are now first as they are newest on the playlist.

Note 2 self – Need a better system.

In total 2025’s musical reference are now around 2 hours and 45 mins worth of music across 42 songs, 38 artist’s, I think. Easily double what I uploaded at Xmas. If you decide to tune in. 2026’s version is wip / under compilation.

Songs / Lyrics within Notes >>>

Do they know it’s Christmas – Band Aid

Do YOU know it’s Christmas – December 2025

Changes – David Bowie

Music can change the world – December 2025

Yesterday - The Beatles

Imagine – John Lennon

Humanity lost a creative genius – December 2025

Yesterday - The Beatles

I gotta feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Hanging on the telephone - Blondie

Drunk - Ed Sheeran

Milk & Alcohol – Dr. Feelgood

Songs for Thanksgiving the day after – November 2025

We are family - Sister Sledge.

Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel.

Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin.

Food glorious food - from “Oliver”.

Thank you - Dido.

Songs for Thanksgiving – November 2025

Should I stay or should I do now – The Clash

Should I stay or should I do now - October 2025

What is and what should never be – Led Zeppelin

What is and what should never be – Digital Detox - October 2025

It ain’t what you do – Fun Boy three and Bananarama

It ain’t what you say... - October 2025

Wanna be starting something – Michael Jackson

Wanna be starting something, (Hidden reason you can’t focus) - October 2025

Listen to what the man said – Paul McCartney & Wings

Listen to what the man said. Mexican Fisherman – September 25

A hard day’s night - The Beatles

A hard day’s night – August 25

Don’t worry, be happy – Bobby McFerrin

Here’s a little note on change I wrote – July 25

Songs / Lyrics within Newsletter Posts >>>

Welcome to the Jungle – Guns n Roses

About Change is Constant – updated May 2025.

The Times they are a changing - Bob Dylan

Introducing Change is Constant – October 2024.

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Big Wheels keep on turnin’.

Why I’m doing what I’m doing – November 2024.

Morning Glory - Oasis

What’s the story, morning glory

Starting a Change – November 2024. (Paid).

Changes – David Bowie

What to do in your first 100 days – December 2024. (Paid).

The Spirit of Radio – Rush

The philosophy of Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) – December 2024.

Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

Motivation to get on and do – January 2025.

Hello

Hello, hello it’s good to be back.

Making your change stick – January 2025. (Paid).

5-4-3-2-1 - Manfred Mann

Hit your rhythm stick, habits are forming – January 2025. (Paid).

Communication Breakdown – Led Zeppelin

Clarity is vital in solving problems – April 2025.

Blinded by the light - Manfred Mann’s earth band

If you’re not making much progress... just do it – May 2025.

747 (Strangers in the Night) – Saxon

747 coming down in the night.

Doing the right things. Value not vanity – June 2025.

Limelight – Rush

All the world’s indeed a stage

High performance – less is more – June 2025. (Paid).

Under Pressure - Queen / David Bowie.

Don’t be under pressure. Overcome your FOMO – August 2025.

Samba Pa Ti – Santana

Lessons in Listening – September 2025.

Who Let The Dogs Out – Baha Men

Motivation needs habits, reminders & a pat on the back – October 2025.

Money, Money, Money – Abba

Budgeting is not prioritisation – November 2025.

Walking on sunshine – Katrina and the Waves

Help! - The Beatles

I’m a believer – The Monkees

Road from nowhere – Talking Heads

More than words - Extreme

Songs in the key of Change – December 2025

🗝️ Recap and reflective thoughts.

Here’s a recap of some key things to perhaps reflect upon.

Music...

🎶 👉 We all learn in different ways

🎹 👉 It doesn’t matter how, only that you do remember

🎤 👉 Music releases feel good chemicals (the science bit).

🗝️ 👉 Earworms can help you remember stuff.

What was in the last post?

You can find it free here:

Advice for the young at heart #4.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

There is an upgrade option – it’s your call. Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years³ of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Many is free, some paywalled.

Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

Solve challenges, choose wisely. Improve confidence, resilience. Save you stress, time & money. Turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

Subscribe now

Info & Resources

Change is constant – In case you missed… is headlines of our advice, insight & perspective of posts & notes, linked to the full content.

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

There is an upgrade option – it’s your call. Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years¹ of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Many are free, some paywalled.

Back copies> Change is Constant. Or Subscribe & don’t miss out. We aim to publish once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Change is Constant in Q1 26.

Change is Constant Q1 26 published 4 main column posts:

Created by a human using Substack image generator

Advice for the young at heart #1

Advice for the young at heart #2

Advice for the young at heart #3

Advice for the young at heart #4.

Created by a human using Canva.

And quite a few notes. Here’s some of them:

House looks naked (Change takes time)

Suddenly I wasn’t the writer anymore, I was the listener (Thanks )

Clarity is Clarity.

3 answers to any question note 1 (there were 5*3 answers... in total)

Inspiration is a dear old friend (Thanks )

Inspiration strikes every day at 9am.

99 Ballons... and rising (briefly CiC was in Substacks top rising in business 100 – thanks all)

Songwriter circle (cos it’s a great initiative – thanks )

AI What is it good for #1 (there were 4*AI what is it good for. in total)

Clarity, you can be clear that you don’t know

Do you have IPR? (there were 4 of – we’re all different - that week)

One of my top advisory principles (Pace and Momentum – thanks )

Never make a plan 1 (there will be 4 of these, only 2 before the Q end though.

Advice for the young at heart #1

👀 Do you have a plan but know something’s not quite working?

Fact. Plans are notoriously hard to keep to.

Advice for the young at heart #2

👀 Are you a procrastinator?

Yup, me too. So, this is defo “note to self”.

Advice for the young at heart #3

It’s about getting comfortable with,

👉 What does DOING mean.

🗣️ You what?

Advice for the young at heart #4.

This is for those who are bumbling along without a care in the world 😂.

👀 If that’s you, and you’re OK with it. Then I’m fine too. Genuinely.

But if you are trying to do a little more than bumble along, say you are trying to get from a to b, but you’re procrastinating, struggling or at a full stop. Then, IMHO (& Stephen Fry’s) you really should,

👉 Know the plot.

What other notes were there?

There were several more. Here is a link to all my notes. Scroll to see what grabs you. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

If you like Change is Constant:

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

Subscribe now

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

This is for those who are bumbling along without a care in the world 😂.

👀 If that’s you, and you’re OK with it. Then I’m fine too. Genuinely.

But if you are trying to do a little more than bumble along, say you are trying to get from a to b, but you’re procrastinating, struggling or at a full stop. Then, IMHO (& Stephen Fry’s) you really should,

👉 Know the plot.

This Advice for the young at heart series, has been inspired by Stephen Fry’s “Words, words, words” article / speech. #3 ended saying I’d got one more point, of his, to cover.

For clarity, and because these days we all seem to have the attention span of a gnat; his remaining point was:

👉 Know the plot.

That’s what, Advice for the young at heart #4, focuses on.

Though the Re-cap also has a 10k feet summary of key points in #1-3.

✅ Change is Constant: Is Notes 2 (my younger) Self. From 60+ years¹ personal / work change know-how. Mindset aide-memoires, guides & tips.

Solve challenges, choose wisely. Improve confidence, resilience. Save you stress, time & money. Turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

🗣️ OK. So how do I know my plot?

Answer #1. Know my plot.

I could dryly say – know your plot by determining the start points. Then develop to the intended conclusion, by asking yourself questions / making decisions about it, at various points along the way.

But, aside from that being a tad dry / using too many big words 😂.

👀 No two people are exactly alike. We all learn in different ways. Some of us are more visual, some like to hear, some prefer to read, and some engage from the touch and feel of stuff.

If we all learn using different techniques, then it stands to reason that the same is true for remembering how to do things, once we’ve learnt them.

So, across my various articles I try to incorporate different ways of conveying the same things. Hopefully somewhere along the way one or other will resonate with you. It doesn’t matter how you remember to do things, just that you’ve found a way to do so.

I hope you find an aide-memoire or an ear worm that works for you.

Here’s perhaps a more helpful way 🤔.

Answer #2. Know my (& more about) plot.

Maybe remember:

“I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew).

Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.”

Rudyard Kipling’s - Just so story - The Elephant Child poem.

Then - Apply it.

e.g.

What am I trying to do? Offer tips that might’ve helped my younger self.

Why am I trying to do that? It’s part of me giving something back.

When am I trying to do it? Loosely monthly for ’26. Tho 👀 I’ve retired, there’s no deadline for me, but loosely sort of happens, honest 😂.

How am I trying to do it? By writing shortish posts focusing on one main item and maybe if I can, add a little humour too.

And so on.

PS - It doesn’t matter whatsoever that you can’t remember exactly what the order of the questions are in Rudyard’s poem. I rarely do.

But the phrase I keep six honest serving men has stuck with me over the years, and I know it means asking... what, why, how and so on.

Maybe it’ll stick with you too.

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want 🤔.

This is for you in your personal or work lives.

Know the plot.

What is a plot?

FYI, I don’t just subscribe to stuff about Change. Aside from following other interests, I also engage with other writers, like , and . Partly for, advice about how to solve writing problems, how to get stuff done here on Substack and, cos their columns and other output are great. Why not check them out? (PS John has a new column about practical help with AI - which looks good too).

I imagine that if you chatted with them about plot issues or procrastination, they’d say things like - go back to basics, focus on the Character (s) / Situations.

And as your story, your plot unfolds, then write by encompassing these things, in greater or lesser detail accordingly.

In regards any guides / insight here to help people overcome challenges, 👀 exact definitions aren’t my thing, read between any generalisation.

I do subscribe to the view that each disciplines’ words may be different, but the good practice message is often much the same.

Maybe, for a writer, your plot, high-level summary, might be…

A main character, at a certain stage of life who is making a journey from a to b. They have always wanted to go to b. Their story is about what challenges happen along the way to b. Once they get to b the story ends.

Why stop there? Well because that, as they say, is another story 😉😂.

And that could simply be the plot.

🗣️ Is it really that simple.

Umm – Yes... No 🤔!

Read on a bit later 👇.

What might our plot be, applying this to our personal or work lives?

I’m retired, too heavy, grandchildren are on the way. I want to be able to have the energy / fitness to at least try and keep up.

Or in a business scenario,

Customer numbers are falling. Competitors are eating our lunch. We need to grow customers or costs must be cut.

These sorts of things might be familiar. Apply your examples / challenges as it suits.

What does know the plot mean?

Say our writers plot is a high-level idea like going from a to b above. To know the plot, you do need a something to start with. Ideas are fine

Across disciplines, personal and/or work - It’s exactly the same.

You need a something to start with E.g. I’m too heavy... Customer numbers are down.

But the words YOU use might be different. Idea might be a challenge, a problem. Plot could well be your Plan. In your words.

For me as I’ve said above, the specific word definition isn’t overly important. Use what works, for you.

👀 Keeping things simple, usually helps success chances ✅.

👉 But... Note 2 Self.

Ask yourself how many films (particularly, of a book) have you seen, that leave you feeling a little underwhelmed or confused at the end.

IMHO significant reasons for that are they carried away with the flow and/or forget to focus on the key plot considerations, premise, purpose, principles.

👀 There’s devil in the detail too 😈.

Knowing the plot means

👉 Keep it simple, to enable you to start.

👉 Develop it to know as much as you can, to continue

👉 Keep principles / goals / purpose close, to stop distraction & end well.

So, we know our plot needs a bit more than above don’t we 😉.

🗣️ How do we flesh out that initial idea? Sounds hard.

👀 You can make it hard for yourself.

Which in my experience often leads to procrastination, which is one key thing we’re trying to help solve here.

👉 You don’t need to. It doesn’t need to be that hard.

You do need to find ways which help you to get on with it though.

Which is what these “Advice for...” posts are all about ✅.

The 3 things that matter for a plot.

The Start. The Journey. The End.

Simples 👍.

The Start.

Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start. (thanks Rogers and Hammerstein).

How does our writer start fleshing out their plot.

Initially they could start by asking questions like what traits does my character have. Why do they have them? Did something happen in their childhood that influenced them?

When do / don’t they adhere to them? How do they manifest, under what circumstances, situations?

And perhaps some placeholders - Where might that happen along the plot timeline, and so on.

These sorts of plot questions inform your plot starting points.

Know the plot, means know the start points.

(What feels like “my fighting weight”? Why are our customers leaving?)

The Journey.

👉 It’s important that you know your start points.

If you don’t know where you are starting from, how can you possibly know which way you are going to go to get there?

Remember “I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew).

Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.” Rudyard Kipling’s - Just so story - The Elephant Child poem.

👉 It’s important that you develop your plot (your plan if you prefer).

100% you should develop it to know as much as you can, to continue. But equally it’s 100% fine if you don’t yet know all the plot details.

Just remember to keep your plot (plan) principles etc. nearby to help keep you on track.

Let me just explain that another way. Our writer’s story (plot) is about,

A main character, at a certain stage of life who is making a journey from a to b. They have always wanted to go to b. Their story is about what challenges happen along the way to b. Once they get to b, the story ends.

What stage of life is the main character at? Where do they live / want to get to? Why? When? Our author notes 2 self, I’ve just retired so,

Maybe my character is retired. And I’ve been a city boy, always lived in the East, never been to the West. But I also want to see this great country, experience what it has to offer, maybe meet some interesting people along the way. I’m not in any rush.

So, he decides his character would just jump on a bus (Coach / Greyhound etc.) and simply go to the first place that’s west of where he is and arrive before sundown.

So, no need to know whatever the next stop is right now, nor when or where exactly, to arrive in the West. But seeing a lot, having some experiences and meeting some folk is all part of the premise / purpose.

Which implies some more questions along the way. And it also suggests that every now and again one should check how things are getting along, compared with aims.

(🗣️ Hmmm Note 2 Self... in regards this article 😂)

Rudyard’s questions could really help you know more about your plot start points and journey considerations. There are other questions. 😂

If is a good one. But that’s a different Rudyard poem.

If you don’t know where you are starting from, how can you possibly know which route(s) you should consider / take.

Tho… you could just bumble along 😉😂.

Know the plot, means know the journey (well, enough of).

The End.

The end is, well, the end, the finish. You’ve written about what you wanted to. You’ve done what you said you’d do. You’ve reached your goal, achieved your outcomes. Hurrah, well done.

Though the end, may differ slightly, based on who you are.

How do you know - What is the end.

👉 If you’re an author, maybe you really want to make sure everything is right. Because you don’t like loose ends 😂.

If that’s you that’s fine. You are you. No-one else.

👉 If you’re trying to lose weight, maybe you’ll reach your goal, but it’ll be too hard to keep up the discipline for ever. If you keep enough weight off though, who cares, bank the win.

👉 If your customer base is under attack, but you’ve worked out how to retain sufficient profitable customers, maybe that’s good enough for now.

Whichever of these you may be. Don’t beat yourself up. That’s just who you are.

You don’t need to be someone else. Tho it is important to,

Know oneself.

Knowing you, your own personality, typical behaviours (good / or not) or understanding the culture of the organisation you work in, is how one is.

How one is, how one typically behaves, in situations (normal or stressed) is a huge influence on if and how well something will be done.

Don’t beat yourself up.

You don’t necessarily need to change (unless that’s the desire).

Understand though you’ll likely need to work with what you have, so know how you’d keep yourself on track, and know what the end, what success looks like for you.

🗝️ Recap thoughts.

Here’s a few key things to perhaps reflect upon across Advice for the young at heart #’s 1-4.They are all about - struggling with something. e.g. Do you have a plan but know something is not quite working? Perhaps you find you sidetracked a lot. Maybe you’re a procrastinator.

#1 - Plans are just plans. They can change. Don’t beat yourself up if / when they do. Things move on. Life feels different. Change happens. Telling yourself off is, demotivating. Doing something is way better than doing nothing.

#2 - Just do it. Keep on running. If you’re a writer, Just WRITE! Then WRITE some more. Writing can solve a writing problem. If you’re a painter, paint. Musician, listen to / play music. Project leader, check your progress with a critical friend colleague, hold a workshop. Etc.

#3 - Doing is doing. Don’t make it too hard on yourself. Writing (Doing) happens in the unconscious. We might not be writing / developing / building, but that doesn’t mean we’re not working on our story / project / creation by thinking, planning or preparing.

#4 - Know the plot. Find the balance between keeping stuff simple and recognising the devil in the detail. Remember your questions about the start, journey and end. You don’t need to make it that hard.

Know yourself. Don’t beat yourself up.

Which nicely brings us back to the start. There 👀, perhaps I’ve also followed what some say is great audience presentation technique 😂.

Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them, you’ve told them.

Related post. Two sides to a story.

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great! Or Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out 👇.

Subscribe now

What’s on the cards for next time?

Advice for the young at heart?

This is not the end. But it is an end *.

Because next time I’m going to start telling you the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

And what’s behind that, spoiler alert, is knowing what I want to do, developing it as I go along, with an end in mind, at some point.

So that I can better fulfil my main reasons for doing Change is Constant, keeping my little grey brain cells going, giving something back.

And a lot of that will probably take the form of:

Notes 2 (my younger) Self

Which I suppose is another way of saying:

Advice for the young at heart.

Is there a topic that would help you? Please let me know, Reply by email, DM me. Comment 👇 however is easiest for you.

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

(* Thanks to Robert Jordan, Wheel of time – “This is not the beginning, but it is a beginning” for the idea.)

Now that is a great story.

What was in the last post?

The last free post was:

Advice for the young at heart #3

The last paid post was:

Mindset vs toolset.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more notes that posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

There is an upgrade option – it’s your call. Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years² of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Much is free, some paywalled.

Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

¹ 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

² 40 years – how long I worked.

In Advice... #1, I wrote about where I thought I was in Jan 25 with my Change is Constant content plan for business, careers & personal Change.

Within #1, a Note 2 Self, posed 👉 this question & offered a 10k feet answer:

👉 Do you have a plan but know something’s not quite working?

👉 Plans are just plans. They can and do change.

I noted #2 would talk about Stephen Fry’s “Words, words, words”, article which resonated with me, and I felt everyone should read what he said.

# 2 duly followed posing 👉 this question & with 10k feet answers:

👀 Are you a procrastinator?

🗣️ You said you were going to do it. So, get on with it, get it done.

👉 Just WRITE! Then WRITE some more.

Stephen’s post was about how he overcomes his own procrastination:

👉 Writing, can solve a writing problem.

#3 is another take on a further thing Stephen said that might help you stop procrastinating. [CiC Ed - only if you do something with it though. 🤔]

🗣️ Umm sorry, what? 😂

👇 Read on 👇.

(Links to Advice...#1 / #2 are below, for more detail / to recap).

✅ Change is Constant: Notes 2 (my younger) Self. 60 years¹ personal / work change know-how. Help, to choose wisely, grow confidence & resilience, reduce stress, save time & money, solve challenges, turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

Subscribe now

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

It’s about getting comfortable with,

👉 What does DOING mean.

🗣️ You what?

OK let’s try another way.

What does ‘working on’, your story / project / creation cover?

🗣️ Umm sorry, what? 😂

OK last time.

When we say we are working... what stuff does work include.

Does it only mean slaving away - at the keyboard writing, editing – developing code – spinning the pottery wheel - constantly attending meetings - and so on.

Or,

Can DOING also mean other things?

This is for you in your personal or work lives.

👉 Doing is doing.

Keep it simple. No need to over complicate.

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want 🤔.

Here’s a couple of “doing” quotes I rather like.

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible”. Francis of Assisi.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”. Theodore Roosevelt.

Like I said

👉 Doing is doing.

Don’t make it too hard on yourself.

Writing (also) happens in the unconscious.

Many years ago, I was invited to do a talk about Project Recovery. I’d developed a bit of a reputation for turning around failing initiatives.

Lots of people came, trying to learn about the secret sauce needed if ever their project looked like going south. (Spoiler alert – no such thing as secret sauce, just know-how and good practice).

They included colleagues that I’d just helped recover a project that had been going for 4 years and had failed to go live twice before I joined. (Took me/us 15 months but we did it, first time).

Anyway, during said talk, I mentioned that there’s an old leadership adage that says, as a leader you should spend 20% of your time planning, 60% doing and the remaining 20% thinking.

Another way of putting this, is to ensure you find time to,

Work ON the Business, not just work IN the business.

Whatever your business is. Don’t just row the boat.

Think how “will it make the boat go faster”. Ben Hunt- Davis / Harriet Beveridge (often cited to Daniel Pink too). Or that, you may need a bigger boat (🦈 😂).

Sometimes personally to work on yourself, it’s simpler to ask “why shouldn’t I take a lunch break… or get the shopping delivered once in a while”. This is time you already do use; it’s not suggesting you need to get up earlier to do more.

Back to the talk. One old colleague came up to me afterwards and said,

You didn’t tell me I was allowed to think 😂.

Anyway, aside from a bit of fun with insight, that’s merely a segway to Stephen’s point.

Writing happens in the unconscious.

Let me ask you this.

How often have you gone to sleep, seemingly with an unresolved problem you’ve been wrestling with, and the following day, you wake up and suddenly everything slots into place.

I can see clearly now the rain has gone 🎶. (Johhny Nash)

Well, yup I do all the time.

And now in my dotage, perhaps partly as a way of boxing off stuff off that’s bothering me, or putting side discussions my wife and I can’t seem to resolved, I say:

Let’s sleep on it 👌.

Things will seem different in the morning.

And they usually do.

I’ve no idea what the science is, I just know that my brain will sort it out. Somehow. When I’m asleep. When I’m in an ‘unconscious’ state (well not exactly unconscious but you know what I mean).

Writing happens in the unconscious.

What was Stephen saying?

IMHO he was saying that there are - things going on 🎶, (Lynyrd Skynyrd), even when we don’t know or realise it.

And whilst we’re at it, it’s kinda the same thing with the 20% thinking time above.

We might not be writing / developing / building, but that doesn’t mean we’re not working on our story / project / creation by thinking, planning or preparing.

How can I stop procrastinating?

Well, if only it was a simple as recognising and believing in,

Writing happens in the unconscious.

That would be too easy 😂.

But it’s not that hard either.

Remember I noted: [CiC Ed - only if you do something with it though. 🤔]

Here’s what I mean.

Yes, writing does happen in the unconscious, but it’s only of use if you,

Form a habit to do something with it.

Maybe that’s doing something that’s possible, even if it’s not strictly necessary. Or maybe it’s doing something simply, not simply doing nothing.

👀 There is no one size fix all for unblocking oneself or recognising that you are procrastinating and doing something about it.

You should do what works for you, to stop procrastinating.

You know you got a brilliant mind 🎶, are lyrics from the hit “Brilliant Mind” by Furniture. I’m using them to remind us that our minds are fantastic things.

But just like many things, they benefit from being helped. E.g.

“Inspiration strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” (when I sit down to write). W Somerset Maugham.

👉 The pen may well be mightier than the sword.

👉 But actions do speak louder than words.

So just like Somerset Maugham, maybe you could make some notes of what your beautiful mind has just come up with, the things going on in it, as you’re waking up.

👉 Form the habit. Keep a pad / pen by your bed. Dictate a note on your phone. (I find this works best if my wife isn’t still asleep next to me 😂).

It does not have to be war and peace.

But it is helpful if you write / say it in such a way that helps future you know what you were thinking at the time. Maybe add some context too.

And finally, don’t just leave those notes spread out all over the table, stuffed in various pockets, as stickies on your screen or buried in how ever many notes app’s you use. C’mon you know all this is true 😂.

👉 Diarise some time, form another habit, to review those notes, a few days or a week or two in the future.

👉 Read them. Amend them. Consider if they are still relevant. Delete them / chuck them in the bin if not. Plan how / when you’re going to use them.

There’s a reason why many successful businesses / departments have a – start the week review. Or Project leaders who insist on a – 15-minute stand up – at the start of every day.

These reviews, if done well, essentially encourage (force 😀) attendees to think about what they need to get across, in a clear and succinct way ✅.

Which means attendees should prepare for them. FYI, the 5P’s quote:

“Proper Planning / Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”. James Baker.

If you write down the things going on in your beautiful mind, then treat yourself with some respect and come back later to edit what’s there... maybe you’ll get idea clarity, the next step, and help yourself stop procrastinating.

👉 Doing is doing.

Don’t make it too hard on yourself.

🗝️ Recap thoughts.

Here’s a few key things to perhaps reflect upon.

👉 Procrastination is the thief of time.

👉 The pen is mighty.

👉 Actions speak louder than words.

👉 You have a brilliant mind.

And if you tell yourself that your brain is an App, maybe you’ll use it 😂.

Writing does happen in the unconscious.

Form a habit to do something with it.

Subscribe now

What’s on the cards for next time?

I was going to end this series here, but there was one more point that Stephen raised which I’d like to cover next time.

Then, I’m going to stop procrastinating and start the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026. Probably 🤣.

Is there a topic that would help you? Please let me know, Reply by email, DM me. Comment 👇 however is easiest for you.

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

What was in the last post?

The last free post was:

Advice for the young at heart #2

The first post in this series was:

Advice for the young at heart

The last paid post was:

Mindset vs toolset.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more notes that posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great!

Or 👉 Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out.

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years² of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Many are free, some are paywalled.

If you’d like a paid subscription, there is an upgrade option. Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I often / typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

¹ 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

² 40 years – how long I worked.

Just do it. Keep on running 🎶.

Last time I told you about where I was 12 months or so ago with stuff, I wanted to write about within Change is Constant. Being Change stuff about business, career development and personal growth.

There’s a link to Advice for the young at heart 🎶 #1 below to recap.

The 10k feet summary of #1 was,

Plans are just plans. They can change.

In more detail I went on to write,

Planning to do something, starting, getting sidetracked. Doing something but also doing something that in my heart or hearts I knew wasn’t quite working.

That’s exactly happened 😏.

Which, as I said, was ironic, as my first 2 posts of 2025

Hello it’s good to be back (FYI -this post is now paywalled) and Start me up were all about finding ways to solve these sorts of issues.

How to keep your new year’s goals on track.

How to make progress when something is blocked.

Start me up though, was some overview words from me about people wanting some inspiration / motivation to get on and do, but really was an excuse to link out to the fabulous legend that is Stephen Fry.

Sadly, the link in – Start me up - to his original Substack post (Words, words, words) now appears to be broken. Maybe he’s left here. Google may work, if you try hard enough. I couldn’t find it though.

But failing that, don’t fret cos,

I ended #1 by saying –

👉 Next time I’ll tell you a little more about Stephen’s post.

That may get as far as telling you the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

So that I can better fulfil my main reason for doing Change is Constant, keeping my little grey brain cells going.

So, in breaking the habit of my personal lifetime, being procrastination and generally not following a plan or habit-based routines 😂, that’s exactly what this post, Advice for the young at heart 🎶 #2 is.

I’ve followed my plan. This post is:

👉 A little more of the insight in Stephen’s words. IMHO.

Just for clarity, somehow in my work I was, certainly in the latter 20 odd years, seemingly quite capable of delivering to plan, following proven processes and getting the job done. That’s what people said anyway.

And while I think of it, maybe that’s another way for me to articulate,

... the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

What I’m trying to offer here in Change is Constant. Maybe there’s something in - Proven practical advice that works both in one’s work and personal life.

🤫 Hmmm – note to self. Now, how can I incorporate that into the following. And keep it short and succinct.

Not today’s problem. Next time, maybe. I’m not procrastinating, honest!

✅ Change is Constant: 60 years¹ personal & work change know-how my younger self might’ve liked to know. Help to choose wisely, grow confidence & resilience, reduce stress, save time & money, solve challenges, turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

👀 Are you a procrastinator?

Yup, me too. So, this is defo “note to self”.

This is for you in your personal or work lives.

In this article my examples focus on writers (plus other creatives).

With a little imagination / interpretation this can apply to many personal / work progress issues you may be struggling with. Not just creatives ones.

Procrastination.

Definition.

According to Google AI overview,

Procrastination is the irrational and unnecessary act of delaying or postponing tasks you intend to do, despite knowing it will likely lead to negative consequences, often choosing a more enjoyable activity instead.

Reasons

According to Google AI overview,

It stems from a self-regulation failure where short-term mood repair (avoiding stress, fear) overrides long-term goals. It’s not laziness but a complex emotional regulation problem involving guilt, anxiety, and perfectionism, rather than just poor time management.

Way too many big words for me.

Just do it. Keep on running.

Now I’ve subtitled this post deliberately and simply. Because keeping it as simple as I can. In combining these two phrases I am saying to you.

👉 Just WRITE! Then WRITE some more.

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want 🤔.

Why do I procrastinate?

I don’t know. I just do.

And I’m pretty damn good at it.

Without even trying 😂.

Now I’m not saying that you don’t necessarily need to understand why one procrastinates in order to do something about one’s procrastination.

But this article isn’t about that understanding. It’s simply, about doing.

Just do it. Get on with it. Keep doing it. Keep on running.

How can I stop procrastinating?

Just do it (do Google it). Is a reference to a great motivational speech by Art Williams. One of my favourites, my buddy Gethyn Ellis put me onto it.

Keep on running. Is a song written and first recorded by Jackie Edwards, but The Spencer Davis Group made it a big hit. It’s essentially encouragement to keep moving.

👀 There is no one size fits all solution for unblocking oneself or recognising that you are procrastinating and doing something about it.

You should do what works for you.

Maybe Art Williams’s speech or The Spencer Davis Group will do it for you. If not, find a speech, podcast or piece of music that lifts you up, inspires you to start.

Getting back on topic to writing as a solution to procrastination and trying to be a little more encouraging than the 10k feet summary 😂.

Writing can solve a writing problem.

I’ll say that again.

👉 Writing, can solve a writing problem. (Thanks Stephen Fry).

Stephen’s preamble basically said that he’d previously decided (i.e. he’d planned) to write something new to meet a deadline he’d agreed to.

But, in short, like me, maybe like you, he’d been putting off getting down to doing the actual writing.

Stephen Fry had been procrastinating.

He knew he was doing it. He knew the deadline was approaching. Yet for whatever reason, he wasn’t writing what he knew he needed to write.

Sound familiar?

It did to me.

Let’s cut to the case. How did the great Stephen Fry solve his problem. How did he unblock, stop procrastinating, sort himself out?

That’s what we all want to know at the end of the day isn’t it?

Well, one day, he just opened his laptop and if I recall, started writing, by writing about the problem. Words that said he was finding it difficult to know what to say.

Which, duh! He then realised was writing!

And with this recognition, he was starting to unblock.

One reason why Stephen’s words resonated, was the crossover into my old professional world.

Change.

👉 Before one can change, you must recognise that there is a problem.

👉 And then, one must take responsibility for it. One must own the problem.

👉 No-one else will do it for you.

🗝️ Recap thoughts.

Here’s a few key things to perhaps reflect upon.

If you’re struggling with something. There’s a lot to be said for the saying – a problem shared is a problem halved.

And if you’re not able to find someone to share your writing challenge with, then you can share it with yourself, can’t you! You can WRITE things down for yourself.

If you’re a writer who is procrastinating, struggling to make progress. Write something. Anything. See what happens.

Paint, if you’re an artist. Play / Listen to music if you’re a musician etc.

You might well be pleased with where that leads you.

👉 Recognise the need to change and own it.

👉 But there is no one size fits all.

👉 Do whatever works for you.

Subscribe now

Related post. Two sides to a story.

What’s on the cards for next time?

🗣️ We all know things are easier said than done, right?

There are other ways that might complement and make it a little easier for you to unblock your problem, stop procrastinating. Stephen covered two more in his article. I’ll get to those and how they link with Change next time.

After that I’ll probably start telling you the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

So that I can better fulfil my main reason for doing Change is Constant, keeping my little grey brain cells going.

I’ll get there eventually. Might take a little longer that’s all. I think it’s worth doing.

Do you👇.

It’s not procrastination, honest 🤣.

Is there a topic that would help you? Please let me know, Reply by email, DM me. Comment 👇 however is easiest for you.

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

What was in the last post?

The last free post was:

Advice for the young at heart

The last paid post was:

Mindset vs toolset.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more notes that posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great!

Or 👉 Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out.

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years² of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Many are free, some are paywalled.

If you’d like a paid subscription, there is an upgrade option. Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

¹ 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

² 40 years – how long I worked.

Don’t beat yourself up.

12 months ago, I started trying to write about the things that I thought I wanted to write about within Change is Constant. Change stuff about business, career development and personal growth.

It was part of my retirement plan to keep my little grey brain cells going. I’d told myself I wanted to do it.

Keeping my brain going wasn’t the only reason I started this and there were other things on my to-do / enjoy list too.

12 months on, I am continuing to try to write about the things that I thought wanted to write about here.

That doesn’t mean I am doing it the same way. Or that the things are the same things I meant to write about 12 months ago.

It also doesn’t mean that my reasons for writing are (exactly) the same.

Life moves on. Things feel different. Change is Constant. Consequently,

Plans are just plans. They can change.

Don’t beat yourself up if / when they do.

👉 Frankly, yes you should start as you mean to go on but your plans probably should change as you learn / develop more ✅.

✅ Change is Constant: 60 years¹ personal & work change know-how my younger self might’ve liked to know. Help to choose wisely, grow confidence & resilience, reduce stress, save time & money, solve challenges, turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

👀 Do you have a plan but know something’s not quite working?

This is for you in your personal or work lives.

Fact. Plans are notoriously hard to keep to.

Why?

An Army general once said: “No Plan survives conflict with the enemy”.

Different words meaning the same as the enemy can been used. For example, financial advisors or corporate strategists might say... no plan survives conflict with “the market”.

In Change / Projects we’d say something like, the plan is out of date as soon as it hits the paper it’s written on.

All seem to get the point across, so why would I change a good thing 😂. But before I put my spin, let me ask you this little riddle.

Near a tree by a river, there’s a hole in the ground, where and old man of Aran goes around and around. Sorry Nik Kershaw 🎶 wrong riddle.

Riddle: What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?

Want a clue?

Do you know with utter certainty what’s always going to happen next. No? Same as the rest of us then. Which brings me to this riddle’s answer:

Answer: The future

If your plan is not quite working, That’s 100% OK. Things move on. Life feels different. Change happens. You do not need to beat yourself down. The future is not certain. Perhaps learn to just roll with it 🎶.

Plans are just plans. They can and do change.

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want 🤔.

What was my plan?

Change is Constant was set up on Substack in August 2024. I published my first post (Change is Constant begins) in September just before my retirement trip of a lifetime to Boston, Toronto and Maine.

Back then I said:

I’ve recently set up a Substack to share, over time: Insight, opinion & tips from c40 years² of my practical know-how from Change to Transformation.

It’s all very new. But you must start somewhere, right? And in the words of Art Williams... Just do it!

Between then and Xmas my aim was simply to learn a bit about Substack publishing, try a few things out and develop my content ideas a bit more. Which I thought I did, so I went to the next stage.

Perhaps it’s worth re-iterating that my career has been mostly about Change. Change is something I know about.

60 years¹ practical know-how, Change 2 Transformation. With 1000’s of people, 100’s of organisations, I’ve won the odd award and may even have some wisdom to offer 🤔.

Which is loosely what I thought I was trying to do. Offer / Impart some wisdom. Give something back about business change stuff, career development, personal growth.

Change is Constant was (is still) a new thing for me. But I consider myself a Change animal. I ought to be able to help myself, right? I ought to know how to get it done.

In summary, my change know-how told me that I knew my reasons for doing it, my subject, how to communicate. I didn’t know about Substack, nor, as I’d just retired, how this and other things fitted my bandwidth.

What was planned next?

For 2025 my plan was to “do it properly”.

Which meant, my plan was to make a plan and follow it.

“A plan is only as good as those who see it through.“ Anonymous.

As with anything that has multiple moving parts my plan would contain several aspects, or workstreams, to use the work term.

The more you break things down, the easier it becomes right?

For example, one aspect was to plan out how often / when I’d publish. Another part was mapping out topics I wanted to write about (others incl. who I could learn from / collaborate with, to be paid or not to be etc.).

🗣️ But we all know things are easier said than done, right?

12 months ago, January 2025, I started trying to write “more properly” about the things that I thought wanted to write about here.

What happened then?

How did things go, change, develop? Did other stuff happen?

I’d decided to do 1-2 (max) columns a month, scheduled to publish on Wednesday’s loosely around 5pm GMT.

Originally I’d intended to publish “Hello it’s good to be back” as my start the new year post. (FYI -this post is now paywalled).

But me being me, I didn’t. I liked something else and did that instead 😏. That was “Start me up”.

This new start the year post was aimed at anyone wanting inspiration / motivation to get on and do. Partly as inspiration / motivation are valid Change topics. But mostly as the great Stephen Fry had written, “Words, words, words”, which resonated with me, and I felt everyone should read what he said. So, I shamelessly linked to it.

Let’s be honest, Stephen is a much, much, much (I could add a few more 😂) better writer than I will ever be. Still one can always dream and can probably improve 🤞. Sadly, the link in – Start me up - to his original Substack post now appears to be broken. Google may work.

And that in a nutshell is pretty much how the rest of 2025 panned out.

Planning to do something, starting, getting sidetracked. Doing something but also doing something that in my heart or hearts I knew wasn’t quite working.

Which is ironic really.

As Hello it’s good to be back and Start me up are both about solving these sorts of issues.

How to keep your new year’s goals on track.

How to make progress when something is blocked.

👀 Do you have a plan but know something’s not quite working?

¹ 60 years (and counting) – how long I’ve been around.

² 40 years – how long I worked.

🗝️ Recap thoughts.

Here’s a few key things to perhaps reflect upon.

I felt I started in the right place, had the nous to do it properly. I knew I needed time / space to learn and develop. I knew I needed to keep myself on track. I knew there were things I didn’t know.

I knew I needed a content plan. But that never happened.

Every time I told myself I should have done one. I was just beating myself up. I was demotivating me!

I should have just done one. However good it turned out. Because something is (absolutely)better than nothing.

Subscribe now

What’s on the cards for next time?

Next time I’ll tell you a little more about Stephen’s post. That may get as far as telling you the story of how I’ve tried to sort out what, and how, I intend to do things differently here in 2026.

So that I can better fulfil my main reason for doing Change is Constant, keeping my little grey brain cells going.

✅ Change is Constant: 60 years¹ personal & work change know-how my younger self might’ve liked to know. Help to choose wisely, grow confidence & resilience, reduce stress, save time & money, solve challenges, turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Is there a topic that would help you? Please let me know, Reply by email, DM me. Comment 👇 however is easiest for you.

PS - Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I’ll take it on though 🤣!

What was in the last post?

The last free post was:

Budgeting is not prioritisation.

I did do Songs in the key of Change too. More for fun though.

The last paid post was:

Mindset vs toolset.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more notes that posts, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

If you like Change is Constant sharing, commenting, liking - is great!

Or 👉 Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out.

My approach:

Lots of free stuff. Published once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

Behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive ✅.

🤔 Maybe 🔜 My 40 years² of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates

For clarity. Many are free, some are paywalled.

If you’d like a paid subscription, there is an upgrade option. Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Categories / Keywords / Hashtags I typically use:

#career development #change #helping others #leadership #mindset #motivation #personal growth #positive vibes #thought for the day #little / quick tips #fun Friday #fun with insight

Posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web only, Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

Change is constant – In case you missed… is headlines of our advice, insight & perspective of posts & notes, linked to the full content.

Back copies> Change is Constant. Or Subscribe & don’t miss out. We aim to publish once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

👀 My approach:

✅ Lots of free stuff. Plus, some only behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive.

🔜 My 40 years of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates ✅.

🔜 Potentially a CiC community chat, 1:1 advice / insight / perspective 🤔.

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Subscribe now

Change is Constant in Q4 25.

Change is Constant Q4 25 published 4 main column posts:

Motivation - Who let the dogs out.

Mindset vs Toolset (Paid only)

Budgeting is not prioritisation.

Songs in the key of Change

And quite a few notes. Here’s some of them:

Wanna be starting something (Thanks )

It ain’t what you say... (Thanks )

If you mind is loud...

Strategically ruthless or tactically generous (Thanks )

If you don’t ask the right question (Thanks )

If your mind becomes a conscious process

How can this be (Thanks )

You don’t need a new life

What 3 words - note 3

Music can change the world

Motivation - Who let the dogs out.

👀 This is for anyone who wants to do something but isn’t finding it so easy to find the umph to get it done

Motivation needs habits, reminders and a pat on the back!

3 simple tips to help you help you.

Mindset vs Toolset (Paid only)

👀 This is for leaders or aspiring leaders who really want to be good / the best at what they do…

Mind over matter. You’re either in control or you’re not. Ignorance is not a defence.

Budgeting is not prioritisation.

👀 This is for anyone in a personal or business capacity who sets aside money for future spend.

A budget is a budget, not prioritisation, not a target, not even available cash. Why do we all think so?

Songs in the key of Change

👀 We each learn and remember how to do things in different ways.

Change is Constant’s Spotify playlist – unwrapped.

What other notes were there?

There were several more. Here is a link to all my notes. Scroll to see what grabs you. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

If you like Change is Constant and find things that help you to help you, subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great!

Hashtags I typically use:

#careerdevelopment #change #helpingothers #leadership #mindset #motivation #personalgrowth #positivevibes #thoughtfortheday #funfriday #funwithinsight

Music has been a rock in my life. My constant in a world of Change.

From walking on sunshine, to help when I’m feeling down. Old, new, borrowed or blues, I’m a believer. Music is food for my soul.

And if I’ve needed to know the road away from nowhere, music offers me so much more than words.

Songs in the key of Change are titles or lyrics used to date in Change is Constant.

I hope you can let it be a little help from your friends, to help you change your (mad) world 😀.

✅ Change is Constant: personal & work change thoughts for my “younger self to know”. Help to help you solve challenges, make the right choices, turn ideas into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

Songs in the key of Change.

Change is Constant’s Spotify playlist – unwrapped.

Songs in the key of Change – Change is Constant

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

Why do I try and make use of a music reference if I can?

Aside from the above, I strongly believe that,

IMHO it doesn’t matter how you remember, just that you do.

So, I often offer different ways of saying the same sorts of things.

Trying to find the tune that sings to you.

For those that prefer the science of how music helps, it’s along the lines of this (thanks google AI):

Music feels so good because it triggers a powerful response in the brain, releasing “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine that are associated with pleasure and reward. It also connects to emotions, memories, and social bonds, providing stress relief and a sense of comfort. Ultimately, the complex interplay of rhythm, melody, and personal experience creates a profound and often euphoric effect.

Too many big words for me 😂 but I’m glad the science backs up that I gotta feeling.

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Songs in the key of Change

Change is Constant’s Spotify playlist – unwrapped.

Songs in the key of Change – Change is Constant

The list below follows this convention:

Song / Artist

Why / When / Where used.

If I’ve used a lyric as the post hook, it’s in italics.

It’s currently just over an hour’s worth of music. If you decide to tune in. Mote will be added once I review Change is Constant notes.

Newsletter Posts

Welcome to the Jungle – Guns n Roses

About Change is Constant – updated May 2025.

The Times they are a changing - Bob Dylan

Introducing Change is Constant – October 2024.

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Big Wheels keep on turnin’.

Why I’m doing what I’m doing – November 2024.

Morning Glory - Oasis

What’s the story, morning glory

Starting a Change – November 2024. (Paid).

Changes – David Bowie

What to do in your first 100 days – December 2024. (Paid).

The Spirit of Radio – Rush

The philosophy of Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) – December 2024.

Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

Motivation to get on and do – January 2025.

Hello

Hello, hello it’s good to be back.

Making your change stick – January 2025. (Paid).

5-4-3-2-1 - Manfred Mann

Hit your rhythm stick, habits are forming – January 2025. (Paid).

Communication Breakdown – Led Zeppelin

Clarity is vital in solving problems – April 2025.

Blinded by the light - Manfred Mann’s earth band

If you’re not making much progress... just do it – May 2025.

747 (Strangers in the Night) – Saxon

747 coming down in the night.

Doing the right things. Value not vanity – June 2025.

Limelight – Rush

All the world’s indeed a stage

High performance – less is more – June 2025. (Paid).

Under Pressure - Queen / David Bowie.

Don’t be under pressure. Overcome your FOMO – August 2025.

Samba Pa Ti – Santana

Lessons in Listening – September 2025.

Who Let The Dogs Out – Baha Men

Motivation needs habits, reminders & a pat on the back – October 2025.

Money, Money, Money – Abba

Budgeting is not prioritisation – November 2025.

🗝️ Recap and reflective thoughts.

Here’s a recap of some key things to perhaps reflect upon.

Music...

🎶 👉 Can change the world... and people.

🎹 👉 Is food for the soul.

🎤 👉 Helps you when you’re down.

🗝️ 👉 Feels so good.

There are some posts where music doesn’t appear in the title and headlines. You can find all the newsletter posts here: Change is Constant

There are also lots of notes too. I’ve not yet listed where music appears in the notes, but you can always work your way through if you want. Link to notes is below.

What was in the last post?

You can find it free here:

Budgeting is not prioritisation. Money money money 🎶.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

If you like Change is Constant and find things that help you to help you subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great!

Back copies 👉 Change is Constant. (Some are paywalled, see approach).

Or 👉 Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out.

We aim to publish once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

👀 My approach: Help, to help you. Lots of free stuff. Here’s what’s only behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive.

👉 1:1 advice / insight / perspective (DM Substack only).

🔜 My 40 years of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates ✅.

🔜 Potentially a CiC community chat 🤔.

If you’d like a paid subscription, there is an upgrade option. Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Hashtags I typically use:

#careerdevelopment #change #helpingothers #leadership #mindset #motivation #personalgrowth #positivevibes #thoughtfortheday #tips&fun #funfriday #funwithinsight

These are how posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web version only, the Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

A budget is a budget. Just that. Nothing more.

I realise the majority of so-called budget holders (most of whom don’t really hold the budget strings btw) think it’s theirs to spend. Some budgets might well contain priority items. Many simply contain monies sufficient to keep the lights on. Which yes is a priority, just not in the sense I am meaning, see below.

If we are to move forwards as individuals, couples, teams and organisations... we really need to get our heads around this and change.

I think! Do you? 👇 (see ¹ near the end)

Change your mindset. Money matters.

✅ Change is Constant: personal & business improvement help, to help you, help you; solve challenges, make the right choices, turn ideas & visions into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

👀 This is for anyone in a personal or business capacity who sets aside money for future spend.

It could be your date nights, holidays, new gadgets, house refurbishment, your process improvement initiative or your business plan etc.

I’m not suggesting that keeping the lights on isn’t the most basic current & future spend priority. Of course it is. Monies should be properly set aside for that. (Budgeted 😉).

This is more about things that aren’t 100% essential.

OK, OK I know. Date night is 100% essential too. Happy wife = happy life and all that. You get my drift though hopefully 😉.

“The autumn” is that time of the year when many organisations do their annual budget setting. I’m not sure whether “the spring” or “the new year” would be similar for personal households, many do then I know. If and whenever you do so, this one’s for you.

Here’s an apt quote from the great Rabbie Burns.

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry“ Robert Burns

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want🤔.

created by a human using craiyon.com (IIRIC)

What is a budget?

Here’s one dictionary definition.

Yup I’m Ok with that ✅.

For clarity:

1. It’s an estimate.

2. It contains income and expenditure

3. It covers timeframe

And all of that is 100% fine.

But nowhere does it say:

You can spend it.

It will be available at that future point in time to spend.

You should / must spend it.

It meets enough / all of the right (& current) priorities.

Part of the clue here is that a budget, a proper one, includes income and expenditure.

Now we all know that:

👉 Cash flow is King.

🗣️ You do don’t you!

Seriously, money does NOT grow on trees. Borrowing from the future “may” only help shorter term¹. Your budget is an ESTIMATE of:

what income you will get AND when you will get it.

what expenditure you will make AND when you will make it.

By definition. IF you do not get the income in, in the timeframe you expect, there is (at least) a risk that you might well not have the cash to spend at the point at which you’d estimated you would spend it.

And IF there is a limited amount of cash available at any point then surely by definition there will always be priorities that need juggling?

Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, plans go awry.

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry“ Robert Burns (not exactly as originally written) means that no matter how carefully someone plans, unexpected things can go wrong, leading to a different outcome than intended.

Why do we “set” a budget

👉 Good question!

Your organisation probably goes through an annual budget setting process. Because it’s a sensible thing to do, isn’t it?

Yes, it probably is ✅.

Given where we are in the calendar year your organisation may well have just done so. Or more likely it’s still going on 😂.

Remember what the definition of a budget is?

You do, great.

So, a budget is “set” so that “one” can get an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time. (note there are no “” around the last set).

Many organisations (still) operate on an annual budget basis.

Why?

👉 Good question!

Well primarily because that’s how long the accounting rules allow for the various company / organisational reporting statements. 12 months!

That’s fine. There is value in getting your various financial statements correct. IF you’re a Director, it’s also your responsibility and you are accountable, legally.

Is 12 months the right amount of time to estimate income and expenditure?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Some organisations are more enlightened (IMHO) and operate on e.g. rolling 3-year ones.

I suspect that many individuals and couples in practice operate on a more limited timeframe. Perhaps 3-6 months if one’s in an OK place. Less if, sadly, things are much more hand to mouth.

Is a budget actually set?

👀 I’ve worked closely with many Finance Directors. They will all tell you that a budget is a budget. It is an estimate. They all know:

👉 It will change, based on how things actually pan out.

👉 None of them can predict the future.

Can you?

So, the term “set” is really a misnomer. Agreed or understood would be a better words.

Set means... set, fixed... in stone.

IMHO:

A budget should be “set” but should never be set.

Because:

👉 Plans (e.g. estimates) are just plans. They change.

What a budget isn’t.

👀 I’m sure you’re all getting my drift now. But let us expand, just a little more.

Does your budget really contain the right holistic priorities?

OK, it may be your individual department’s priorities. But be honest with yourself, did you really sit down and do that, or did you just look at last year and duly update the figures?

Surely at any one point in time, your organisation will need to focus more in one area than another? And so your area might need to have less one year than another. Or indeed more, relative to your previous budgets and other leaders budgets.

👉 How can an annual budgeting process possibly be a set of holistic strategic priorities for the organisation?

And for us as individuals, I’m just going to ask you all.

Do you understand the difference between need and want?

🗣️ ¿Que? (what) I hear you shout.

So, this is partly an excuse to offer up a little family joke.

Us – what would you like now?

Our kids (then) - “I need an ice cream”.

Us – “OK, but you mean you’d like (want) an ice cream”.

Cue – sceaming kids abdabs.... (no idea what an abdab is, not intending to offend anyone). I think it’s just a good old British peculiarity saying).

Wife (now) - what would you like now?

Me / kids (now – they are all men) – I need a beer (well then of course need and want are the same thing 😂).

If you can explain how budgeting can possibly be prioritisation. Please comment.

And with... a budget is not a target!

Does that really need any further explanation.

And yet most of us seek to spend that budget.

Why?

👉 Good question!

In work it could be that the organisational culture is - otherwise we know we won’t get the same money to spend next year.

👉 How can that possibly be the right thing to do ❓

At home... could it have something to do with our need vs want cultures?

👇

Leave a comment

Just a little bit on prioritisation?

What is prioritisation?

Here’s one dictionary definition.

To be fair, that doesn’t say... in a period of time.

But it should.

Priorities change.

No-one can predict the future.

I usually make the case that prioritisation is:

👉 Doing the right things.

And I stand by that.

What those right things are for you, I can’t tell you. Only you can know that. And if you don’t know, try a few things out in a small way. Test the water. Find out whether the things you think you might do, seem likely to make a difference to you.

Priorities are based on reasons. Your why, if you like.

I need to lose weight.

Why?

So, I can kick a football with my children.

We need to cut our costs.

Why?

So, we can spend the money we do have on the things that do matter to our customers, our employees and our society.

👉 Am I that far wrong? 👇

🗝️ Recap and reflective thoughts.

Here’s a recap of some key things to perhaps reflect upon.

A budget is a budget, not prioritisation, not a target, not even available cash.

🗝️ 👉 The best laid plans...

🗝️ 👉 A budget is a budget, just that.

🗝️ 👉 A budget should be “set” but not set.

🗝️ 👉 Prioritisation is doing the right things

¹ Yes, I know that all our respective governments and most businesses (at least at some point) take on debt, or gearing, as they call it. They do borrow from the future. And that is used to pay for things happening today.

FYI currently in the UK our government debt interest payments are running at around 11% of our government’s budget. Or put another way that’s around £50bn of debt servicing payments. Every year.

This is a cropped screen shot of what UK government shows to me of how my taxes are spent. Even if I’m not exactly right that it’s 11% of budget, it shows the point. Google says it’s £50bn, so that must be right 😉.

That’s a helluva lot of hospitals, schools... etc.

👉 Surely people are coming to realise that one simply can’t go on paying for our futures by ever expanding growth.

👉 Surely, we’ve learnt that we DO NOT have an infinite expanse of resources, land, food and so on.

👉 Somewhere we must find a better model.

I don’t know what that is.

BUT I do hope that if each of us just takes a little time to consider the implications of this article, we will hopefully at least use what we do have a little better and you never know we may just find some ideas to change our world for the good of all.

👉 That’s a nice thought to end with, I think.

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What’s on the cards for next time?

Change is Constant is about help, to help you, help you; solve challenges, make the right choices, turn ideas & visions into reality and make them work for you.

What would help, to help you, help you?

Please let me know. Reply to this email. DM me. Comment 👇 whatever way is easiest for you

👇 What would help you?

👇 What would you like me to talk about?

👇 What problems are you having with change that might benefit from some independent perspective?

Feedback is always welcome. Doesn’t mean I will take it on tho 🤣 !

What was in the last post?

You can find it free here:

Mindset vs toolset.

What other notes are there?

This is a link to my “notes”. You’re welcome to follow me / watch this space too. There are usually a few more of these than this column, but not too many to keep up with, I hope.

https://changeisconstant.substack.com/notes

Info & Resources

If you like Change is Constant and find things that help you to help you subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great!

Back copies 👉 Change is Constant. (Some are paywalled, see approach).

Or 👉 Subscribe & get email, don’t miss out.

We aim to publish once / twice p.m. You won’t be bombarded.

👀 My approach: Help, to help you, help you. Lots of free stuff. Here’s what’s only behind the paywall 👇.

👉 High value, paid only posts, plus full categorised archive.

👉 1:1 advice / insight / perspective (DM Substack only).

🔜 My 40 years of proven aide-mémoires, guides, templates ✅.

🔜 Potentially a CiC community chat 🤔.

If you’d like a paid subscription, there is an upgrade option. Also...

📕 My #1 best-seller book: Building a Data Driven Culture (Kindle UK & US.) Despite the title, is really about business & personal change. Maybe check it out? Toggle to paperback. Co-author Gethyn Ellis.

Hashtags I typically use:

#careerdevelopment #change #helpingothers #leadership #mindset #motivation #personalgrowth #positivevibes #thoughtfortheday #tips&fun #funfriday #funwithinsight

These are how posts are categorised on Change is Constant (web version only, the Susbtack app does not currently seem to show them).

Thanks for reading.

Mind over matter. You’re either in control or you’re not.

Ignorance is not a defence.

✅ Change is Constant: personal & business improvement help, to help you, help you; solve challenges, make the right choices, turn ideas & visions into reality, make things stick.

Subscribing, sharing, commenting or simply liking - would be great 🤞.

What’s this one about? / Who’s it for?

👀 This is for leaders or aspiring leaders who really want to be good / the best at what they do… leadership.

👉 Which leader do you want to be?

Do you want to be the leader who demonstrates integrity, has the respect of their peers and colleagues? Maybe makes the odd mistake but somehow seems to bring everyone together to get a decent result?

Or are you the one who has the reputation for blaming everyone but themselves when things don’t go as planned?

Let me guess.

Well, you would say that wouldn’t you 😂.

How would you know? Firstly...

You’ll know won’t you. Because you’ll have found out. You’ll have taken responsibility. You know that you and you alone are accountable for your own performance. That’s why you’re a good leader ✅.

👉 It comes down to your mindset.

If you only want the 10k feet summary you can stop there if you want 🤔.

Secondly, if you don’t know how you come across, then ask your peers and colleagues. Take some responsibility...

👉 Get some 360 insight.

Yes, that means from all around you. Not just from those you like. Often feedback from those who, shall we say, seem to share different ideals / approaches to you, is the most informative.

Remember too – perception is reality.

You don’t have to take it on board, though feedback is always helpful one way or another.

The road not to be taken.

I’m still part of an IT Executive leadership networking community group. I’m not sure why, I’ve retired, but I do check in every now and again, particularly if there’s something being discussed which just seems to be a solution looking for a problem.

Because my wonderful now ex peer group just love to throw technology at a problem. C’mon you know it’s true 😉.

E.g. build a tool that looks sexy, has lots of graphs and colours and yes data but does it really address the central issue? Time does tell.

Yes of course, technology has a big part to play in most businesses these days.

But most businesses are not technology businesses.

All those people (usually technology people) who love to say that their gift / gadget selling, delivery service, money advice (e.g. fintech) business etc. is “really a technology business”, “because what we’re about is mining and refining our customer data to offer what we do via the internet...” are WRONG!

I’m sorry but [insert your own business example by all means],

Your gift business [] is about your people enabling your customers to [] give something to other people, maybe as a thank you or a celebration.

Your delivery business [] is about your people getting your customers [] goods / things from A to B, to other people.

Your advice business is about your people helping your customers with [something] (e.g. money), even if as say a Fintech business you use a helluva lot of tech to do so.

You are NOT technology businesses.

Rant over 😤.

Yes of course, there are lots and lots of technology businesses, you may well work for one. But at the high level, most businesses, 3^rd and public sector organisations are not.

Because they are in other industry sectors like manufacturing, logistics, construction, retail, hospitality, leisure, entertainment and so on.

Absolutely, technology is an enabler ✅.

It can be a differentiator for sure ✅.

But far too often people rush to fix a symptom with a bit of “Tech” before they’ve cornered the root cause. Yes, it does “look like” they’ve then done something but, have they, really?

Look for those that do know me, have worked with me, yes for sure I’m no saint here. I’ve been known to over complicate things 😉.

👉 It’s not always easy to see the wood from the trees, at the coalface.

Ok too many analogies I know.

👉 It’s much easier to help when you can be more objective, when it’s not your baby as such.

👉 That’s 100% why any project initiative needs the right project governance. From the off.

This starts with the project sponsor.

Who must have skin in the game. And that sponsor must ensure their project governance team has the right mix to keep everyone on the straight and narrow.

Don’t get me on co / joint sponsors. IMHO that’s 100% a cop out. It rarely works.

Though to be fair IF, IF you have people with the right cooperative ownership mindset, I have seen it work. Just not very often.

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