JUSTIN ROGERS

Post Category:

Possibility

Setting the table

February 7, 2026

Every night in the show Mrs Krishnan’s Party we have the guests set the table with plates and cups.

Approximately 10 minutes after that they have to move it all so Mrs K can dance on the table.

Of course it’s scripted this way. We know she’ll end up on the table, so everything on the table will have to be moved.

So why set the table in the first place?

That’s a little detail I love about the show. It’s thousands of moments like that which build the illusion of reality.

In real life sometimes you do something only before needing to undo it.

So that’s why we do it in the show.

We all have a way in

February 6, 2026

The fact that you’re a human being means you have a way in.

Early on as a teacher I’d easily feel out of my depth when teaching things I didn’t have all the answers to. We get hypnotised in the culture to believing that we have to be experts.

More often than not, we don’t need to wear that responsibility. We just need a way in.

In acting, we’re encouraged to find truth in the imagined circumstances of a character. One of my teachers Miranda Harcourt calls this ‘make it true for you’. The text talks about a cousin? Build an internal reality of that person.

Make it true for you is the secret to finding confidence when we feel out of our depth in other arenas too.

I don’t know about drums and I can’t play the drums. So I have not connection to them right? No way to make it true for me?

Well I’d say the fact that I can’t play the drums is a relationship to the drums. I know what drums are. I had a friend at high school who played the drums. I’ve always liked that drum solo by Phil Collins.

I suddenly have found my way in.

No matter what we bring ourselves to, in any arena, we always have the ability to make it true for ourselves.

Education is about connection. So finding that connection to any material we teach is vital.

Make it true for you and you’ll have a never ending source of connection.

The lucky ones

February 2, 2026

We all have rules whether we know them or not.

We have rules for what has to happen for us to feel successful, to have fun or to feel appreciated.

A good way of finding your rules is to ask yourself: “What has to happen in order for me to feel ____”

And put any desired state in there…

To feel appreciated, for instance you might have to be told you’re awesome, or you might need people to see the work you’ve done and know how long it took you. Or you might be one of the lucky ones who just need to look at themselves in the mirror and smile to feel appreciated.

I say ‘lucky ones’… but the truth is, we’re in charge of our rules.

There’s nothing that says you can’t feel successful every time you take 5 minutes to be grateful.

There’s no rule that says you can’t feel deeply valued every time you show someone else they are deeply valued.

We’re the bosses, y’all. We get to choose the rules.

And while we’re at it, we might as well set ourselves and others up to win.

Make space for chocolate

January 24, 2026

Last week I bought two containers of protein powders for my morning smoothie. Two vanilla ones- my favourite!

When I got home I was really disappointed to find I had accidentally bought one vanilla and one chocolate. CHOCOLATE! No! I didn’t want chocolate.

I diligently used half of each for the next few mornings with one thought in mind: I’ve got to get THROUGH this.

But then something interesting happened. I started to love the chocolate flavour.

So much so that I slowly phased out the vanilla flavour and used ONLY chocolate.

Now, this all might seem trivial and you might be wondering “why am I reading about this guy’s breakfast smoothie”?

Well I learned a valuable lesson. You might like the chocolate flavour.

Our job repeatedly is to make space for the possibility that there is a better alternative.

Inside of comfort and routine we can get hypnotised into thinking this is the best way. And it may well be. But sometimes chocolate ends up being better.

I’ve loved my breakfasts the past week and on my most recent shopping trip I bought only chocloate flavour.

Make space for chocolate, everyone.

Useful, inspiring and cool things

Join my newsletter

Categories