Should speed cameras be advertised more clearly?

We'll get one thing straight from the off - I don't drive. I'm epileptic. The DVLA computer says no.

BUT I have an opinion on something road related and you're about to hear it. So buckle up and we'll go for a little ride through my brain map.

I don't think speed cameras should be advertised / sign posted. Why should drivers be warned that they're about to get snapped?

I do however think the speed limit should be sign posted more.

So, why don't we spend more pennies on advising the driving population what the speed limit is and less on warning people they're about to get caught for breaking the law.

We ALL know there are speed cameras the length and breadth of the country. Lets stop warning the idiots that want to break the law and start using their fines to fix the potholes.

Thoughts?


Adios,

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

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
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Podcast - YouTube - Tumblr

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
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*

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. 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - I'm going to call my baby.... Cucumber.

With the recent news that Katie 'Jordan' Price took 6 weeks to name her baby and then come to a final decision it should be called .... Bunny.... I'm left in a state of sympathy (for the child) and anger (towards the mother)

Someone I know had a baby and unfortunatly during the pregnancy the father died. In honour of the father the mother wanted the daughters middle name to be simply one letter. The inital of the fathers first name. This was not allowed. YET we can just pick a random animal and that is an acceptable name for our child.

As a woman, of a certain age, I was a big fan of the Friends sitcom. and i can't lie, after the Princess Consuela Banana Hammock episode, we all thought about changing our name to that..or crap bag, Just for a laugh. But to actually name a poor defenceless child BUNNY... well that just takes the absolute piss.

What actually goes through parents minds when naming their children these stupid names!? Any of you that know me properly will know i'm happy doing my own weird thing with weirder people. I'm not one to follow the rules but this is not one of those areas that I would mess with. Although, after typing the title to this blog, I hope that one day, I meet someone called Cucumber. It just wont be my own child....

Much Love,

Miss Make It Happen

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