The Bridge

We travelled to the island of dreams this weekend across the magical waters on the silver-winged ship. As we arrived, a man appeared by a bridge, and we weren't sure if he had always been there or he had just arrived, and he asked us if we were willing to cross.

We told him that we were, but he then gave us a task. A challenge to prove our worth to the Gods. He told us that we must remain constant when the waters around us grew stormy, and that we must hold still when the bridge appears to engorge itself with flames.

We went to the Isle of Wight this weekend to check out the lie of the land and refresh ourselves of its charms. The practical reason that we had was to deliver an application for Sophie's school to the 'County Hall', which was accomplished, but we also wanted to look around to gauge areas that we might like to move to, and also what the island looked and felt like in the winter.

The weather was miserable, overcast and rainy on the mainland as we left Southampton, but as the picture shows below, the Isle of Wight seems to be protected by an imaginary sunny forcefield that ensures that it's summer all year round. So much for seeing what it looks like in the rain. As you can see, it looks as though someone has cut round the clouds by the coast line of the island. Weird.



We have always had in our minds that we wanted to move to Porchfield, which is a rural district between Cowes and Shallfleet. It spans the length of one road, pretty much, with fields on either side. The countryside is lovely and it looks like a real community, but we have now had second thoughts due to its remoteness, especially regarding Sophie.

The next district along the coast towards Cowes is called Gurnard. This has the feel of an old fishing village. It is situated right on the coast, which is definitely a part of the dream, and it also has a character which Claire and I could only describe as higgledy-piggledy. Every house is different and it looks as though they've all been thrown together randomly. I like this uniqueness a lot.

There is also an area of beach huts as well, but again, not uniformed beach huts but an amalgamation of sheds thrown together at the waters edge. All with nets and buoys strewn over them like a fishing village still life. In summary it has the feel, in my opinion, of the village in the Kevin Spacey/Judi Dench film 'The Shipping News'.

It is also a mile away from Cowes, and the metropolis of life that we will undoubtedly miss when we move away from the city. So this is important for us as well.

So this is now going to be the target for our move, and when we first arrive for good, the plan is to rent for the first six months to make sure that we know the place better before we commit to buying anything. We estimate that this will come at a cost of approximately six thousand pounds, but this is a necessary cost. What we do need to make sure is that we don't rent for much longer and end up throwing away even more money.

We both really like the New England style wooden house with white edges and greeny coloured walls. There are a number of examples of this type of house in Gurnard and one of these would be fantastic.

As we get nearer and nearer to the summer, the mountain is looking higher and higher. Almost like an optical illusion. The number of things that need to be in place in the next six months seem to be moving further away. The leap of faith is drawing up in front of us, and at some point, however prepared we are, we will have to jump. The good news is that both of us felt as though we could have stayed there this weekend, and we didn't want to come back on the boat. At least that's a start.

So, the stormy waters rose, and we just stayed there. And the flames grew high on the bridge, and we just stayed there. At points it looked like we would be destroyed by the devastation of the natural elements surrounding us. But then, just as quickly as it came, the ferocity died and the old man appeared once more at the foot of the bridge.

'You have proved that you're nature is true, and that you deserve the riches in which you seek. Your steadfastness will mean that you inherit your dreams.'

We lived happily ever after.

Location:Stevens St,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Start Point

There's always a start point to everything. A specific time when you can associate a change resulting from it. There are thousands of these points all of the time.

For example, when you go on holiday, is the trigger point for you going the booking of the tickets, or the looking at the brochures, or the realisation that you need a holiday, or the promise that you made at the end of your last holiday. There are many moments that can be associated, and in truth, it's all of them. But unconsciously you always think of one time particularly.

The Change Institute is now up and running because the business cards have now arrived. The tangible product carries a potent power of realisation, and as I hold them in my hands it really does look like a proper business. They have been printed perfectly, and I'm really happy with the overall finish, even though the matte lamination was a bit of a guess when ordering.

I think eventually a poster size version of the theme would be great but that will be when I have regular premises and somewhere to put it. So a while from now.

But temporary premises are now sorted, so no need to look around for that anymore.

The house in Stockport is up for sale and has been since the beginning of the year, and finally a viewing has been arranged for Saturday. This is the first viewing that we've had for months. I'm confident, but then again I'm always confident.

We have had 60 detailed viewings of our property on www.Rightmove.co.uk, so that proves that people are looking. It's only a matter of time.

We are travelling down south this weekend, and we are going to couple it with a trip across the water to the promised land. We're not really sure what we're going to do while we're there, but we thought that it would be a good idea to have another look round. We're only there for one night.

I'm thinking at the moment that we'll drive around the areas that we're thinking of living and pull over and soak up some of the local vibe. However, on a wet Sunday in January you'd probably be hard pushed to pick up a vibe anywhere. However, this is the plan, so I will report back next week.

Location:The Ave,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Part of the Process

Isn't it funny how everything today is controlled by process. In the age of the computer brain, the age of the systems, in a future that was only dreamed about even as recent as twenty years ago.

I was talking to an elderly lady recently who could not get her head around the fact that you could not talk to a person concerning any utilities or services anymore.

Through the necessity for faster processing and throughput which is enabling a computers strengths, we must gather information in a uniformed, standard way. As computers are used for now archiving, accessing and process flow, there is no escape from the standardisation of the information gathering.

I'm afraid though that this is here to stay and the only hope is that we get better at it. The money that we save by not doing a process properly is enough to continue in the same vein.

Apologies for this brief interlude, but the reason for the break from the norm, and the tangent rant, is the school application process for Sophie and Dylan.

A quick summary; we have applied online for Dylan's application in Stockport, selecting three schools as our preferences, but now we must apply via a paper copy to the Isle of Wight as you can only choose three schools online. Also, as we don't have an address on the Island then this means that we will be treated as a late entry. (I understand this.)

For Sophie we are going through 'The Statement' process, which is an application with attached evidence, advice and suggestion from the relevant professionals working with her. The experts suggest which type of school is appropriate and then, if there is a choice, we can choose.

But the Isle of Wight have also now sent us a paper form for Sophie, in which they have requested that we tick a box if we are going through 'The Statement' process, and accompany this with a letter from her Paediatric Consultant. Although her consultant will be part of the statement process, and due to the 'late entry' treatment of this application as well, then they will have a completed statement in time for the applications processing.

We always seem to add in about ten extra steps over and above the stripped down process that you would follow if you weren't standardising everything. Ideally we would talk to our education person in Stockport and alert them to the fact that we are looking to leave in the summer (which we have done), they would then communicate with the education person on the Isle of Wight, and between them they would co-ordinate the exceptional situation. But due to resource constraints and process constraints this is impossible, so we will fill in two separate forms for two separate authorities, and you just know that this will cause a gap to appear in the summer in which, after anxiety, we will have to put in effort to fill.

Anyway, aside from this minor frustration, I have also made some good progress yesterday with some of the other irons in the fire. I re-formatted the book manuscript last night, and I have also found some premises that would be suitable for The Change Institute. I can hire an office for hours or half days at a time which is near my house. This quiet space is exactly what is needed, and so there is no reason now to not start marketing. I seem to have gained another client as well, but one that will need a lot more therapy, so after explaining what is needed it will be their choice to assess the benefit and cost balance.

Also, Claire went on a Makaton course yesterday, which is sign language to the average Joe. So we had a sign language quiz last night, which surprisingly showed that you can guess most words from the signs, which makes you wonder how clever people are to make this stuff up in the first place.

Location:The Ave,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Keep Calm and Carry On

One part of my regular morning routine is to consult the I-Ching. I've done this for about four years, and I find that it gives me a certain amount of spiritual grounding each morning and sets me in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.

Sometimes the advice can feel generic and ambiguous, whilst at other times it can appear poignant and identify something before I've even realised it myself.

This morning was one of these mornings. The I-Ching advised the following, "This symbolism indicates that we must put ourself in proper order through achieving clarity, which enables us to be strong enough to overcome the dangers threatening our perseverance."

Until I read this, I hadn't noticed the danger to my perseverance, but then I realised the doubt and lack of effort that was creeping in.

I've been meaning to re-format my manuscript for a week now and that's still not been completed. Also, after I've done that I've not planned anything to come up next.

I'm pretty sure that the only way that I'm going to achieve the eventual goal that I'm trying to get to is through a large amount of effort. So, I need to reawaken the hunger and plan some things that I'll look forward to.

I need to look for premises for my change work, I need to get started on the website for this as well, and I also need to collate a list of Literary Agents in order to send the manuscript to.

But maybe more importantly I need to find the time in my day to be able to do this work. First thing in the morning is a great time for the blog. I really enjoy doing this every day, and it also acts as a catalyst for the day as well, a bit like the I-Ching in that way, it helps me keep the crap bit of the day, when it arrives, in perspective.

So, I need to work in the evenings instead, and this is where the challenge is. When I get home from work, and then had dinner with the kids (hopefully), and then washed them and put them to bed, and quickly tidied up, I sit down and the last thing I feel like is doing something. That's the point where my body naturally shuts down.

I'll begin to set myself a goal each night when I'm coming home from work that I need to get finished before I can switch off. I find that I'm ok until I stop and then there's no chance of starting up again.

Tonight is the re-formatting of the manuscript.

On another note, yesterday I met a few people for the first time. People that Claire knew through the kids. Two thoughts came to mind.

Firstly, when I was explaining our plan for this year to others for the first time, in a nutshell, it really sounded unrealistic. So many things happening at once, and all of them involving some kind of leap of faith. But, these are the moments of doubt that need to be eradicated, so I don't intend to fuel these thoughts any longer.

Secondly, the fact that we have met new people, that were nice by the way, and just round the corner from us, could be perceived as unlucky. Just as we're moving away we finally meet people that are in rolling distance from the house. But this has given me more confidence of meeting nice people when we finally move to the Isle of Wight. Once again we have met people in a similar boat to us because we are now effectively in a minority. We'll still be in this minority when we move and therefore the opportunity to meet people is much greater. That is a comfort to both Claire and I as our minds wander that way.

Location:The Ave,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

The Domain of Brilliance

Yesterday bore witness to a number of small events that all work towards the eventual goal. At this stage it's all about gaining momentum, and the small things often are more harder fought than the massive clinchers.




Above is my newly designed and ordered business card. I did this last night and it even has a Matte Laminate Finish. 200 of the little chaps have cost me £52, so not that cheap. But as I expect most of my marketing to be through word of mouth, and recommendations, those mouths need something tangible to pass on. So, a £52 advertising budget for the year sounds ok.

You'll notice that the birds are flying around the sun. The sun is to symbolise the clients journey towards the light at the end of the tunnel, and the birds are there to symbolise the freedom of spirit. (It was also a stock design that I thought was appropriate)

Another big milestone achieved last night is the securing of the company website. After paying £52 for some business cards I thought I needed to make sure that the website that I put on them was correct.

I'd already checked on a domain site that the address was available, but last night I paid for the privilege of using www.thechangeinstitute.co.uk for the next two years, at a cost of £6. Much more reasonable.

So the obvious next step is to actually design a website, which is not something that I naturally lean towards. If I was to have a crack at it from scratch it would look like Dylan had left his crayons out. It would certainly not look like the professional image that I want to generate.

I've an idea to ask a graphic designer friend of mine for some help, assuming that websites are a walk in the park for him.

It doesn't need to be anything too flashy. A couple of pages with information on, and kept very clean. I like the idea of lots of space on the screen. I think that it looks very deliberate when done well, and also it demonstrates that you know what you're doing.

I'll keep the same branding as the business cards so that some obvious continuity exists, and so it doesn't look like it's just been thrown together.

I also have my first client for a phobia treatment. I'm very much looking forward to helping them and getting the ball rolling. When that is successful it should lead to more work, and as it's down south, it's actually more geared to when we relocate.

I'll keep you posted about all of these things as they materialise.

The plan to influence everyone at work to completely reverse their plans, and come round to my way of thinking, didn't exactly go swimmingly the other day. But, again it has started the ball rolling.

There are now discussions to be had around the cast of thousands before any real decision is made, and it could be distorted by the end in to some hybrid solution. I have been told though that if my resource is not required following the conclusion of the 2011/12 planning, that is ongoing at the moment, then I will be made redundant. This doesn't change what I thought already, and it just means that I desperately need to influence that planning.

I'll let you know...

Location:Lydiat Ln,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

We've gotta get out of this place

Before I begin this morning, I want to tell you where I went last night. I was like an eight year old at a Lego convention. Someone rang me and said, "The Saints team have just checked into a hotel I'm staying at", and this was just down the road from where I live.

I jumped in the car and arrived at the hotel about half an hour later without any clear plan of what I was going to do. I turned up in the function room, where they were sat, and the realisation hit me that I was just standing there in front of the seated team of galacticos.

"Hi, I'm Mike... I'm a Saints fan," was my inarticulate opening.
"Hi, mate," the team replied in unison.
"Erm, could I just take your picture, please."
"Yeah, if you want."
"Sorry about this, I feel a bit like an eight year old."
"Don't worry about it."
"Thanks. Ok, say cheese... that's got it."
"Cheers mate."
"Good luck tomorrow night."

...and that was it. There were a couple of photos that I took with two individually, a bit later on, but no less awkward. I don't know what it is with the magic of football. It can make a person that is normally quite articulate in front of people, choke like an adolescent school kid.

Anyway, now I can continue with what I was going to write about, now I've removed that from my chest.

Ever since I've worked at my current company I've not enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when it's been fun, but if at any time someone had asked me, "Do you enjoy it?" I would have replied in a heart beat, "No."

But, I have been there ten years, and as you work your way up the ladder you earn more money, until one day when you look around, you realise that your life now is so dependent on that level of earnings that you're trapped.

This happened to me, probably two years ago, and made me begin this journey of asking, "What if?"

Obviously now I'm well on the way to changing it all, but the longer you leave it the more challenging it is. The more people you have to think about. The more limiting beliefs you have collected.

One of the key parts to this move that will enable it to happen with a much smaller level of risk, is to secure a redundancy package. I know I'm very fortunate to be, potentially, in this position and that's why I need to make sure that it happens.

I say, "make sure that it happens," because they don't just hand these things out in the canteen at lunch with the pies. I'm on a project at the moment, and this was my first step to getting nearer the door. When the project ends, my job will end and therefore as being 'displaced' I am in a much stronger position to get made redundant. Accompanied with the current environment as well of the company reducing their workforce, this makes for an attractive position to be in.

I have had a snag recently though. The project that I'm on should have ended at the end of 2010. Hmmm... it hasn't yet. The current plans have pushed it out to the middle of 2012. This is business and you have to be able to adapt your plans accordingly. My plans are moving in the other way though so I need to force this to happen somehow for me personally.

I have had some headway into this plan last week, with the potential of a siphoning off of half the project into another project that will be delayed until next year. Thus creating a clear divide between the current project and the future one. This could mean that I then have the perfect opportunity to leave.

Ironically, I have been tasked with collecting the reasons why it would make more sense to divide the projects, and finish the current project around the middle of 2011. Perfect.

So, yesterday, I had a first meeting with certain stakeholders to collect some of these reasons, and today I get to present them to project leadership to influence their decision. It has by chance fallen into my hands to make the case as compelling as possible. Is it chance, or is it the universe providing the images that I have visualised? Read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne if you don't know what I mean.

So, I keep on believing that this will happen, and that accompanied with the energy that I put into it, the outcome will materialise. If this is successful then my belief in the maxim that there is no such thing as luck will be proved.

As usual I'll keep you posted.

Location:Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

The Change Institute

Before Christmas your faithful guide took an NLP Practitioner Course (Neuro Linguistic Programming) with Helford 2000, and learned the modern art of the ancients. This means that, NLP has only been around for 30-40 years but it echoes the teachings from as far back as ancient Greece. In a nutshell it is about being able to re-programme your mind, and others, in order to achieve a change.

The course covered rapport, influencing, goal setting, time line therapy, hypnotherapy, coaching, communication and sensory acuity. It left me with a skill set that strengthened some of the natural strengths that I had, and also gave me an incredible depth of other, broader skills that I plan to use in the future for the good of others.

The main purpose for going on the course was to enhance my personal development and help me to achieve all of the plans that I have for this year. I feel much more in control now of the life that I want and I know that I am the only person that can achieve it. However, the unexpected outcome was the additional set of skills that I have collected that I can use to really help other people.

These techniques/skills can be collectively put under the banner of coaching, but they need not be be used in conjunction with coaching. They can be used to help someone change a behaviour that they have internally generated at a point in time, in order for them to unblock it and help them to achieve what they want.

I want to start up my own company assisting people with these changes, and it will be called The Change Institute.

It will focus on a variety of techniques, including Phobia Treatment, Time Line Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and Coaching. These techniques are very powerful and are completely guaranteed, if the person wants to make the change.

As an example, while we were learning the models I rid myself of a fifteen year habit of biting my nails, and even more impressively, a twenty five year old fear of heights, both of these were gone in about twenty minutes each.

The person who wants to change must come to me wanting it to happen, in other words there cannot be any secondary gain attached to it, and also they must put some kind of investment into the process to reinforce the desire to change. This investment is typically given in both time and money.

I intend to start this company primarily up north, in order to start practicing as soon as possible, and then it will move with me when we relocate. There is no set premises that is required, but I do need to look into rooms that I can hire near me that can be used as quiet therapy rooms. Then as and when I get a client I will just hire the room, thus preventing any regular overhead commitment. I don't want to run it from home as it feels a bit personal.

In order to get started I will get some business cards printed and start putting them up in places near me, and then wait for the business to come. I also need a website so that people can read about it before they make the first call. I know that this would be how I'd approach something, and it also makes me look more professional, which is the image that I want to project. Everyone I know wants to make a change in something, and when they want it bad enough they'll start to look for help.

If I can help the first group of clients, then reputation through word of mouth will build, and soon I'll be batting people away. It will be fantastic to be able to help people to achieve a better life in whatever area they want to change.

So I'll keep you updated with the progress that I want to make with this, and more importantly, I'll let everyone know when I do get that first client. Exciting times.

Location:Lydiat Ln,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

My Booky Wook

The book that I have written is complete, this is not news to anyone. But the final stages of sending out has dribbled on for far too long, so I'm now conscious of pushing it out to the world.

I have found a really useful website that aims to help amateur authors become published. It's called www.WritersWorkshop.co.uk and it offers some basic advice guides on various stages of the process.

- Polishing off the manuscript
- How to write the perfect synopsis
- How to get a Literary Agent

The Final Polish

- Double Line Spacing
- Times New Roman font
- Indent paragraphs, and no space between paragraphs
- Single quotation marks for dialogue
- Perfect punctuation

So I'm going to go through the tome and bring it up to this standard.

Synopsis

- No more than 500 words
- Business-like
- Well presented
- Just tell the story

Literary Agent

- First of all there is no realistic route into the market other than using an agent
- A typical agent takes on two new authors a year, and yet he reads over one thousand manuscripts. (No pressure)
- At least get the layout right
- Select your targets - the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook will come in handy for that
- Send out six at a time with;
- a covering letter
- the synopsis
- the manuscript (some may require only 2-3 chapters, others only 50 pages etc)
- Wait 3 weeks and send the next lot out
- Prepare for rejection
- Review Progress (if there have been more than 15 rejections then there is likely to be something wrong with your manuscript

It also gives you tips like, there is no harm sending it to MR.X of ABC company one month, and then Mrs.Y of ABC the next month.

This website also offers a manuscript guidance service which is quite costly at around £500. Which promises to offer hard-nosed literary advice and marketability suggestions, and a reputable weight behind the manuscript when it goes back to the market. So I shall see how it goes on my own steam at first, but that is definitely an option if needed. £500 versus a lifetime as a published author, seeing my books being turned into films in Hollywood; a mere snip.

So, this is what I will be busying myself with over the next week, and making sure that I'm in a position to start sending the baby out.

Location:Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Too Cool for School

One of the main parts of moving to the Isle of Wight, and the main reason for moving in September, is so that the kids can start Primary School at the beginning. We think it will be better if we can make that happen, as it will hopefully mean that Dylan, especially, can settle much quicker.

The predicament that presents itself is that we need to be able to enrol them in schools in January for a September start. Sophie's school should be okay as this goes through a process called The Statement so this goes through other routes. Also there is only one school on the island that she can go to (Medina House), and she is prioritised due to her condition, so I'm not too worried about that.

But Dylan is another kettle of fish. He's just going into the mix of normal schools, to which there are plenty. The problem is that each school has a catchment area and you then have to apply for your three most preferred schools in order.

We aren't in any catchment area because we don't live there yet, and we only know a potential place where we are going to move to. And funnily enough that won't do it.

If, for example, our favourite school can take twenty children and they get 21 apply, then guess who misses out. Poor Dylan gets stuck in the ghetto of the Isle of Wight, which in comparison to where we are now will probably feel like Eton, but still not ideal.

Our plan, that we're going to take, is to apply for the schools and follow the process, but then try and leverage some kind of special exception piggy backing on Sophie's school. We're going to say that as Sophie is going to school in Newport, then surely it makes sense from our family's point of view to school Dylan somewhere near.

Who knows if this will work or not but it's worth a go.

If the worst comes to the worst we can always hold him back until March of the following year, but this is definitely the worst case scenario. I'm sure we'll be able to negotiate something when we get there if it all goes pear-shaped.

Who'd have thought that schools would cause such a problem, surely people just go to school. I get that feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many other pitfalls waiting just around the corner.

Location:Heaton Rd,Stockport,United Kingdom

Happy New Year, Climb on.

I've bored everyone I know about the journey that I'm on. At any point when anyone asks, "So what are your plans?" I always launch into an extended monologue about moving to the Isle of Wight and starting a writing career, and starting a special needs holiday let business, oh and don't forget the NLP. I've been talking about it for so long that it probably seems as though I'm not getting anywhere fast, but I've been gradually edging my way there bit by bit, even if most of those bits are more in Claire and I's minds.

But now, this is the last push. I want to start tracking our progress between now and the landing, so that firstly we can keep people informed, and also that I can collate this material one day in order to help others thinking of embarking on a relocation with a family, including a career change.

I want to keep this blog as informal as it can be, and as simple as it can be, and it will just keep up with where we're up to.

I'm going to be tracking:

- The sale of the house in Stockport
- Getting a redundancy package from work
- Getting my book published
- The progress I make with NLP Coaching and Therapy
- Schools for the kids
- Areas to move to in the Isle of Wight
- Special requirements for Sophie (my Daughter with a Chromosome Deletion)
- And any other cheeky little things that crop up that are completely unknown to me at this stage

I'm going to add entries as and when things happen so that this blog is a true reflection of living with the challenges that we're going to face. It will reflect the ups and downs, there will be some interesting factual stuff, and there will also be a lot of the feelings attached to this type of a move. I want it to be as real as possible, and for this reason I will only suggest to select people that I know to read it.

I know that if you subscribe to this blog using the RSS feed button on the webpage then at worst you will be entertained by a real life drama unfolding week after week, but at best it will be inspirational and life changing.


I'm bored beyond belief with my current career as a Project Manager for a software implementation project, oh my god, even the title sounds boring. This Relocation is going to be the beginning of something massive for us, and I want you all to come along. I've been inspired by books that I have read, including Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Change your Life in Seven Days by Paul McKenna, all of which have fired me up to succeed. I have also become an NLP Practitioner which is at the root of all of these books, and I now want to inspire others to make the change and grasp it while it's still there.

So here's to a wonderful journey and an enriching experience, and a future of happiness and contentment.

Location:Manchester Rd,Stockport,United Kingdom