Getting off to a good start each morning helps set the pace for the day. Up at 5:45am I slip out of bed, put on my thick cotton dressing gown and carefully step over the snoring labradors sleeping outside my bedroom door. These lap-lover dogs enjoy creating this rather formidable barricade for me each morning. I collect my first large cup of coffee for the day and head to my home office, my refuge and thinking centre where for the next hour I focus on creative thinking, dreaming and short meditation. It’s a quiet hour when things are simple, and ideas are fresh. At the end of the hour I set the goals (not too many) for the day. Henry Beecher, an American minister called “The first hour of the morning the rudder of the day” I believe this time I have found for my own introspection has helped me better tune into the power of the rudder so that I am better equipped to steer the boat. You can’t predict the direction of the wind but you can watch the telltales throughout the day to skilfully adjust your course and sails as needed. A strong hand on the tiller is important.