Touching zero

As I was out walking today, I remembered a part of my story that occasionally gets told… and in remembering, I got back in touch with a part of me that I had forgotten….

Back in 1999 I was part of a massive programme to rebuild Unilever’s email infrastructure before the end of the year – something about not being ‘Year 2000 compliant’, and also about saving shed loads of money over the old system. Around that time, I was dating one of the consultants in the Unilever Corporate Centre, and so I had my New Year celebration all mapped out. Until we broke up just before Christmas, and I was left facing a pretty lonely New Year. I ended up in our IT offices watching the non-event that the Millenium Bug turned out to be… and, since Australia and Japan had pretty much proved we weren’t going to have a problem, left at around 10pm to go off to my hotel.

Now, hotel rooms on Millenium eve were pretty hard to come by. I had to book a room for two, at a black tie ball, just to get a room (thank goodness for expenses – think it cost around £300 for one night’s hotel). I had a really lonely evening and as I sat watching the fireworks, I decided one thing. I was going to get a life. I was going to get my own story. And I was never going to rely on anyone else for my happiness……

A few days later I joined Spice, a national adventure group. I learned to ski – and then to snowboard. I did self defence and bodyguard training. I got my karate black belt – and second dan black belt too. I rafted the Colorado River. I trekked the High Inca Trail. I learnt Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy. I studied Hawai’ian Huna and Personal Coaching. I started my own business. I wrote a couple of books. I became a really great coach and leader. I fell in love again. And out of love again (damn!). I learned to dance. I got back in touch with a spiritual world that I thought I had left behind. I made some incredible, wonderful friends. Somewhere along that path, I got back in touch with the real me.

I got myself a story. I became more of who I knew I was… and I set out on an adventure. That adventure isn’t over, even if some days it feels like it. Some days it feels bloody hard to live this life… and yet these are some of the most exciting times to be alive in.

So, I plan on living this life to the full. I plan on having adventures. I plan on taking risks. I plan on having fun. And along that path, I plan on helping people and loving people – and I plan on helping other people find their story. I plan on helping them get in touch with the truth of who they truly are, the awesome, incredible, wonderful, blazing, powerful beings that each of us is… at our core.

Some of that will come from some amazing events and products that I am putting together (coming soon) – and some of it will come from just being with others. Hang on to your hats..

Shameless plug – for more details of my coaching and training programmes, check out www.heartstorm.org