To Whom It May Concern

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again. I want to to go McDonalds and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colours, multiplication tables and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones. I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So.... here's my cheque book and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401,000 statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause.....

"Tag - You're it!"

Facilitation

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end. Then stop" - The King (Alice in Wonderland)

We have lots of ways of facilitating your meetings and events – all designed to provide a clear framework for making sure that everyone gets the chance to participate, no single agenda dominates and you get a clearly defined outcome with improved relationships and ‘buy in’ from those involved.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help to improve your meetings, events and consultations - getting you great results!

info@accessdevelopmentservices.co.uk

Tel: 0794983995

To Advertise or Not to Advertise

I have been thinking about developing my business and what I should do about advertising. Most of my business tends to come from recommendation and all of my business has been as a result of personal contact. I believe that people buy people.

Since I am always open to having my beliefs challenged I have decided to try advertising - first on a small scale. So, I have contacted a business directory which has offered a free listing and will see what results from this.

UK Small Business Directory

Marbles

I was wondering what to write here today and then I received this story.

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.
Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.
It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

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Sailing Solo

Out of all the billions and billions of people that live or have lived, more people have gone into space than have sailed alone around the world…. And less than a handful have done it under the age of 20.

So - What makes these young people so determined to succeed in something so awesomely difficult and challenging?

David Dicks Nov 1996
17
Australian
First teenager to sail solo around the world.

“I started sailing with Jon (Sanders - the first single-handed sailor to remain continuously at sea twice around the world) when I was about 12 or 13, and going on long deliveries with him across the Bight and thinking, "This is just great, you know. I wanna do something like what Jon's done. And that's when I used to say, ‘I'll beat your record, you know.’”

Jesse Martin 31.10.99
18
Australian
Youngest person to sail solo around the world with no help

“There are many people out there dreaming of great things, and it’s a good chance that your son, daughter, brother, sister or friend is one of them. Believe and encourage them so they won’t lose one of humanity’s most prized assets - the ability to dream.”
And he tells us that
“Dreaming is my drug. It’s what I use to get me through the hard times.”
“After the solo trip, I felt like I could do anything and the thing at the top of my list was to sail around the world again, but this time stop at all the places I’d passed by and do it with friends.”

Zac Sunderland 16.07.09
17
American

Zac told the BBC that the experience had been tough but he had never thought of giving up.

“After more than a year alone at sea, I'm struck by how much people my age can actually achieve, if only they have the passion and ability to think beyond what society tells them is possible," he said.

He added that he was already planning his next challenge.
"I'm hoping to set off on my next adventure soon - Mount Everest or down to the Arctic Circle,"

Mike Perham 27.08.09
17
British
Aged 14 – youngest person to sail across the Atlantic single handed (record still unbeaten) and aged 17 youngest person to sail solo around the world with assistance

Mike said: "I've made it, I've made my dream come true and it feels amazing. A BIG BIG thanks to my Dad, Mum, all the sponsors and every one who has helped me along the way.


So... Who next?

Laura Decker
13
Netherlands
Wants to become the youngest ever person to sail solo around the world – her parents are supportive, but the authorities may not allow her to sail as they consider her to be too young.

Laura told a Children’s T.V. show
"My parents always knew it was a dream of mine to do this. And I want to do it while I'm still young, so I can break the record."


When you read the stories of these amazing young people, you find they all had some things in common.

• A dream. A specific, compelling goal in mind
• Determination. They worked at it. Themselves. One step at a time, not letting anything stand in their way.
• Belief. Belief in their own ability, belief that it could be done, and belief that nothing was going to stop them. And, importantly, the belief of others that they could do this – particularly that of their parents.
• Support. Sponsors, friends, strangers, parents, friends, family.
• A flexible plan. Although the journey was meticulously planned, they had to cope with setbacks that were out of their control; the weather; repairs to the boat and equipment. They and their plans needed to be adaptable.
• Drive and ambition. As soon as the journey was over, they all had plans for what they wanted to do next. The trip was not an end in itself, but part of a continuing journey of adventure and achievement

If nothing else, they have shown us that life is about moving forward, against all odds and succeeding.

What can you learn from their attitude, beliefs and achievements that will help you move forward and succeed in your life?

Take care

Sandra