I don’t know where you stand on the whole existentialism debate.

I’ve never previously been entirely sure either, though have long tried to make a stand.

I’ve got a book by my bedside table. It’s about the lives of some of the famous existentialists. It’s even written for a populist audience – you know, the sort like me who struggles somewhat with certain philosophical standpoints. (Oh, and confession … not just philosophy … Stephen Hawking’s Brief History of Time is also there, having collected dust over a number of years – though I’m determined that one day I’ll have read it again and understood it.)

But back to existentialism :

“We are our choices.” (Jean-Paul Sartre)

That one line … it sort of does it for me. At last. A glimmer of an understanding. Now, I’ve been to Les Deux Magots, and drunk coffee perhaps on a chair or in a spot that Monsieur S and his crowd might have occupied – ooh, the thought of that is delicious in itself – and what wouldn’t I have given to have been a fly on the wall when he was uttering his epic proclamations.

Choice. Yes. That’s my belief. And it’s something I’ll often encourage my coachees to consider and to take responsibility for. My view? We all have choice. We might not like it. And sometimes the choice we have to make is challenging – perhaps even a dilemma – but nevertheless it’s up to us to decide.

Existentialism or not … I kind of get that.

Got to go. I’m off to wrestle with phenomenology next …