Category: Bal’s Friday Thought

We think we have time. But the reality is, we don’t.

Don’t leave your coffee alone for too long…

Recently, I was in a call listening to someone (of authority) who was asking what makes people successful?

My answer (after having read a number of books) was consistency/persistence. Nope… it was Culture.

Hmm… I thought. Culture is important, but how important is it to one persons drive? Culture would be around a team, a group of people rather than an individual. This got me thinking further… that ‘culture’ doesn’t appear on John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success either. So back to what I wrote, it was consistency… the belief that you can achieve anything but you have to keep going. Start somewhere but consistently keep adding and building, and growing.

It’s funny that when you’re young, you think I want to do this, and I’ll progress by doing that.

Life throws a curveball at you. And you’re then sat re-assessing your options.

The thing is, life is short. So many people say, follow your passion. Obviously, you have to do the maths to ensure a) your passion pays for your everyday life and bills, and b) can you side hustle your passion till it’s at the stage of paying for your everyday life and bills?

I saw the below post and thought of Ted Lasso, Believe.

Just a little Friday reminder to appreciate how far you’ve come.

Have faith in what is ahead…

Accepting disappointments is difficult.

Recently, I experienced this. It was super hard. It took me 48hrs to get back to ‘normal’ thinking and behaviours.

I strongly believe, everything happens for a reason. There’s always something that’s protecting, guiding and believing you.

Today’s thought is very much about being strong.

I remember saying to some of my u14’s during a football coaching session when they were finding it difficult to break down the opposition. I said to them, ‘calm waters never make a good sailor’.

Two things.

Firstly, my good friend sent me the below today, which I thought has to be a Friday Thought! The first 6 months of 2026 have been a rollercoaster of a ride to say the least!

Secondly, I saw on LinkedIn last night, someone who I know said in a post, they were in their dream job at their dream company until one day they walked into an office, and when walking out there was no job. Everything fell apart in her world from the moment she’d walked into that office, due to ‘restructuring’ of her role. It took her a while to figure things out, and fast forward she’s now a coach and helps people find their true north. With the recent testimonial being, a client of hers, who she’s been working with for a few months landed their favourite job!

Sometimes, it may seem failure at the time but it’s all part and parcel of success.

With so much going on in the world right now, big ego’s & leaders fighting, there’s one thing many of us who are not at that level or involved should be…

Being kind is the only way we should be. Everyone is fighting their own individual battles. And where we can, we should support.

Oil prices are going higher and higher. We know this will have a knock on effect to all prices, such as food, clothing.. literally everything. And we should be prepared. It doesn’t mean we start stockpiling, but really thinking about the impact on those who it could effect the most.

Be kind.

Today’s thought is a little different from the usual quotes I share.

Students from Eindhoven University of Technology, Fontys University of Applied Sciences and Summa College formed a team and built an electric car you can literally repair in your driveway!

🔧 Modular battery? Six 12‑kg packs you lift out by hand
🔩 Body panel scratched? Click it off and swap it in minutes
🧰 Built‑in toolbox + an app that shows the car’s full status
⏱️ Timeline: 12 months … that’s it!

Meanwhile, today’s major EV makers are sealing batteries into the chassis, locking diagnostics behind software, and driving repair costs up 30–35%. Cars get scrapped long before they should … pretty ironic for something that’s supposed to be “sustainable”!

If a bunch of students can build a repairable EV in a year, what’s everyone else’s excuse?!

Is time limited for some of the manufacturers in the current motor industry?