"Hello, Dee speaking, How can I help you?"

I've been thinking a lot about communication recently.

If we go back through the years, it all started with the grunt of a caveman. Then on to real words, cave markings, paintings, writing, courier pigeon, telephone, fax, internet chat rooms, pagers, text messages, and now social media. *and breathe*

We're a species that have developed our communication skills so much that we're no longer using the basics. Hands up, how many of you have actually picked up the phone this week, dialled a number and SPOKEN to someone? Scary thought isn't it. Especially when it is so much easier to drop a text, or write a DM or email.

We spend hours talking on various social media sites but when we meet face to face the conversation can sometimes be awkward. I found this happens much more with the younger generation. They're so used to interacting through a screen that sometimes they just cannot cope with the face to face interaction. It's quite sad really.

One of the things I love about my other half is the fact he talks. He'd rather pick up the phone and talk to me rather than sending a quick text. He's also a big advocate for penmanship. I love his passion for using pen and paper. I love pen and paper too.

eBooks make me a little sad. You do not need 500 books on a tablet. It's not like you can read them all at once anyway and there is nothing quite like the feel and smell of an actual paper book, in my opinion.

In regards to communication within your business, aren't we lucky? We're part of the instant generation where we no longer have to wait to get news about a contract or to get a project off the ground. It can all be done in a click of a button. The problem with having the ability to do it all, is that we can easily become overwhelmed. So, you have your job, then you have all the back office stuff that needs doing, all the social media accounts that need to be constantly looked after plus any bits and pieces that the day decides to throw at you... you're juggling all your plates perfectly... until the phone rings. Is it just me or does the phone ALWAYS ring at the most inconvenient time?

I've recently come across a fabulous solution. It's not a new idea, it's just perfect for any business that needs to buy a little time. That solution is Apples & Oranges. No, not the fruit, but a super duper call answering service based right here in the UK! PLUS you're not fixed in to a contract so you could just use the service in your busy periods / certain times of the day / When you're on holiday.

I've been in contact with the owners and what they offer and how they can customise their service is amazing! Here is what Dawn Davis had to say....

"Communication is what we're about - 21st century style!

One of the biggest problems when you're in business is ensuring that you NEVER miss a call, therefore never missing an opportunity, so that's where we come in.

Before we started this part of our business we kept being asked "do you have a telephone answering service", after a number of requests we started to think, why don't we have a telephone answering service? We decided to first investigate and then invest!

Every client we have has slightly different requirements, our policy is, the answer is 'YES' now tell us what you want and we'll make it happen for you."

You can get in contact with Dawn and the team via their WEBSITE.

I'd be interested to see how many of you actually look into this for you business so quote 'DAMMIH' when you get in touch. I'll be keeping my eye on you ;). If you'd like to hear what happened When Dawn and I got together for a MMIH Show you can find the Podcast HERE


Until next time.

Much Love

Miss Make It Happen

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The Cost of Kindness.

Last night, whilst I was out hunting Pokemon, a friend and I came across a little old lady on a mobility scooter. the battery had run flat out so we pushed her home. It would have been so easy just to keep walking. A few more steps and we’d have been out of sight and I would have got the PokeStop i’d been walking towards. A few more steps and that lady could have been sitting around for ages. Now i’m not looking for a medal or a standing ovation. I’m just asking that we all think about how truly blessed we are. I’m sure we all have battles to deal with in our daily lives but 10 minutes of kindness doesn’t cost a thing. 

A few years back someone said to me “Be kind, then, you’ll be rich”. I didn’t understand what was meant and, at the time, i wasn’t that bothered. A few years later a friend and I embarked on a little adventure where we were to face adversity. We decided to get a better understanding of homelessness by becoming ‘homeless’ for 24 hours in our home town of London. You can read the full adventure HERE.

One of the main things that sticks out from, what turned out to be one of the hardest 24hours of my life, was that people who have less seem to have more to give and ask for nothing in return but your time. Whilst out, we decided to buy sandwiches and go to meet a few people. We met a man outside a very prestigious hotel and offered him some sandwiches. He accepted but declined a second. This played on my mind. He had no guarantee when his next meal would come along yet he was still thinking about others. I can almost guarantee that I would have taken two. Hell, if you offered me free food in my current comfortable situation I would still take it! 

A little further down the road we met another man and his lovely dog. He was an ex soldier. Just that alone, broke my heart. He explained that Pret A Manger, the popular coffee chain, offer all their end of day food to the homeless and he was waiting for them. 

It turned out this was true and the staff from Pret done their good deed. This man didn’t have a bean but refused our help  knowing full well he was going to get dinner that night and our goods could help someone else. We ended up spending a bit of time with him. Letting him talk. Us listening. Thats all he wanted. He just wanted a companion for a while. That night changed me. I no longer see homeless people as bums. The people we met were some of the nicest people i’d ever met. So humble and kind. 

I vowed that I would try to give back in my life. It didn’t have to be daily, weekly or monthly. Just when I could, when the opportunity arose. I was going to try to be a kinder person. 

Please don’t see this as me judging anyone. As I said, up until I had my experience, I was blind to what was happening in the world. All I ask is that we all try and do something small this week to make a big difference in someone else’s world. 

So ask yourself this - At what point of having everything, did you have nothing to give? 

Until next time.

Much Love

Miss Make It Happen

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Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. It's Where Your Confidence Is Hiding.

If you were to meet me on the street you’d think i’m confident. I’m good, no, i’m GREAT at playing the part. You’d think i’m a social butterfly who has no trouble networking a room, talking in front of strangers or just being myself. The truth is. I find all that ‘stuff’ hard work and somewhat exhausting. 

In todays society, confidence is a must have accessory for every man, woman and child. If you’re not naturally confident you have to pretend you are. If that isn’t hard enough then the same society is telling you you need to eat less, eat more, wear make up, look natural, dress your age, eat this, don’t eat that, speak up, don’t have an opinion, be slim, have curves. Phew! I’m exhausted just thinking about that list.   

I’m an only child so I naturally spent a lot of my time alone growing up. I have grown to love being alone. It’s ME time, it’s quiet and I don’t have to worry about entertaining people or wondering what they think of my ice cream stained PJs as i’m stretched out on the sofa reading a book.   

Over the years my confidence has taken some hefty knocks. People telling me I’m fat, ugly, not good enough. We’ve all been there. This is not a sob story but more of an awakening. I started dating Mike in April. He's literally turned my world upside down. He treats me like an absolute princess and never fails to tell me how beautiful I look, how proud he is of me or just simply that he loves me. Over the last few months my self confidence has changed.  Yes, yes, I know. I shouldn’t let someone else control the way I feel. Blah blah blah. But do you know what. This isn’t about him controlling my emotions but more helping me fix my broken bits. By handing me all the shards and fragments of my previously shattered confidence, he’s given me a platform to rebuild myself from the inside out. A platform I have complete control over. I'm very grateful for that. 

As my confidence grew, I got back in contact with a photographer who has been talking about shooting me for a few years. I took the plunge and agreed to the shoot. We started off with some fun and business like poses and then I became adventurous. Next thing I know, I’ve agreed to a boudoir shoot. My confidence was literally exploding from all the fun and excitement. I wouldn’t have dreamed doing this before and at the same time I hadn’t felt so liberated or beautiful in such a long time. I went from corsets, tutus and heels to butt naked wrapped in a sheet. 

I’ve since named Mikaela Morgan the OFFICIAL photographer for MMIH and we’ve done a really great podcast explaining about how these kinds of shoots can really help people with their self confidence. The woman is an absolute magician with a camera and i’m so happy that I finally stepped outside my comfort zone and let her work her magic. 

I’ve been able to draw a line under the past and i’m looking forward to a future full of Love, Laughter and REAL confidence. 

You should give yourself that opportunity too. What have you got to lose?

Until next time.

Much Love

Miss Make It Happen

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(Pictures owned by M Morgan and D Atkins)

The Only Way Is Up...

... down, left, right, loop the loop.

In life, nothing is straight forward. You'll hardly ever get from A to B in a straight line.

I recently took on one of the hardest challenges of my life. Mount Snowdon. I've written a 2 part blog for Yahoo and HERE is Part 1. The Ascent!

I hope you enjoy reading it :)

Until next time.
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
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Kindness Costs Nothing

Thanks to the kindness of people, It's been a good week here at MMIH HQ.

I've had so much help, love and support recently that I wanted to write some thing  to let people know that it hasn't gone un-notice. I'm a massive believer in karma. Business karma, life karma, love karma. You get what you deserve. Put out in to the world what you want to receive etc etc. Never underestimate the power of a thank you, a "would you like help", a hug. To you they may seem insignificant but to that person, who may be going through their own hell, it could mean the world. 

People, however strong they think they are, need support sometimes. A cheerful hug I received last week meant so much more. It was just a normal friendly hug but to me it was just what I needed at that time. It made me feel safe. Safe is not a place I visit often. I paid that hug forward to my mum the following day. 

I've been on twitter for a few years now, I jump from account to account creating tweets, building brands and playing my alter egos. From the MMIH account, to my DJ account, client accounts... I become a difference person. I'm what the account needs me to be. AND I LOVE IT! 

I slipped up recently, I forgot that everyone hadn't been on twitter for as long as me, they didn't have the large interaction circle, they didn't know the ropes. So when someone said "twitter is sh*t, I don't know why you bother" not only was I shocked, I didn't get it! Then I remembered my first months on twitter. It can be a scary place. 

"Will they mind if I follow them?" "Will they mind if I interrupt the conversation" "who should I follow?" 

The truth is, we're brought up to behave, be quiet, don't interrupt conversations, speak when you're spoken to. Twitter throws all those rules out of the window. You need to be assertive, confident and get your point across. SEND THE PIC OF THE HAMSTER DEEP THROATING A BANANA - Do it, be brave. 

The more you use twitter, the better the experience. Yeah, you'll come across some serious neg heads but that's what is so great about the 'block' button. As a whole, twitter is a great platform for personal and business growth. 

Well I'm keeping it short but sweet this time around... I'm not even sure how I got from kindness to twitter to a deep throating hamster. 

Do something selfless this week... Be there for someone, even if they don't ask you to be.

Until next time.
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube - Tumblr

Opportunity knocks.

Knock Knock!

We all know that opportunity usually comes with change. If what you have been offered isn't new then what's the point in trying it? You might as well stick at what you're already doing if you're not going to change something with the new opportunity.

Recently I've made some choices that led to changes in my life. At the time they felt risky and I wasn't sure I wanted to disrupt the status quo but so far it's turned ok.

As I've mentioned before, I attended BradCamp Be A Better Speaker, earlier this year on the hope of improving my speaking skills and one day headlining at The Business Show. Truth is, I realised that when I attended BradCamp that I didn't actually want to be a speaker after all. But I did want people to know what I had to say. One of the ideas that I got from BradCamp was to start a podcast. I wasn't sure where to start or what I was doing but I knew I'd figure it out. I always do.

3 months on, I have a podcast that I am proud of, am honoured to interview some of the great minds of the SME world and I love what i'm doing. I'm also in talks with several companies to produce their podcasts. A small idea at a development day has given me the opportunity to not only get my voice out there but to also increase my client base. I'm glad I took that opportunity.

Believe me when I say I know how scary opportunities are and how change is a tough cookie to digest but sometimes the only reason we don't take up an opportunity is because of self doubt.  We think  don't deserve what we're being offered or we're not talented enough. Truth is, if you're being offered the opportunity it's because someone else has seen your potential. Someone else has seen how hard you've worked. Some one else thinks that you're the right person for the job.

Weigh up the pros and cons and give it a go. You cannot grow if you refuse to change. Look at the caterpillar and the butterfly. If the caterpillar didn't make the change, he'd never have grown wings and been able to fly .

Release your inner butterfly. The door of opportunity looks exactly like the door to failure. You need to open them to find out which is which. or you could just stay locked in the same room.

Until next time.
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
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Vultures

I get my hosting package and emails from 123-reg. I have done for years. All in all, they're pretty good for what I need. They're easy to work out, their customer services reps are good at what they do and I've not had any major issues with them.

Don't get me wrong i've been without emails a few times over the years but I was kept up to date with the problem via social media and all was well. No one died.

Earlier this month, my emails were wiped out for quite a while during the busiest couple of days of the year. It was The Business Show at London ExCel and I'm a little disgruntled. I couldn't access 123-regs site to ask what was going on so i sent them a tweet. Within minutes, I had a response. They knew there was a problem and I was assured they were on the case. 20 minutes later, I had my emails back.

As far as I was concerned the job was done, I was happy. After all, show me a perfect person or business and i'll show you a liar. None of us are perfect and we need to forgive little mistakes in life and business.

So whilst all this is going on, the vultures have started circling. Other "competitors" wanting my business. To take me away from my current supplier because of a hiccup. I wasn't impressed. I worked in the recruitment industry for YEARS so I know cut throat sales but I hate it. It will not work on me. If you or your staff are selling this way you should be ashamed of yourself.

Sales is a long game, just like networking, and business in general. By sending people "We can offer you a better service" tweets without - 1) Whats going on, and 2) What service I already have you're only going to get one response from me. A shaming live on twitter. If you're lucky i'll throw in a few tips and send you to a networking event.

Just don't be a sales vulture. There is no need for it and you'll just look like a mug. (<Proper East London term for you there)



Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
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Creative Constipation

Brain Freeze, Writers Block, Creative Constipation - we all get times when we just can't get the ideas from brain to paper.

It's all perfectly normal.

But how do we get passed these situations without becoming demotivated and getting caught in a circle of never ending negativity and being unproductive?

Well, first, you have to give yourself a break. You're not some massive failure, you probably just have too much on your mind and need to relax and get that in to order first. If you're in the UK, the weather is finally getting warm enough to go out side and have a walk. Go grab some fresh air and clear out the cobwebs. It'll do you the world of good. Trust me.

Another way to stop all of the above is stop leaving things to the last minute. Unless you're one of these lucky people who thrives under pressure then leaving your tasks to the last minute will not make it any easier for you. It needs to be done so get it out of the way now.

My final piece of advice, especially when it comes to writing content is write down all the ideas you have throughout the day. If you have a lightbulb moment then WRITE IT DOWN! You will not remember it, however good the idea and you'll be kicking yourself later when you need ideas and you need them quick!

Well that's it for this week.

Hope you all have a fabulous week and remember ... It's going to be ok.

Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube

Accountability

It doesn't matter who you are, what you do or how good you are at doing it. We all have those days where we would rather hide in bed with a tub of ice cream and Netflix rather than face the ever growing to do list.

That's ok. We all do it. And do you know what, I actively encourage my clients to partake in a "F*ck It" Day. A day every now and then that revolves around them and that makes them happy. No work, no tasks, no people. Just them, in their PJs, doing nothing.

As business owners or just people in general we have this weird obsession with keeping busy. We have to be going something or we're seen as lazy. If you were to ask people how many days i worked a week they'd probably tell you about 2. It's probably true too. I'd much rather go out and spend the day with my friends and family. That doesn't mean i'm work shy. I usually do most of my work in the evenings and middle of the night. Chances are I probably work more than the average person when you break down the hours, I just do my work when no one is looking.

The problem with "keeping busy" is we usually try to look busy but we aren't getting stuff done. So last year I started having weekly or monthly catch ups with people. These online get togethers helped boost my productivity, and i've been told the productivity of those involved. There is nothing quite as terrifying as when your peers ask you how projectX is getting on when you've been "busy" on social media all week.

I started to realise that, although i'm good at what I do, I can sometimes wander off and get distracted from my goals. Again, perfectly normal but not always useful when you're planning world domination. So plans were made, research was undertaken and I finally found a formula to help both myself and other people stay on track and productive. It's as simple as being accountable to someone.

Why not find an accountability buddy or *cough* hit me up at Hello@MissMakeItHappen.co.uk for information on my OMG! Accountability course. Yeah yeah, I know. #BuyMyStuff. My blog, my rules ;)

Until Next Time,
Keep smiling, It's going to be ok.
Miss Make It Happen

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube

Everyone is doing the Okey Cokey!

Put the UK in
Pull the UK out
in, out, in, out
Shake it all about.

If you haven't heard about the EU Referendum coming up on the 23rd June 2016 then you're probably a tortoise and are just coming out of hibernation in your shoe box under the stairs. For the rest of us, it's world wide news.

The British public have been given the chance to decide for themselves if they think we should stay in the EU or not. Everyone can and will be effected by either decisions but we need to decide and time is running out. No more sitting on the fence bull sh*t. We're about to make the biggest decision we've had to make in a very long time. I can't see us getting another shot at this kind of opt out any time soon.

I've made no secret of my decision to vote OUT. Yes, I know it'll be hard, yes there will be consequences for a while, but doesn't any change come with disruption? We need to look at the big long term picture and we need to vote for what we feel comfortable with.

Every one seems to have an opinion. On the off chance Barak Obama is reading this - You sir, can kiss my arse. If you think our great country will roll over because of you, you are sadly mistaken.

For those of you who are confused about what is going on, here are some, what I think are, impartial facts about The UK and The EU.

"- The UK joined the European Union in 1973 - Back then, it was known as the Common Market. But over the past 43 years, the EU has taken control over more and more areas which don't have anything to do with trade - such as our borders, our public services, and whether prisoner shave the right to vote

- When we (TheUK) joined, there were just 9 member states - Now there are 28, the most recent being Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia. Five more countries are being considered for membership: Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey. If they are let in, they will have the same rights as other member states.

- More than half of net migration to the UK comes from the EU.  More than a quarter of a million people come to the UK from the EU in the 12 months to September 2015- the equivalent of a city the size of Plymouth or Newcastle in just one year.

- While we're in the EU. the UK can't make trade deals on our own. This means we currently have no trade deals with key allies such as Australia, New Zealand or the USA - or important growing economies like India, China or Brazil. Instead of making a deal which is best for the Uk we have to wait or 27 other countries to agree to it!

- The EU costs us £350 million a week. That's enough to build a new NHS hospital every week of the year. We get less than half of this money back, and we have no control over the way it's spent - That's decided by politicians and officials in Brussels, rather than the people we elect here.

- You don't need to be a member of the EU to trade with it.  Switzerland is not in the EU and it exports more per person to the EU than we do. The big banks and multinationals might be lobbying to keep us in, but small and medium businesses feel differently. Only 6% of UK firms export to the EU, yet all have to abide by EU regulations on their business.

- EU law overrules UK law. This stops the British public from being able to vote out the politicians who make our laws. EU judges have already overruled British laws on issues like counter-terrorism powers, immigration, VAT, and prisoner voting. Even the Government's proposed new deal can be overturned after the referendum: It is not legally binding.

- There are risks with voting either way. Experts, politicians, and businesses are divided. People have to weigh up the risks and potential benefits of each course of action for themselves. "*

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it for the right reasons but more importantly - make sure you do actually vote!


Until Next Time,
Keep smiling, It's going to be ok.
Miss Make It Happen

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*Facts obtained from www.eureferendumfacts.org leaflet - you can get further information from the site or by texting FACTS to 88802 (Standards charges apply)

Be Proud!

We're all under pressure to like certain things wether it be the same style as our friends or what the fashion industry dictates we should be wearing.

We're programmed to be institutionalised, commercialised, robot human sheep.

We tend to herd together with like minded people. Those people with the same opinions, style, views and taste. Anyone who doesn't fit in with out choices is deemed strange, weird or even wrong.

And I for one am fed up with it.

My best friend and I have grown up together. She's my rock, my confident and my size 6 boot up the butt when I need it. She's my voice of reason and she is the ying to my yang. For anyone that knows me knows I like the colour green, getting dirty, pushing my physical limits, I do not want marriage and kids and am not apposed to getting electrocuted with 10,000 volts for "fun". Jamie is my complete opposite. She likes the colour pink, anything that sparkles, is girlie and has an amazing husband with a little girl and one on the way.
We are opposites, and it works. We've never been on holiday together because we would probably kill each other, we don't socialise together unless it's with the 4 friends that we actually share, we don't like the same men and to be fair our biggest link is probably "dot dots" aka chocolate. But it works.

Opposites attract as much as similarities do.

If you've listening to a track on the radio and you like it - Tell people. Be proud.
A few months back I was on a road trip and my friend Anne. She needed to get something off her chest.
"I've bought a new album, you're going to be so disappointed in me"
Without skipping a beat I responded "You've bought the Justin Bieber album, haven't you?"
Truth was, I'd not only been blasting out the album for weeks but i also, at the grand age of 31, had a full dance routine to go with at least 2 of the songs.

Why are we so scared to like something and actually tell people about it? When did it become acceptable to hide our passion because society or our peers say it's wrong. If you like something be proud. F*ck what everyone else likes. If all your friends are voting labour but you want to vote for the green party - do it! If you want to wear socks and sandals, do it. If you want to wear a dress with doc martins, you rock it. If you want to stay home rather than hit the club, good for you!

If you want to add milk AFTER you pour water on your tea bag then get the F*ck off of my blog, I can't even look at you right now. ;)

Be you, be proud to be different, shine bright my little stars!

Until next time, keep smiling.
It's going to be ok

Much Love
Miss Make It Happen.
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube
*The MMIH Show on Kick It Radio will be launching SOON*

It's a write off.

Did you know that we're all human?
Yep.
You, me, everyone!

I know we're meant to be strong, not show weakness, never be ill and god forbid if any of us actually moan about it but i'm fed up with it.

Over the last couple of weeks, myself and a fair few self employed people have been ill one way or another. There has been silent suffering, hospital visits, secret comfort sessions and of course - soldiering on.

So many people feel that they need to suffer in silence because they think people will not take them seriously if they show a sign of weakness. This is where we need to stop seeing business owners as machines and start treating them like people. We're all going to have off days, days that we want to curl up and hide. That's perfectly normal.

If you're going through a hard patch at the minute, don't be afraid to share the stress with someone. You're human and are entitled to have off days. Keeping it bottled up, feeling ashamed etc etc etc isn't going to do anyone any good.
Last Friday, it was decided that although the week had been somewhat productive work wise, we were going to write it off on a health level. Sometimes you really do just need to say "F*ck it and Forget it".

So remember, up until the point they actually turn you in to a Robo-cop type person, you're allowed to take a break and have a moan.

Nikki Butlin, www.NikkiButlin.com, has just written a great blog about 'Taking Time Out'. It kind of goes hand in hand with this one. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Until Next Time,
Keep smiling, It's going to be ok.
Miss Make It Happen

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube

Taking the next step.

Lets be honest, I don't care who you are or what you do, what you look like or how successful you or others think you are; Stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking the next step is scary business.

No one really wants to stay stuck in the same place, you all want to move forward and grow but it's hard work and can be terrifying.

MMIH is working behind the scenes to change things for the better - for both us and those around us. We're launching on different social medias, becoming more accessible and also launching our first set of online courses. To the outside world it looks like we're cool, calm, collected but in reality we're working 18 hour days, scared and freaking out.

Thats perfectly normal.

We're about to tread in to the unknown and although it can be scary it's also very exciting. The thing you need to remember when stepping in to the unknown or out of your comfort zone is that you don't need to do it alone. Build a squad of people who are your cheerleaders but that will also kick your butt when something isn't right.

I have a fair few people who I talk to about this stuff but I have a core4. These 4 people are privy to the inner depths of my head and I trust them profusely. At the moment, I don't make any decisions without first running it past at least 2 of them. This is not because I don't believe in myself, It's so I can enjoy the process of moving onwards and upwards.

So when you're ready to take the next step please remember
1) It's ok to be scared/excited
2) Believe in yourself, you're great!
3) Prepare the squad - Even King Arthur had his knights.
4) Just take the step!

It's just turned spring - What a better time to grow as a person or business?!

Until Next Time,
Keep smiling, It's going to be ok.
Miss Make It Happen

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube

Take the step in to the unknown. 

Peaks and Valleys

I've been self employed 6 years this year. I took the big leap in 2010 and to say I haven't looked back, would be a lie.

I've looked back at the comfort blanket of PAYE on many occasions. The guaranteed wages, the set routine, the sick pay, holiday pay, office parties and work/family unit, some one to be accountable to, other than myself.

This last 10 days has been particularly tricky. I'm usually an optimist. I try not to look for problems or the bad in situations. There are no problems, just pending solutions. This week my little world went in to free fall, through no fault of my own. Sh*t started to hit the fan in my business and personal life. I knew who I could turn to but instead I rolled up like a hedgehog and hoped it would go away. I planned a pity party for one and I wanted to hibernate.

Thankfully I have some amazing friends, they sensed what was going on and rather than joining the pity party and feeding me chocolate, they put on their boots and aimed them at my behind. Within 12 hours I had gone from hibernating hedgehog to Sonic the hedgehog. I still had problems but I now also had ideas, solutions and 2 absolutely amazing opportunities. One as a writer and another from a Radio station.

I'm a big believer that things really do happen for a reason. My life had to start to fall apart so I could be pushed out of my comfort zone, change things and see the opportunities that I'd actually been creating for myself. Granted the two big opportunities were offered from outside influences but it was my hard work with my blog and podcast that got me noticed in the first place.

If things are starting to free fall in your world, please don't do what I tried to do. Embrace the change and look for the bright side and opportunities. You don't have to receive them from outside influences, you can use this time to try some thing new, launch a product, change your master plan. Things are falling apart anyway, you might as well try something risky.

Look forward to catching up with you soon
Until then,
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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*YouTube coming soon*

Take the leap, it could lead to success. 

Second Chances

I'm not usually one for second chances. I am however one to hold a life long grudge, even if it's to my own detriment. It's not a quality that I admire in myself and to be honest i'm working on changing my outlook on chances and grudges.

I think i'm going soft in my old age. That or i've just started to realise that not everyone is perfect like me, and you might just make mistakes every now and then ;) My gramps was one for a grudge. If you got put on his naughty list, you stayed there. If i'm honest, I think I might have got it from him. I've got a lot of myself from my Gramps.

So, back to second chances. Recently, I was put in a position that made me think and question my own reasoning. A long time ago I put my trust into someone and I got burned. It was bad enough that my friends also carried the burden too. Years later our paths crossed again and I realised how much of a grudge I was carrying. I also realised 2 other things. 1) How heavy this burden had been to carry for all these years and 2) how much I didn't want it any more. I was done with the grudge, the hate and if i'm honest, I wanted this person back in to my life.

A friend of mine had recently lost her husband, someone who I considered a friend too. Scrap that, they always have and always will be like family to me. It made me realise, at least reinforced, my belief that life is too short. So we made the decision there and then, after visiting J's grave, that I would contact the person and we'd talk it through. Before we met up, I contacted the friends that were there to pick up the pieces the first time. It wasn't a great conversation but they agreed that it was my choice and whatever happened they had my back.

I also carried out a basic online survey. 50% of people said Yes, They give second chances. 14% said Nope and 36% said it depended on the situation. Thats 86% of people who would give, or at least consider giving someone a second chance. I was a bit shocked it was so high.

So, I bit the bullet and hoped I wasn't about to make another big mistake. Turns out there really are 3 sides to every story and after long discussions, honesty and a bit of a laugh the past was finally buried and boy does it feel good.

I'll be making a conscious effort to spot the grudges i've been holding for too long from now on. I'll either talk to the person or just let them go.

No one wakes up in the morning and decides they'll intentionally hurt someone. sometimes a mistake is just a mistake. Surely, everyone deserves a second chance?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on second chances.

As Always,
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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*YouTube coming soon*

It's not always an attack

Did you know that it's not always a racist, sexist, homophobic, religious attack?

Some people are just arseholes and deserve a kick in the butt!

Why on earth do we always have to look for an excuse for someone being bad? Maybe the man or woman is just a bad person. It has nothing to do with their race, religion, colour or geographical location.

We all know - White men can't jump or every black guy is going to mug your gran, right? wrong!

We've started to build these stupid social stereotypes that make everyone seem the same as their similar looking counterpart.

I'm from East London. In my little corner of London we joke that if you're 30, have a job and no kids, then you are weird. Jeez, If you hit 20 without getting knocked up you're doing well. It's not the greatest of places any more but wow, does it come with a lot of history.

Anyway, back to my point. Why do we need to put people in to a group before hating on them? It is our stupidity of doing this that allows our media to scare monger. If you sit and think for 2 seconds before declaring all Muslims terrorists, you'll realise how ridiculous it all sounds.

Lets all make a pact right now, if someone is an arse - you can say mean stuff. If they are not - Then don't. Actually, don't be mean to anyone, it only fuels their idiotic behaviour and creates ripple effects for other people.

If we're all nice, the world will improve. Not only for us, but for future generations.

Think before you start to tar people with the same brush. Not all white people support the KKK, not all germans are nazis, Not all muslims are terrorists, etc etc - you get the picture. If you have to judge, judge a person on their direct relationship to how they treat YOU.

Until next time
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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I don't know where you get it from!

I was out for an afternoon walk with my mum recently and I was telling her about my plans for the year.

Those plans, as you may have read in my newsletter, involve climbing Mount Snowdon in July and then doing my second Tough Mudder later on in the year. We spent the next 20 minutes or so discussing snowdon, and what we thought it'd be like. Then we moved on to Tough Mudder. I got really excited thinking / talking about what this years event had in store.

At this point in the conversation, my mum said "I don't know where you get it from, me and your father wouldn't dream of doing something like that."

This got me thinking. She was right. Out of everyone in my family, I'm the only one who purposely goes out to do stupid sh*t. I started to think about my WHY?

- I like doing stupid sh*t, it makes me feel alive
- I like to find and smash my own physical and mental limits
- One day, my auto immune disease will win, and i'll not be able to physically do stupid sh*t

As i'm writing this blog, I have an injection warming up on the table so I can inject a medication that will help slow the destruction going on in my body. This medication will never be good enough to completely cure me. it'll never completely stop the pain and it will probably do more harm than good, in the long run, if I believe the recent medical reports. But right now, it's all i've got and I'm bloody thankful for it. Not only does my treatment/care cost the NHS 4 figure sums on a monthly basis, it's painful to inject and it's a pain in he butt on a logistics level. That little vile of clear, cold fluid allows me live a little more comfortably, reduces pain and gives me hope that my mum will be able to carry on saying "I don't know where you get it from" for a few more years.

99% of the time, this whole situation doesn't bother me at all. I'm not one to worry about things i cannot change. But occasionally, it scares the crap out of me. That's ok too, because it's just another mental challenge that I get to conquer.

Do something "stupid" this year. Something that challenges you both physically and mentally. It'll make you or break you. Either way you'll know if to push for harder limits or be able to smash your limits next time.

Let me know what you decide to do.

Much love
Dee
Miss Make It Happen

Please stay in touch
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Brad Camp - Become A Better Speaker

On Tuesday 26th January I travelled from London to Walsall (40 Minutes north of Birmingham) to attend Brad Burton's 'Be A Better Speaker' day.

I hate, actually hate public speaking and the night before to say I lost sleep was an understatement.

The day started with open networking and breakfast. A great opportunity to get to know your fellow campers and grab a bite to eat.

We were then taken to a room and it was explained what was going to happen during the day.

At this point i'm torn between telling you exactly what happens during the day and letting you find out for yourself.

What did I learn about me as a speaker?
- The more I talk, the less anxious I become
- I need to practice more
- I know where I want to go as a speaker
- I have ideas, oh so many ideas
- What my assets are

I could go on all day, but If you want to know what type of speaker you are, what your plan should be for becoming the bets you can and what you'll need in the process I thoroughly recommend hitting the link below and finding the next #BradCamp

BRADCAMP

Why did I attend BradCamp? Although I love helping people by telling my story and sharing my experiences, I have two fears in life - Heights and Public Speaking. I believe in what I have to say and I am, after some internal digging, proud to be able to speak to people about what i've had go right and wrong with my life, I just hate the thought of being centre of attention in a "professional" capacity. BradCamp has definitely changed that for me, so watch this space.....

Much Love
Dee
Miss Make It Happen

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Commercial Sheep & Valentines Day

My last proper relationship was for 6 years.  During that time we didn't really buy in to all the hearts and flowers of Valentines Day.  We'd usually get each other a card but thats about it. It wasn't a big deal and we didn't waste money because society and the commercial giants demand it.

I've been single, 4 years next month. (Wow time really does fly when you're having fun!) and I've realised that as a single person I spend more time, energy and money on celebrating Valentines Day. how weird is that?

A day that was designed and aimed at couples has created a sub culture for the singletons.  When I was in a relationship I wouldn't have been thinking about ValDay but this year, it's taken 3 of us, several conversations to plan a whole day dedicated to being single.

Seriously, it all feels a little bit weird if you ask me. I'm off to spend the day wandering around London, getting involved with Chinese New Year parade, other random London related stuff and then off to our favourite Chinese for a romantic, or not so much, dinner for 3.

Now, I like spending time with my friends, I just kind of wish we'd do it another day. One of the other 360 odd days this year that doesn't have a "couples" related theme.

Until next time....

Much love,

Miss Make It Happen.

You're not always right.

On Tuesday 26th January I had an accident. Well, technically I  had two related accidents.

Firstly, A car door slammed shut on my head in a wind related accident. Then after a 4 hour journey home, I got in to bed and knocked myself out for 14 hours by hitting my head on a wall.

For the next few days I just got on with the headache. A few friends asked me to go to the hospital as I wasn't getting better and they were worried due to me being epileptic. I knew best, I was fine... I don't need the hospital.

7 days in, I was still not myself and I cannot shift the headache. I ended up in hospital being passed between nurses and doctors for 7 hours. 5 hours in and we're pretty sure it's a bad case of concussion until two doctors decide to to swap notes or whatever doctors do.

"I've just spoken to the the doctor you've just seen and we need to get you up to have a CT scan ASAP."

*confused look from me* at this stage I thought I was on my way home.

"For the possible bleed on your brain".

oh.

Within 30 minutes I had my head in a CT scanner and was willing my brain to be ok. It already goes through enough and neither of us need this.

Luckily, my scans came back clear for any bleeding and I was sent home with the diagnosis of bad concussion that I can expect to be reminded of for a while yet.

The point i'm trying to make is - I was wrong not listening to my friends. It's quite scary to think that if I had had a bleed on the brain, I could have been left a lot worse off than a concussion.

When people are offering you advice, think to yourself WHY they are. Sometimes, just sometimes they could be doing it for the right reason, because they care and who knows...it could save your life

On that happy note
Until Next Time
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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I've just lost my right arm

At about 10:30am on Thursday 28th January 2016 - It felt like my right arm had been ripped from its socket.

I was updating apps on my Macbook Air and I wasn't concentrating. I clicked 'upgrade' on the new El Captain system upgrade. Then I agreed to the T&Cs and then I realised what i'd just done.

*Deep Breath*

Firstly, no, I hadn't backed up. The upgrade was an accident.

Secondly, I thought it'll be ok, the update is happening fast and there don't seem to be any problems.

Thirdly, Crap.

At 80% complete, the laptop (which is under a year old) frozen for about an hour before completely dying on me. There was no lights, no sounds, no nothing. I called Apple and we pushed buttons for 20 minutes. I then went to an Apple 3rd Party Supplier and they asked me to turn it on so they could run diagnostics - It took every ounce of my being not to scream "If i could turn it on, I wouldn't Fing be here". They offered to send it off and have a look but I decided to take it home and speak to App again.

Thanksfully, 99.9% of my work is on the cloud and apart from one client system I could access everything from my iPad. but I basically lost a days work because I was running around and on the phone all day.

This whole day got me thinking - I don't have a back up plan for digital disasters. Thankfully at 8:45pm there was a beep from my coffee table. The computer had magically restored itself and I could finally catch up properly on some work.

Do you have a digital back up? What would happen to your business if your computer just died?
Food for thought.

Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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Looking for my inner child.

I think, that to become and stay happy adults we need to hold on to our inner child.

You know the one, the little voice that tells you to do something cheeky or mischievous. The one that you spend all day dismissing because "Thats not what an adult should be doing". The one that tempts you and the one you ignore.

A child, be it inner or actual, will only try for your attention for so long before it gets bored and wanders off. It's my belief that if you don't give your inner child attention this is when you start to struggle in adulthood. Children have no fear so if you get rid of that part of you, you'll struggle with all sorts of decision and mischief making.

Last year I started to push my inner child away. I spend about 6 months feeling unhappy and I couldn't figure out why. I was conforming to society and it was making me down right miserable. This year i've lured that inner child out again with the promise of more fun. Because I plan on having fun doesn't make me any less an adult, or business person for that matter. So, as a new year present for me i bought a set of Bauer Quads (see picture below). When I was 14-15 I used to be glued into my Bauer Turbo quads and to be fair, I was pretty good with the whole stunts and street hockey thing. Fast forward 15+ years and i'm standing in a car park wondering what the F i'm doing and should I actually go through with a leisurely roll.

Luckily for me, the inner child rocked up and I was off. The first 5-10minutes was pretty touch and go but I stayed up right and I was off for a 3 mile roll with my friend, Nikki. We stayed up right and managed a top speed of 14mph and didn't fall over once. #ProudAdultMoment. After my epic win (to me anyway) I was full of beans. I came home, had a roast dinner, followed by a homemade Gin and Lime slush puppy (hit me up for the recipe) then I hit Mondays To Do list.

Going back to my childhood passion really made me happy and in turn really helped with my productivity. Why not let your inner child out this week and have some fun. Who knows - It might help you become happy.

Until Next Time
Miss Make It Happen
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Don't believe the hype. especially your own.

It's Monday 11th January 2016 (As I am writing this)

We no longer have to say Happy New Year to EVERYONE we speak to.

I woke up with a headache.

It's raining

And It's just been announced that David Bowie has passed away after fighting cancer for 18 months.

I'm not one who will usually buy in to the whole "OMG, Celebrity X has died, how sad" blah blah blah. Yet the news about Bowie got me thinking. His part in the film Labyrinth gave me a place to escape when I was younger and, if i'm honest, I still use the film as a way of escape now (I'm 31!).

Watching my timeline it's quite nice to see all the song lyrics, film quotes and pictures popping up. Bowie was a household name yet he never seemed to feed off of 'celebrity'. He was a household name and he was also a person. Something that celebrities today seem to loose on their way to stardom.

I think we can learn from Bowie here. When we're out there looking, working and fighting for success and making a name for ourselves, We must remember not to lose ourselves in the search for the stardust that is success and celebrity. Don't lose yourself amongst every other Tom, Dick or Harry. Reach for the stars but keep your feet on the floor. None of us are getting out alive but we can get out with some sort of dignity.

Ground Control to Major Tom - He's coming home. RIP Bowie.

Until Next Time
Miss Make It Happen
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#SupportOurTroops - Past and present.

It's no secret that i'm a supporter of all things uniform. Our emergency services and military are, in my opinion, amazeballs. So it's probably no surprise that i've been following the news recently about a certain military based story that has got peoples tongues wagging.

THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON

 

This story has got Civvies and Military Personnel alike a little bit hot under the collar. Now you can make up your own mind about this and we are all entitled to an opinion (as long as you agree with me, we can stay friends). The main reason for this newsletter was, if by any chance,  any of the people involved may happen to read this then you should know a few things;

(This information comes from a friend of mine, who happens to be an RAF Vet.)

For the guys facing investigation. Further advice via ex-Police ex-Redcap sites. 

1) Ignore any letters. They have NO relevance in law.

2) Do not under any circumstances attend any place or office if requested. If they want you, let them arrest you and a whole new ball game opens up.

3) If arrested say nothing - request a lawyer.

4) Whoever arrests you has 24 hrs to charge or release you.

5) A tactic may be to bail you 'pending further enquiries' if this happens make an immediate complaint against arresting officer. This is a 'historic enquiry' so what further enquiries are necessary?

6). Make a Freedom of Information demand to the MOD for the identity of the complainant and, more importantly, if the complainant is or was a paid intelligence source. This will really f*** them up because, even if there was a sniff of a case, they would have to drop it. 

Help us protect our troops. 

Please share this information across your networks. 

Much Love

Miss Make It Happen

When nothing goes right....

....Fuck it off and drink prosecco.

I've been having 'one of those weeks' (for the past month) where although the world wasn't coming to an end, everything seemed to be going wrong at first or taking longer than expected. My energy levels were zapped and I just couldn't be arsed.

I kept telling myself 'it's ok, it'll pass' but after a few days I decided to think about the WHY. why was I feeling down? why did I have no energy? why had my get up and go, got up and fucked off? Finally my immune system crashed and I ended up in hospital (again! Lolz)

So what caused it?
1 - Bad Sleep
2 - Bad Diet
3 - Negative environment
4 - Negative People

I figured out what was wrong and I had to do something about it.

Bad Sleep - I started to make sure i was in bed by midnight - even if i wasn't asleep, i was still resting my body. Midnight for me is practically lunchtime, i'm used to going to bed at between 2 and 4am recently. Jet lag and Flu simultaneously really messed up my sleep patterns and I just couldn't get back to normal - That was the end of October!

Bad Diet - I'd been forgetting to eat and when I finally got round to it I was either too tired, too lazy or too busy to stand in the kitchen cooking for 30-60 minutes. I love cooking so this really isn't me. This ultimately meant i'd spent the majority of the month starving, eating rubbish or take aways. I started to make a conscious effort to eat and to not be lazy and actually cook food but with Christmas it was really hard. impossible. I haven't been good and have put on half a stone in 3 weeks!

Negative environment -  Well this is embarrassing but lets get it out there anyway... my bedroom looked like a clothes grenade had gone off. Piles of clean clothes that needed to be put away, basket full of dirty washing, 6 half empty water bottles on my bed side cabinet, an empty bottle of fizz in my shoe box (long story),  and a half empty suitcase that i hadn't had time to organise. My home office looked like a bomb had gone off in a stationery cupboard with a few clothes related casualties thrown in for measure. chuck in a box of 'to be sorted' stuff and a cup of half drunk tea and you're beginning to get a picture of why my environment was toxic... I spent the best part of a day sorting through both rooms and all the cupboards. I'm now pleased to say that my environment is now light and flowy.

Negative people - I love talking to people, scrap that, I love listening to people. I'll always make time for people in my life to hear what is going on in their lives - Good or Bad. I have certain times of the week where I have 'catch up' meetings with certain people. I will happily sit there for hours or days helping people sort out their problems but I recently realised that some people just don't want to help themselves. These people were destroying my mood and zapping my energy. These people had to be told and had to be removed from my close circles. As Brad Burton once said - "You need to put your own oxygen mask on first".

If you're feeling down or can't be arsed any more. have a look at what's happening in your life and what you can do to change it. It won't happen over night but in a months time you'll be pleased you started today rather than leaving it another week or so. Plus what better time to start again than the New Year!

You'll have to make some selfish decisions but that won't make you a selfish person.
It might be hard but i guarantee it'll be worth it.

Do It For YOU! Do it for an amazing 2016

Until next time
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen

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