Committing Career Suicide

Life is funny how it can throw you some fantastic dilemmas. In comparison to many people my dilemma isn't that bad, in fact it is lovely. The question is: do I or don't I commit career suicide? For those who follow my blogs, you will be aware that I usually work as a business analyst and innovator and then in my spare time enjoy writing books and blogs. The books are my creative release, so they will continue being written because writing is a compulsion. I can't not do it.

So here is the dilemma:
I have taken the opportunity for redundancy - great. Now the world is now full of possibility. I finished work last week and this week I have been invited to return to cruise ships to work on board in a writing capacity. It sounds fantastic; however, it will involve working ten hour days, seven days a week for four months in a row. What's more the money isn't very good. I can cover my mortgage and live relatively frugally and circumnavigate the world. The thing with writing all the time is that you don't have a lot left for your own creative writing. Of course everything on board is taken care of. I have worked on ships for years previously and enjoyed it. The reason I returned to 'real life' was because one of the ships I was working on almost sunk in Antarctica. That potential catastrophe made me re-evaluate existence and return to land to live a 'safe-ish' life. Of course the week I returned I managed to cycle in a swarm of twenty thousand bees. Yep! That is apparently the safe life! Over the last twelve years I have to admit writing became my escape from the mundane and boredom of corporate culture.

Taking to the seas again provides wonderful potential for adventure while working in a creative writing capacity. It seems like a wonderful dream; although the reality of being on board is entirely different.  At the same day I have been approached to work in Germany for 5 months as a business analyst earning huge money using my skills as a business analyst, innovator and project manager. Following that I was then called up and asked by a company to work in London on a huge innovation financial project - big money and lots of stress. Finally another local project role approached - easy to get to and could be a little dull. Isn't it nice to be in demand... Of course I am still waiting for the right one to land and nothing is definite yet. Of course these sequence of events got me thinking and asking questions. The thing is this is life and what do you want to say when you are on your death-bed: yes I earned loads of money or I experienced every day fully and saw the world? I am lucky because I am free to follow any route because I have no commitments. That is why I am so tempted to commit the career suicide and just go and travel again. The inspiration, the potential blogs and the idea of the experience thrills me. The thing is when you work four months on and two months off you can focus completely on writing during your leave time... So you may not think this is a dilemma, the thing is by stepping away from business analysis is like committing career suicide. By not living fully one is committing another type of spiritual death.

In addition to all of this, Elora, The One-Winged Fairy - The Last Baby Giggle has completed audio production by Lisa Hicks and is in its evaluation and approval phase. So that is exciting and I have been having a strong desire to write the follow up to Money Farm (the brave new world of finance). You know what? It is as if the universe has taken a laxative... So the question is what would you do? Commit career suicide or follow the path of financial increase combined with the mundane?

Enjoy my audio books at the following link:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Money-Farm-Audiobook/B010BOM9A8/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1471072677&sr=1-2

 

AUDIO LINK: http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Hairy-Legged-Mystery-Audiobook/B01H2HF0XU/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1471619538&sr=1-2

ELORA, THE ONE WINGED FAIRY AND THE LAST BABY GIGGLE LINK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elora-One-Winged-Fairy-Last-Giggle-ebook/dp/B01KYHM1G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472123774&sr=8-1&keywords=Elora+the+one+winged+fairy

A fantasy fairy fiction novel for girls aged 8 and older...

If this can save a life... DVT

If this can save a life then it is worth it...

So do you know what deep vein thrombosis is? It is a blood clot that congeals and blocks the deeper veins of the body. It can occur in any part of the body; however, it usually turns up in the legs. You may wonder why I write this; well, I always thought that DVT was for people who drank too much on planes, were obese or old... Yep I know... a narrow way of looking at it. However, I have just returned from holiday and realised that I had a deep vein thrombosis. I was very lucky because I am a little bit focused on my health and fitness. I compete at rowing, can be found on a paddleboard at six in the morning. I go to the gym six days a week. I don't drink alcohol and I make sure I drink around 3 litres of water a day. My main belief is that the body is a phenomenal piece of transport to carry the soul through life. So I make sure that it has all the nutrition it needs, is massages and maintained to its absolute ability. After-all who wants their transport to break down?

Now imagine my shock when I felt a sudden pain in the back of my leg during the flight back from Thailand. It felt like someone had pressed into my leg and something was clogged. You know how in the night you have a cramp, well this was a feeling of a long thing cramp down the middle of my calf. It happened while I was asleep in an exit row isle seat. What made it all the more surprising is that I had drunk 3 litres of water, had walked around and had leg room. I was not your typical candidate. What made it stranger is that when I woke up, the voice of intuition shouted DVT into my mind. I wasn't going to ignore it.


When I arrived home I went to hospital and stated that I thought I had Deep Vein Thrombosis. They looked at me curiously and took blood tests. I was correct and then proceeded to have scans to understand the extent to which I was affected. Now before we go any further, I am not writing this for sympathy or anything like that, however, so many people ignore the signs and that is what leads to potential death. If the condition is not treated there can be a situation where the clot becomes loose, travels around the body and can block the heart or lungs. The reason I know this is because it has happened to three of my friends, two of whom are athletes. They all survived; however, the pain they experienced resulted in morphine intake. They both survived and I only found out they had experienced this when I let them know why I could not train for racing for the next couple of months. So Deep Vein Thrombosis is not limited to sludgy sorts who don't care for themselves (that line is not going to make me popular - oh well!) It can affect anyone. I found this out when talking to a nurse who advised me of late numerous fitness people had ended up in the DVT specialist ward, all of whom were completely bemused it had happened to them. Most only went to hospital when they collapsed. This is why I write this... It is worth catching it early and better to get to the hospital and be given the all clear.

So after chatting to the whole of the DVT waiting room, each identified their issue with the following systems on or after leaving a plane (please note - DVT can happen from sitting for extended periods of time in any situation).

A feeling like cramp in the middle of a muscle as though someone had pressed hard into the muscle.
A muscle spasm.
The leg completely swelling up.
A sharp pain along a line within your body.
Collapsing unexpectedly.
Becoming short of breath - this was one chap's pulmonary embolism.

Obviously there are far more symptoms; however, I am referencing the people in the waiting room. I am not a medical expert. Instead, since I have close to twenty thousand people read my blog, I wanted to share the insights because many of us live in the mentality of  'it could not happen to me'. In this case it did happen to me - and I would love for something positive to come from it. If this can save a life... then the blog was worth it.

LINK TO ALL AUDIO BOOKS BY RUBY ALLURE:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_mt_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=ruby+allure&sprefixRefmarker=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8&sprefix=Ruby+all

If

Holidays - when things go astray...

Well this week I have been to Italy, Lake Como to be precise. It is a beautiful place with amazing food. I was fortunate enough to attend a Network Spinal Analysis weekend where all the stress in your system is downloaded. I have to say the people there were wonderful and all had such a positive outlook on life. When I say positive, not the wafty sort, more of a kind of concentrated focus, the kind that gets things done.

Now after spending the weekend indulging in the luxury of having a nervous system cleanse my friends and I were tested. It was quite strange because you realise how many potential stresses there are in life and how any of them can trigger a response. While we were having lunch in Como, just before going to the airport, we all received one of those dreaded texts: your flight has been cancelled due to weather conditions. The first response was to book another one. It was not so easy because the next one listed was three days later and that was filling up. What would happened if the next one was a week later?

It is in these moments that you really see how your mind works and how you are so fixated in how life 'has' to be. In some of my business life I work with contingency, resilience and disaster recovery. Ironically at the end of the week I was to be involved in a 'shut down' simulation. Well the flight being cancelled was completely going to destroy any opportunity to take part. The thing was that in normal life I would have been aggravated. All my attachment to being at work, the money involved and the fact that I was out of control would have welled up. Instead I thought, well there isn't a lot I can do. Instead let's enjoy Italy. If I have to stay longer then I have to enjoy it. It was then that I realised that I had to text my manager. His response was - 'oh how terrible to be stuck in Italy. If you can't get back then you can't get back.' It was then that I realised how much we all believe that we have to be here, there or everywhere because you have to be. Sometimes you can just relax into the flow of life and say 'it is out of my control - I have a choice - get angry or enjoy it'. :) The truth is life goes on without you... Life is ever changing so it is better to adapt and enjoy being where you are...

Excuse-fluenza - the success saboteur

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y65FWU

 

Progress and the issue of Excuse-fluenza.

How many people tell you what they would ‘love’ to do or ‘wish’ they could do and then quickly say but I can’t because…. Pay attention to this because the truth is we all do it. We have beautiful dreams that we quickly sabotage because we have a mental sneeze which covers our dream in our doubtful slime. This common mental ailment is Excuse-fluenza – it is the contagious mental disease of positive thought and the mental flu of progress. Now, before we go any further, I want to mention that this approach is not about ignoring reality and realistic situations. It is more about how we sabotage ourselves before we start. You may decide to be an astronaut and everyone will think you are a ‘space cadet’ and tell you why you can’t but you could experience being and astronaut by experiencing weightlessness in a simulation machine. The point is there are other ways of doing things and the dream can be landed in reality if you are open to alternatives. When I was in my early twenties I decided that I wanted to go around the world. I had no money to fund it and everyone told me that I had to work and save to do this trip. Well, that was one way, the classic way, but me being me was not going to be told no. I wrote down a list of all the places I dreamt of going and collected the pictures. A few years later I was offered a job as a photographer on an exclusive cruise ship that circumnavigated the globe. During my time on ships I circumnavigated the world eight times and went to Antarctica twice. I am glad that I did not listen to the voices of doubt. If anything I heard them and thought f* you – I WILL FIND A WAY!

While working on the ships I had the privilege to meet some very successful people. They all had a ‘can do’ attitude and certainly didn’t make excuses. Instead they looked for challenges and ways to succeed. One of my favourite moments was in Antarctica when I was stood on the bow of a ship with two very well know mountaineers who were studying various mountains and passes. These mountains had never been conquered and they were discussing the best way to ascend them. I asked them how they dealt with people who ‘told them they couldn’t’. They said they viewed them sympathetically because they realised they were telling them why ‘they’ couldn’t and that ultimately such attitudes led people to lead mediocre lives with no adventure. That was an insight for me because there are always doubters, there are always those who are jealous and in truth that is them – not you. Transform their doubt into fuel and use it to drive you to succeed!!! Hurrah!!!!

So the issue of success and the mental sneeze… Can we all be successful? I believe the answer is yes. According to all the negative messaging we receive – the answer is no. Well actually if we consider how we all define success then we can shift that perception. Success does not mean we all have to be celebrities or millionaires. Instead success is as wonderful as being a loving mother and nurturing a family. To another it might simply be becoming good at dancing. There are different levels of success and quite often the ideals we are fed destroy the success we are experiencing on a daily basis. I think one of the most under-valued successes is being a good friend. Instead we all chase financial ideals, being a celebrity or object ideals to demonstrate our success. Success can be in the person and who the person is. What is the point of achieving being a millionaire and being a selfish git? Financial success with a personality of an arse? Oh well done!!! Clap, clap! Although that individual may well be a huge success at being an arse!

So before going any further, if you wish to work on your success, write a vision of what success is for you? Is it paying off your mortgage? Becoming a world champion water-skier? Going for a jaunt around the world? Or becoming the best friend, mother, confident… When you know what it is that you want to achieve – write down all you mentally snotty reasons why you can’t. Apply the Excuse-fluenza and get it out of your system! Now it is time to realise that is your inner doubter. Next to each negative write two reasons why you can. That is your inner motivator. Now consider the classic ways to achieve it and now consider the alternatives… There are always ways and means, sometimes you simply have to be open to alternatives… 

In the meantime, look at your excuses and ask yourself why you are stopping yourself.

I can’t do it because…

I can’t do it because I am too old, too fat, too tired, there is not enough time, I don’t have the money.

Now look at the people who are doing what you desire. I heard someone say they couldn’t start yoga because they were too old. I then mentioned that I had a 90 year old yoga teacher who started yoga in their sixties. The response was – but that is not the same. Actually it is! There are people doing the things you want to achieve who had the same issues. In terms of time – know this: we all have exactly the same hours in the day. Can you swap watching television to focusing on generating success?

As I said, this disease of Excuse-fluenza is an accepted state. We all buy into each other’s mental sneezes and infect each other. The only way you can cure it is by noticing the self-sabotaging thoughts and shifting your mental habits. Use that sneeze a momentum to achieve your success. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y600X4

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H7MRV5G