Hunting For The Good Stuff!

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport." – Love Actually

Last week I went to a family wedding in the gorgeous Yarra Valley.

It was small, intimate - just our families with a few close friends. And it was beautiful!

The bride and groom, both in their 50s, stood together with their adult children from previous relationships, celebrating a love that they once thought might never come again.

Just a few years ago, I know the groom had seriously questioned: Will I ever find love again?

Knowing their back stories, their big life challenges, and the journeys that led them to that moment, I must confess… I couldn’t stop the tears during the ceremony.

Not out of mere sentimentality, but because of the undeniable power of hope, love and human connection.

However, my inner voice was going: How embarrassing! Stop being a big sook!

Where does that even come from? How weird that I’m from a vintage where tears of joy should feel embarrassing, rather than something to be celebrated.

Of course, I’m aware of Samuel Johnson’s famous quip: “A second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.” And yes, experience can make us cynical.

But in a world that often feels divisive, chaotic and utterly bonkers, I chose to focus on the good stuff? Well, most of the time!

At Proteus, we constantly remind our teams, our clients - and ourselves - that as humans, we are wired for loss aversion. We fixate on threats, constantly ruminate on setbacks, and, if we’re not careful, we let negativity and previous bad events dominate our thinking.

With news feeds overflowing with poor leadership, scandal and drama, we must consciously hunt for the good.

Now, I know this might be divisive (and I may lose a few of you here), but I love the movie Love Actually.

And no, I don’t care what the critics say - if it’s wrong to get emotional about Hugh Grant dancing around Downing Street, then I don’t want to be right.

Because, as David - the fictional British Prime Minister - reminds us:

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

Wishing you a wonderful week of hunting for the good stuff.

Richard Dore
Co-CEO - Director of Partnerships
Proteus Leadership