The motto of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the latest addition to the Royal Navy’s fleet (16 August 2017), is “Semper eadem.”  

I had to look it up – I wasn’t clever enough at school to do Latin. It means, “Always the same.”

And the good residents of Hampshire who recently lined up to cheer the ship into Portsmouth harbour certainly showed their always the samedness in abundance – what a fabulously loyal show they put on. 

But just a thought … is it always good to be always the same?

I was working with some people recently who reminded me of this. They had a view: 

• if you always go to the same restaurant, even if it is fabulous, what opportunities might you be missing in a number of other equally wonderful eateries?  

• and if in your career you choose to remain where you are, just because it’s familiar and comfortable, how will you ever know what other possibilities are out there, and what else you might achieve? 

So, hats (or caps) off to HMS Queen Elizabeth and the people of Hampshire – I truly mean that (I have naval blood within me to establish a very special place in my heart for both), but let’s not forget …

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” (Possibly Henry Ford)

Consistency and repetition and reliability are wonderful and often necessary. But sometimes – ooh, change feels SO good!