The Hidden Depths

It’s curious how the hidden depths and secret corners are often the most interesting.

And that goes for both human life, and the natural world.            

Witness this - a rarely visited oasis of Cambridge, behind the Fitzwilliam Museum and Peterhouse College, and all the more beautiful for its tranquility in what can be a very busy city.            

I spent a delightful half an hour here on a lunch break this week, and it was wonderfully uplifting.                     

So it goes with finding secret corners and hidden depths. 

In writing, the most fascinating moments often come when characters are under the greatest pressure.

That’s when the true depths of their nature are revealed, along with their willingness to stand up for what they believe in and are prepared to fight for.

And that’s paralleled in the real world.

For example, the realm of business where I’m fortunate to spend much of my time these days.

I’m most impressed by the extraordinary entrepreneurs I work with when they are under pressure, when things aren’t going well for them, when it feels like they’re not getting the breaks they deserve.

Some might buckle under the strain, and take the easy way out. 

Quit. Give up. Throw in the towel.

But not the ones I’m lucky enough to work with. No way. Never. Not these men and women.

It’s remarkable how they absorb the setbacks, and come back stronger, even more determined, and just keep on working, working, working...

Knowing that if they do so the opportunities will come.

I've found the same in life. When I was on a big story, in my BBC days, under great pressure with demands coming at me from all angles...

Dig deep. Find the resilience, strength and calm. Perform. And do so well. 

It takes persistence to find those reserves, the true depths of character, those which are not immediately apparent in every day life.

Just like my secret garden.

They can be hard to find. But so very worthwhile to discover.