I love sandwiches.

There you go, there’s my big attention-grabbing opening statement. I had to go big. All in! After all, this is my first blog for Education Scotland and what an honour it is!

“Bring your sparkle” they said.

Well, I thought long and hard about what to open with. You can tell I decided to go deep.

So, I’ll say it again.

I love sandwiches.

And I’m pretty sure you love sandwiches too. And if you don’t, then you’ve never sandwiched properly. You’re sandwiching wrong.

I love the bread. My goodness do I love the bread, it’s like the most joyous of packaging.

But it’s the filling that counts, right? We can have the best bread but get the filling wrong and there’s questions.

There’s a fine line between too much and not enough. Mayo? Butter? Maybe both, maybe neither. Meat? Cheese? Both? Neither?

Salad?

Huge decisions…To egg or not to egg?

Get it right, we’re in sandwich heaven. Get it wrong, you’ll know all about it.

'You can’t just come here Gavin and write about sandwiches.'

I can. And I am.

As great leaders say, “with great sandwiches comes great responsibility”.

They’re right, especially if you’re the one making the sandwiches for everyone else. The pressure of sandwichship these days is huge.

All eyes are on you. Your entire legacy will be judged upon your sandwichship.

Don’t quote me but I think it was Maya Angelou who said, “Most people won’t remember what you say or what you do, but they will remember how you made their sandwiches.”

Sandwiches are life.

A bold statement, I know.

We’re born, we live, we die. A life and death sandwich.

You see, the middle is the bit that’s up for grabs. The filling is life itself. And truly living life to the full is not always guaranteed or definite. We all like different fillings but the most exciting part is you get to choose your own. Over time you begin to understand what you like, what works for you, what you want more of and what makes you want to puke. You get a little more daring and adventurous with your filling and sometimes all we want is ‘just ham’ or ‘just cheese’, which is fine if you want a dull sandwich. But if life’s a sandwich – and you’re the sandwich maker – why not fill it with epic ingredients?

If your sandwich is rubbish, or not exciting enough, or full of cucumber, why not start experimenting? Adjust the filling, try something new, discover new flavours, drop the bland, upgrade the ingredients.

It’s hard though if you’re leading the filling decisions for everyone, buffet style.

Sandwichship is of course not just about you. You’re important but it’s also about encouraging others to try something new, something different.

But you know and I know, not everyone likes onion.

Or houmous.

And they’ll tell you.

Oh my god will they tell you!

Even when you get it right, there won’t be enough for everyone. Ever.

Sandwich conflict is real, and it can take its toll.

Staying humble but remaining confident with our fillings is the key. Sometimes we need to accept that apple and cheese on a sandwich is weird.

Yeah, weirdly delicious!

Middles Matter

It’s not just sandwiches. Middles are everywhere. From a young age we are taught that every great story has a beginning, a middle and an end. We always remember the ending. But just like sandwiches, we need middles.

It’s where the bulk of the story rests. It holds the reader’s attention, but most importantly it is where we reach the climax or turning point of the story. If the middle is delicious, the reader remains invested.

One of the biggest issues novelists work hard to avoid as they construct their story, is the ‘sagging middle’.

One of the toughest challenges in sandwichship is the sagging middle. If we don’t prevent it - over time - the buffet queue shrinks, the leftovers grow, people bring their own, in a Tupperware, sticking to what they’ve always known.

Self-doubt creeps in; maybe you should’ve gone for sausage rolls instead? A crowd pleaser. Safe.

Albeit a crucial part of the sandwichship journey, the middle is however, the difficult part.

To combat a ‘sagging middle’ requires more energy than normal but it’s entirely worth the effort, people begin to notice what you’re building. They’ll ask for your recipe, it feels good, there’s no looking back with regret.

Interestingly, do you know what the biggest regrets are?

In a nutshell - based on years of research by author Bronnie Ware:

1. Not being true to self
2. Working too hard
3. Not having the courage to express feelings
4. Losing touch with great friends
5. Not letting happiness in more often

Not being true to yourself is literally the number one regret in life. In other words, living a life of fitting in, conforming, doing what is expected by others.

It’s tuna mayo. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s no tuna crunch.

Sandwich dreams are slowly replaced by what is considered ‘normal’. It’s easier this way, less risk of ridicule, less risk of alienation, less risk of failure. But less fun.

Look at number 5.

Not letting happiness in more often - is surprisingly common. So many of us don’t realise until the end that happiness is often down to the choices we make.

It’s less a feeling and more a filling…

Ware discovered through her research that the fear of change had many pretending to others, and to themselves that they were content with their lot. Content with their filling.

So what fillings are you choosing for yourself, what middles are you creating?

Sandwichship styles may vary but great sandwiches bring a versatile, hands-on, uniting, diverse, customisable, creative and comforting experience for all.

Basics will always matter but true sandwichship challenges the status quo.

It can take time to perfect, it can take convincing. Sometimes you accidentally serve an awful sandwich. Sometimes we need to invest in better ingredients. Sometimes the bread is past its best. Sometimes we need to be brave and cut it into triangles. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes it’s crusts off. Sometimes all you need is a few crisps and nothing else.

And sometimes, sometimes we just deserve butter.

Visit Gavin Oattes - Motivational Speaker for details of Gavin’s books and subscribe to Bellyfire for free fortnightly inspiration straight to your email.