A lot of people are doing a lot of thinking about life right now.

Just a few months ago, we would never have believed it possible for change to sweep through us as fast as it has. We have all experienced this in different ways, some positive, some negative, some with hope and some with fear. Many believe this is a chance for even more change - change that up until now we have resisted too strongly, perhaps.

Most people I speak to feel there is no going back. Sure, we'll all get 'back to normal' sooner or later (sooner, if the rising hustle and bustle in my local community is anything to go by), but something has shifted in many people that is making them look at life from a different perspective.

I feel optimistic about three shifts in particular:

1. The uptake of digital technology and improved communication in healthcare. It probably goes without saying that I would feel optimistic on this one. Healthcare has long needed transformation and the digital health sector has acted with speed, agility and a high level of professionalism throughout this crisis. We have seen humbling offers of free support for the NHS from small, very early stage start-ups who have worked phenomenally hard to implement a solution with very fast turnaround times. And we have seen collaboration on a new level too. Not only between technology companies (of which there have been many), but also in the partnerships between the NHS and private sector. Long may it continue, there is a lot more to do.

2. Family time. Never since becoming a parent (my youngest is 7 today) have we sat around the dinner table as a family 7 days a week; let alone twice a day, 7 days a week! Now, I am under no illusion that this will continue, nor would I want it to. But we have all enjoyed the time that we have had together. Despite the chaos, and the challenges that arise from juggling work, home-school and trying to find a supermarket with an online delivery slot some time in the next 3 weeks, I have been very fortunate to be able to experience the past few weeks as a truly precious gift from a family point-of-view, and am thinking about how we can make sure we don't lose it all once life speeds up again.

3. Our beautiful planet. Birds that have started arriving in our little South London garden like never before. The lonesome robin must be wondering what's going on, as sparrows and blue tits have arrived, singing late into the night. In fact, a neighbour spotted a heron on the front window ledge of a nearby house yesterday! The climate groups who have long been telling us that we need to take dramatic action in order to slow global warming must now be collecting evidence from the speed at which air quality has improved to show us that we CAN do it. Seeing the amazing brilliance of Venus has become a norm in the early London evenings - normally I would find it impossible to tell one star from another, but stop the planes, trains and automobiles for a couple of weeks and there she is! And what a sight! It's only a start, but is it the wake-up call we needed?

And that takes me back to birds. I've never really thought of myself as an ornithologist (actually, I still don't), but thinking about the planet has made me reflect on my travels. I have been fortunate enough to visit some amazing places, and some of my strongest, most beautiful memories, are... the birds. Big, tiny, colourful, camouflaged, singing, screeching, talking (thinking about the Go Away bird and the Hoopoo), flying, running... Amazing. And a lovely way to remember some really special times.

For the next 3 days' activities to mark International Coaching Week 2020, Shivaun and I will be hosting a series of free online coaching workshops. They are meant to be fun and thought provoking; to help you explore who you are and what you want from life.

Each workshop will follow a specific topic, and will last around 45 minutes. You can find out more and sign up here if you are interested.