Personal Credo - Theodore

Theodore sees his life like onion rings: “The outside onion ring is my social life and my sporting life…. the inner ring is your own personal philosophy, your perception of the universe and the world and your place in it.”

A transcript follows of the videos below.

(Your question about the significant pattern I make of my life) could be answered in a roundabout way. It is a series of onion rings. The outside onion ring is my social life and my sporting life. I play golf and tennis with groups of friends once or twice a week. It is very good for the soul, good to keep in touch with life but (as regards the outer ring of what matters), my hobby is a work hobby, which is investing in small businesses. This is a driving force in my life – not because I want to make money though I do (try and) do that but mainly because it is very exciting. It is a chase. It is playing a game with real stakes and it’s a game that is fun to win. You’ve got to accept losses and wins – and that’s the ‘second ring’. The third ring is my family. When you leave this world, you leave most significantly your genes in various people who you brought up, with small children who you have nurtured and who, God willing, you’re proud of. You want to see them and their children succeed. I would add to that, one’s wife with whom one has lived for a long time who has been supportive of you and who you have supported.

And then you come to the inner ring of all, which is your own personal philosophy, your perception of the universe and the world, your perception of your place in it. Your perception of why you’re here and where you’re going – or in my case not going. These are the ideas with which I’ve titillated my mind over many years and, in my case, many decades.

There you go, that is my four ‘rings’.