I surrender–again

A while back, I took a great and momentous decision. I decided NOT to comment on anyone who reposts stupid or just plain wrong stuff on line without researching it first. When I was younger we used to have to spend hours in something called a ‘library’ to check whether something was true or not. Nowadays it’s simple enough to check on Google. But no-one does….

I said this a while back, and I have found myself sucked back into commenting in some vain last ditch heroic effort to get rid of some of the crap that circulates on Facebook. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Yet still I try, like King Canute trying to hold back the English Channel.

Because it annoys the hell out of me.

So please. Before you repost something… CHECK. It’s easy. Google it. Run it past Snopes or Hoax Slayer (see below). See if it’s still valid. See if it was ever valid.

I used to run big email and networking services, and it irks me to see so much crap filling up my newsfeed and going everywhere and back again when there’s so much really great stuff that I DO want to see. I want to hear people’s news. I want to be inspired. I want to laugh. There’s some amazing stuff out there. There are heartwarming stories. Amazing science. Crazy exploits. There are things that we really should be taking notice of. Big, planetary issues. Big social issues. Helping people who are hurting. Rejoicing with people who are rejoicing.

What I don’t want to be is to be buried under posts that have their origin in fear. ‘Your food isn’t what you think’. ‘There are scarier critters out there than science ever guessed’. ‘Facebook is trying to steal your data.’

But, honestly, I haven’t got time any more to comment on everyone that reposts silly things without checking. I want to spend more of my time creating great stuff, writing blog posts, recording programmes and sharing some of the awesome things that are going on in the world. And dancing. And keeping fit. And having fun. And spending time with my friends. And falling in love. And splashing in puddles. And creating wealth. And listening to my heart and its resonance with the Universe. And being happy.

So here’s some things you’re going to have to work out for yourselves….

1) Anything that asks you to do something complicated for someone else to protect their privacy. Just bonkers. Privacy is actually pretty simple. Contrary to popular opinion, Facebook are not stupid and they do have controls in place to protect your privacy. Set it to ‘Friends Only’. Simples.

2) Photographs of ridiculously sized animals are probably fake. This includes very big spiders/snakes/creepy crawlies. Just think whether these things would actually function under Earth gravity. The same goes for pictures of very small animals. If it looks like a normal sized cat made very small by Photoshop, it probably is.

3) Crazy offers for stuff from web pages that have only existed for two days yet promise to give away hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of kit are almost certainly false. (If you just tell them what colour you want. Oh, and fill in a ridiculous questionnaire to give away your personal data so they can spam you or steal your identity.)

4) Ridiculous claims about margarine/ onions/ chicken nuggets are actually patently untrue – if we just checked.

5) Denzel Washington/ Lady Gaga/ Jon Bon Jovi are not dead. Just check before writing that tearful obituary…

6) Posts claiming that Microsoft/IBM/Amazon/The Red Cross will donate money if you like a post are complete tosh. That heartwrenching photo of some poorly child got used without their permission… so don’t perpetuate the misery. (A more recent version of this one designed to pull on the heart strings of the spiritual asks you to respond with ‘amen’ to pray for the health of a poorly baby. It doesn’t work that way, people….and what right do we have to share some poorly child’s picture around the internet without the parent’s permission?)

7) ‘Did you see what she did in public?’ video clips really ARE there to steal your data.

8) Pictures that ask you to like them or comment to ‘see what happens’ will, in fact, shock and stun you by REMAINING EXACTLY THE SAME. You know this.

9) There are far more instances of three Fridays, three Saturdays and three Sundays in one month than are sometimes claimed. Like, it happens a couple of times a year.

10) If it seems totally implausible that the guy can fly a plane with a wing missing… it probably is.

11) There are no free Tesco/Asda cards waiting for you if you just click ‘like’ on that post. Neither is there a free Audi RX8 waiting to be won if you just tell them what colour you’d like.

So please. Before you just repost it, do some research. Check it out (and, yes, I have been fooled before, and probably will be again. But not often). I know you’re busy… but as soon as you post that junk on your newsfeed, all your friends suddenly have to deal with it too. And they are busy as well.

(While I’m here, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t loop off on a tangent, I’m also irritated by ‘share to win’ offers that clutter up my newsfeed. I want to see interesting stuff, not find out that someone wants to win an ipod/corset/holiday. Would you tell me this stuff in conversation? Do we really want to do people’s marketing for them? I don’t want to see these and I bet you don’t either. Give me some stuff that’s interesting.)

Heretical moment: I also get a bit frustrated with the constant petitions for Starbucks/Amazon/Tesco/ whoever to give some of their money back in taxes because they are paying it somewhere else. We should complain to a government who allows this sort of tax loophole, not try and shame companies who are trying to make a profit and keep people in jobs – and, believe it or not – actually trying to follow the rules and then wake up to find the world has turned against them because they (shock horror) tried to maximise their profit. Because – and be honest now – if you could save tax by doing it… you’d do it too. OK, rant off.

Oh. And posts that trade on other people’s misery. Just cause they are in a video doesn’t mean they’re not real people with real feelings… just cause they’re overweight or lack ‘normal’ dress sense doesn’t mean we can just photograph them in Walmart and laugh? Does it?

So here’s a couple of sites that you’ll need, in my absence.

a) FaceCrooks.com

b) snopes.com

c) hoax-slayer.com

d) thatsnonsense.com

Do what I do. Assume it’s crap first and then challenge the internet to prove me wrong. Especially if it sounds as if it’s based on fear. If you’re going to repost it, for heaven’s sake check it out first. Surely?

So what DO I want to see? Well, if we can get rid of all that junk then I have loads of time for you to tell me what you had for breakfast or the fact that you’ve just had coffee. Really. Make it funny and I actually AM interested.

But especially send me

1) Pictures of cats doing funny things. Big cats or small cats, I don’t really mind. Or dogs. Or monkeys. I’m not speciesist.

2) Heartwarming stuff. Photos that make my heart sing.

3) Inspirational stuff. Videos that make me think. Quotes that make me ponder a bit. Stuff that interrupts my thought patterns. Beautiful pictures of amazing places.

4) News. I like to know what you’re doing, if you think it’s important enough to want to share it with me.

5) Interesting ‘oh my god that’s amazing’ stuff. Clever ideas. Science that takes my breath away.

6) Things that make me laugh. Or cry. Or both at once.

7) Witty pictures involving coffee. Or cake. Or both.

I’ll look forward to seeing your good stuff. The rest.. well, just think before you post it. Check before you post it. Please!

And let’s use this amazing, incredible technology to spread a little love and happiness.

PS I know you’re going to ignore this and carry on anyway… but I feel better already!

PPS I’m also going to ignore grammatical disasters and misplaced apostrophes. While it will still make me twitch, you’re on your own, grammar wise.

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Starting out all over again . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I often wonder why I put ellipses after so many of my titles (that’s ….. if you didn’t know). I think it’s because for me it’s not so much what’s been said, as what comes next. What might be said, what might happen. We live, it seems, in a world of potentiality, where everything can change in a heartbeat, where our future spins on the turn of a card, on the moment of decision.

In 2010 I took the decision to go round the world… the story of that epic trip is told elsewhere on this blog, in a series of posts that took me from the US to Hawaii to Mexico… through Australasia into Asia and back over 12 months. That experience was one of the most incredible and transformative of my life.

And having come back, life seems to lack some of the craziness of adventure again. I’ve got a huge bucket list of things I want to do, places I want to see, adventures I want to have. Perhaps it’s time to go do some of them.

"A ship in harbour is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for,"

– Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper.

There are some adventures I didn’t expect (or want) to have… financial crises, a debilitating lack of personal confidence.. some were welcome surprises, like my involvement with a Blues Dance organisation that’s taken me to crazy places and allowed me to meet wonderful people.

So this post is all about putting my intention out there – for more experiences, more amazing stuff coming into my life. It’s not about the house, the car, the possessions… but it is about the experience, about what we bring into the world. Maybe that adventure will be about my impact on the world. Maybe it will be about travel. (I doubt I’ll be gone for 12 months at a time though!) Maybe it will be about experiences that deepen me as a human being. It’s about saying ‘bring it on’. It’s about showing up for what might happen in my life if I let it.

As a friend of mine reminded me a while back:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways – Jack Daniels in one hand and  chocolate in the other – body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO-HOO, what a ride!!’”

– and perhaps that’s what I am looking to attract into my life.. to say ‘YES’ to whatever is waiting to happen.

Time for an adventure? Hell yeah!

 

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

 

(oh, yes, that is me jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane)

I surrender

OK, I’ve taken a great and momentous decision. From now on I will NOT be commenting on anyone who reposts stupid stuff on line without researching it first. When I was younger we used to have to spend hours in something called a ‘library’ to check whether something was true or not. Nowadays it’s simple to check on Google.

Now, you’ll notice a parallel with an earlier announcement that said that I’m going to ignore grammatical disasters and misplaced apostrophes. While it will still make me twitch, you’re on your own, grammar wise.

Yet, as someone who used to run big email and networking services, it irks me to see so much crap filling up my newsfeed and going everywhere and back again when there’s so much really great stuff that I DO want to see. I want to hear people’s news. I want to be inspired. I want to laugh. There’s some amazing stuff out there.

What I don’t want to be is to be buried under posts that have their origin in fear. ‘Your food isn’t what you think’ (OK the horsemeat issue was true – but I feel sorrier for the pork found in halal meat, to be honest). ‘There are scarier critters out there than science ever guessed’. ‘Facebook is trying to steal your data.’

But, honestly, I haven’t got time any more to write back to everyone that reposts stupid things without checking. I want to spend more of my time creating great stuff, writing blog posts, recording programmes and sharing some of the awesome things that are going on in the world. And dancing. And keeping fit. And having fun. And spending time with my friends. And falling in love. And splashing in puddles. And creating wealth. And listening to my heart and its resonance with the Universe. And being happy.

So here’s some things you’re going to have to work out for yourselves….

1) Anything that asks you to do something complicated for someone else to protect their privacy. Just bonkers. Privacy is actually pretty simple. Contrary to popular opinion, Facebook are not stupid and they do have controls in place to protect your privacy. Set it to ‘Friends Only’. Simples.

2) Photographs of ridiculously sized animals are probably fake. This includes very big spiders/snakes/creepy crawlies. Just think whether these things would actually function under Earth gravity. The same goes for pictures of very small animals. If it looks like a normal sized cat made very small by Photoshop, it probably is.

3) Crazy offers for stuff from web pages that have only existed for two days yet promise to give away hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of kit are almost certainly false. (If you just tell them what colour you want. Oh, and fill in a ridiculous questionnaire to give away your personal data so they can spam you or steal your identity.)

4) Ridiculous claims about margarine/ onions/ chicken nuggets are actually patently untrue – if we just checked.

5) Denzel Washington/ Lady Gaga/ Jon Bon Jovi are not dead. Just check before writing that tearful obituary…

6) Posts claiming that Facebook/Microsoft/IBM/Amazon/The Red Cross will donate money if you like a post are complete tosh. That heartwrenching photo of some poorly child got used without their permission… so don’t perpetuate the misery.

7) Did you see what she did in public? video clips really ARE there to steal your data.

8) Pictures that ask you to like them or comment to ‘see what happens’ will, in fact, shock and stun you by REMAINING EXACTLY THE SAME.

9) Comments that this month is special because of the number of Mondays/Fridays/ Saturdays and won’t occur for another 823 years can be easily debunked by consulting a calendar.. where you will (surprise surprise) find that they occur every couple of months.

While I’m here, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t loop off on a tangent, I’m also personally irritated by ‘share to win’ offers that clutter up my newsfeed. I want to see interesting stuff, not find out that someone wants to win an ipod/corset/holiday. Do we really want to do people’s marketing for them? I don’t want to see these and I bet you don’t either. Give me some stuff that’s interesting.

Heretical moment: I also get a bit frustrated with the constant petitions for Starbucks/Amazon/Tesco/ whoever to give some of their money back in taxes because they are paying it somewhere else. We should complain to a government who allows this sort of tax loophole, not try and shame companies who are trying to make a profit and keep people in jobs – and, believe it or not – actually trying to follow the rules and then wake up to find the world has turned against them because they (shock horror) tried to maximise their profit. Because – and be honest now – if you could save tax by doing it… you’d do it too. OK, rant off.

Oh. And posts that trade on other people’s misery. Just cause they are in a video doesn’t mean they’re not real people with real feelings… just cause they’re overweight or lack ‘normal’ dress sense doesn’t mean we can just photograph them in Walmart and laugh? Does it?

So here’s a couple of sites that you’ll need, in my absence.

a) FaceCrooks.com

b) snopes.com

c) hoaxslayer.com

d) thatsnonsense.com

Do what I do. Assume it’s crap first and then challenge the internet to prove me wrong. Especially if it sounds as if it’s based on fear. If you’re going to repost it, for heaven’s sake check it out first. Surely?

So what DO I want to see? Well, if we can get rid of all that junk then I have loads of time for you to tell me what you had for breakfast or the fact that you’ve just had coffee. Really. Make it funny and I actually AM interested!

But especially send me

1) Pictures of cats doing funny things. Big cats or small cats, I don’t really mind. Or dogs. Or monkeys. I’m not speciesist.

2) Heartwarming stuff. Photos that make my heart sing.

3) Inspirational stuff. Videos that make me think. Quotes that make me ponder a bit. Stuff that interrupts my thought patterns. Beautiful pictures of amazing places.

4) News. I like to know what you’re doing, if you think it’s important enough to want to share it with me.

5) Interesting ‘oh my god that’s amazing’ stuff. Clever ideas. Science that takes my breath away.

6) Things that make me laugh. Or cry. Or both at once.

7) Witty pictures involving coffee. Or cake. Or both.

I’ll look forward to seeing your good stuff. The rest.. well, just think before you post it. Check before you post it. Please!

And let’s use this amazing, incredible technology to spread a little love and happiness.

A Christmas Gift from me . . .

Every year I get together with a group of friends for food, wine, laughter and deep meaningful conversations about life, love, the universe and everything. On the way over, I got to wondering what I could bring to the party that would set the scene for the celebrations and bring some peace and happiness to everyone. I’d also been thinking about some of the products I am creating for 2013, and so I thought I would try this little experiment out for them – and for you – to enjoy.

So here it is.. a little seasonal meditation that you can sit and listen to to unwind, relax.. and dream. It’s not particularly deep and meaningful, but there are one or two carefully constructed surprises in there just to make you think and to imagine.. and to dream…and to help you look forward to 2013 with curiosity…and anticipation…and excitement. And if you find yourself here, well, it’s for you.

So, Merry Christmas to you and to all those that are close to you. It’s been a joy to be your friend this last year… and now we know the world isn’t going to end – here’s to new starts, new opportunities, new life, new hope – and to the new horizons in front of us all. In all of the craziness and chaos, let Love reign supreme….

So find yourself somewhere nice and peaceful for a few minutes, click the link and press the little orange ‘Play’ button . . .

http://soundcloud.com/tim-hodgson/a-christmas-gift

The Christmas tree picture, by the way, is by the very talented Samantha Stubbs – it’s one of my favourite cards and currently resides on my festive noticeboard.

For sale… Bessie the camper van

Sadly up for sale “Bessie”, my beloved camper van that’s been a huge part of my adventures recently! I have no idea why she’s called “Bessie” – she just is. I have some great memories of sleeping out with amazing views, waking up in the countryside and being able to move from place to place,

Bessie is a small (so relatively easily to manoeuvre) small (four seat/four bed) camper and ideal for spring/summer travels, festivals etc.

G Reg (1990) Renault Trafic 2.0 l diesel Camper Van with high top conversion by LeisureDrive. 100,700 miles, runs nicely, starts reliably. No tax but MOT to October 20 2012. Some bodywork rust patches, scrapes to fibreglass roof.

Accommodation: Upper berth slide out double bed over driver’s cabin plus single/double bed/sofa conversion possible in main cabin. Fully curtained (new). Rear seats comfortably cushioned in brown with grey throws (included) for style and comfort. Cabin is carpeted and kitchen has washable flooring.

Kitchen: Calor 3 ring cooker plus grill (Calor tank included), space (& 220V point) for fridge (currently used as bookshelf area), Sink/drainer with pumped water from tank. (Please note – I haven’t used the water tank/pump but believe it to be in working order)

Storage: underseat storage compartments, full length wardrobe (converts to changing area/ W/C area). Plenty of storage in kitchen area with cupboards, shelves and wall cupboard.

Facilities: Protex 1600 gas heater under seat, dual battery setup, 220V power setup including hookup cable. Both 12v and 220V lighting available. Includes 220v to 12v car accessory adapter.

Satellite navigation display mount. Fitted single bike rack. Awning also included in sale.

Looking for £1,700 – contact me on tim@teamhodgson.co.uk or 07808656115.

The next adventure

OK, I’ve been working on this for a while… been travelling up to Edinburgh to look at flats – and nothing has really ‘gelled’. And there’s nowhere else that I have been drawn to, either. Which had me puzzled. If you recall, my original plan was to go and live with my son (and his girlfriend) in Edinburgh to help him with his expenses.

All of that fell through, leaving me without a concrete plan.

Now, I have also had an intention in my journal to ‘own my own home, debt free’. It would be a real miracle to get to that point… but it has come true. Not QUITE how I envisaged it, and I may need to rewrite that particular intention, but I do, indeed, own my own home now.

Through the generosity of Sue and Andy Lander, who are two of my great friends and really wonderful people, I now own a G registered RV. Or ‘camper van’ – also known as ‘Bessie’ or ‘The Tiggermobile’.

She needs a bit of work doing, and my stepfather is working on that at the moment – but in a few weeks I will have a fully working camper van that just needs a bit of work on the interior before I set off on an adventure that will take in Edinburgh (David). And Stoke (Jonny). And dance venues. And all sorts of other places. Have camper van, will travel.

Is it going to be luxury? Nope. Spartan, possibly.  We’re not in Winnebago territory here. Is it going to be fun? Oh yes. I asked my friend, Heather, if I was bonkers – she chose the word ‘free spirited’ although, secretly, I think she also thinks I am bonkers too.

So, quite apart from the intention to own my own home, debt free (check) I also had an intention written down to ‘be prepared for something different’ (check) and ‘to be a wanderer/ in transit – roaming lifestyle’. I wanted to have a river at the bottom of my garden and to be near the sea, near the country and near to town. Looks like the Universe took a look at the list and said ‘bet he wasn’t expecting this answer’.

So, here goes. As I say, we should have the van on the road in a few weeks, and I then need to kit it out with more storage and refurbished upholstery before Tigger, Snuff and I take to the road.

The Tiggermobile (not forgetting Snuff)

Here goes . . .

After a month or so of reflection and planning, I now feel as if I am in a position to actually announce what I will be up to in the future (ta dah!). You’ll have noticed a whole slew of announcements – new blogs, web sites, fan pages, announcements… so here’s what it looks like at the moment…..

Over the last 12 months I have spent a lot of time looking at the science and spirituality of success. It’s taken me from the metaphysics of the Law of Attraction, through the freshness of New Thought Spirituality and the deep magic of Hawai’ian shamanism, and folded that into the Prosperity Movement and the depth of modern Christianity. I’ve realised that life is a jigsaw, and I am just now being able to put the pieces together – to see how my travels and adventures fit with the mastery learned through martial arts – the practical approach of my engineering and technology background set alongside the insights into quantum physics from my degree in nuclear and semiconductor physics. I can see a pattern in my walk of faith, in disillusionment and understanding, in despair and in hope.

I’ve started to work out just what my purpose is – just what that one definite aim is that drives me, moves me, energizes me. And a lot of that is down to what others have helped me see about myself, about life, about faith, and about hope. And I want to thank you for that.

I know, really, that my gift to the world is to help people to see how awesome they are, to see what they are capable of, to help them to connect to the true power of God inside them, to step into their true magic and experience true freedom & prosperity. That feels kinda ‘right’ – and kinda fun too!

I’m finding a new level of urgency, and a new creative drive to start to breathe life into some of the things that have been just ideas while I have been travelling.

I’m working, right now, on a programme that’s going to bring a lot of that together called “The Way of the Wizard” – it’s going to look at how you can bring together the power of Spirit, Body and Mind to create the results you want in your life. I’m not sure how that will be delivered yet – watch this space – but expect on line, audio and workshop events.

 

I’ve just released “A Love Letter to the World” – something that has been on my heart for many, many months – and only now have I really felt the liberty to release that – partly because it puts my soul on the line in a whole new way.

And then we have the blog sites. Explore The Adventure will continue as I carry on having adventures, exploring the world and, as my friend Sue put it “Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways – Chardonnay in one hand – chocolate in the other – body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

As Montesquieu pointed out, "It is always the adventurers who accomplish great things." – and life needs to be a continual adventure, a journey into something new.

I’m also doing all of this with minimal investment – so it really is going to be a lesson in creating success from scratch.. which will be a huge learning in itself.

I’ve launched “Journey into Power” where I will be exploring the secret to truly successful living – helping you to achieve your dreams whether that is fulfilling relationships, a successful career, wealth and prosperity, or your gift to the world. Or all of these and more!

 

• Take a look at journeyintopower.wordpress.com and sign up for regular updates and news.

And I have also launched “Believing The Promise”  where I am going to use the promises, insights and inspiration from my own thoughts and the thoughts of many who have gone before me to encourage and inspire you, to help you think and ponder on life – and where you are going to take it next.

• Take a look at believingthepromise.wordpress.com and sign up for insight, inspiration, and encouragement.

I’ll also be bringing some extra stuff for people who have signed up – including some discounts on my programmes, products and books as I release them.

On Facebook, you can find me at Timothy Hodgson (as soon as I can get enough Likes to that page, then I can have a proper URL – so go and hit ‘Like’ on that page now!) although I am going to try and keep publishing to my personal page too. We’ll see how that goes – I don’t want to create too much clutter.

And Twitter. Find me at TimothyHodgson and I’ll try and do some regular and different stuff for my Twitter friends.

 

So, I’m exhausted just thinking about it. It’s going to be a great time over the next few months and beyond…. there’s a lot more, too, but I’ll let you know about that as I create it.

It’s an adventure……

Tim

PS – stay in touch. Keep writing. Ask questions. Challenge me. Inspire me. Encourage me. Tell me when I have got it wrong. Tell me when I have got it right. Life, really, is made up of the friendships and relationships that we have. Thankyou for being part of my journey.

Back to the Future

So.. It’s been around 11 months now since I set out on this wild and wonderful adventure… and I thought I would spend some time today talking about plans for when I get back (in less than 30 days). One of the reasons for setting out on this journey was to create a quantum shift in my experience – to come back and make radical changes in who I am choosing to be, in what I am doing, in my life, in my business… I’ve spent time over the last few months looking deep within myself, considering my beliefs, my values, my behaviours. I’ve looked at my dreams, my goals – at what I truly want out of life. I have looked at what I am here to achieve, at my gift, at my purpose – at what I am choosing to make my life about.

I’ve looked deep into the heart of my relationship with God, Love, The Universe, Divine Energy, Universal Intelligence – whatever you want to call it. I’ve found ways of reconciling the heart of my Christianity with my conviction that there is not ‘one way to heaven’ – and my knowledge that ‘we are all one’ and that God is in each one of us – and that we have the creative life force of God in our beings.

I made a commitment to myself that the ‘old Tim’ wasn’t coming back – that a new and more powerful man would be returning – more true to the truth of who I am – that I would have, if you like, found myself on this journey. It hasn’t been, in any sense, a holiday – in some moments it has been incredibly painful and heart searching – but it has been a transforming experience.

So, what’s going to be happening with me? Let’s look at When..Where… What… and How…I think we might have sussed ‘Why’ by now….

When?

Well, I get back on the 10th of July from Mumbai (I’m currently in Tibet, and will be travelling through Nepal and India). I’m going to spend the first few days collecting my thoughts and getting to grips with actually being in the UK before I travel back to catch up with friends and family… I have a sense that the last few weeks of this trip are going to be a whirl of travel, learning, experience and even more inner transformation… so I know I will need to let that settle.

Where?

To maintain the momentum of change, I wanted to do something different – and to be somewhere different – and so I am going to live in Edinburgh. My son is going to college there in August, and so he asked if we can help each other out financially in getting a flat there. It’ll be a new start in a city I love.. although we are trying to move at the same time as the Fringe festival is on.. so we will be looking for something magical to occur for us in terms of finding a place!

I’m really excited about this, although I am certainly going to miss the friends I have made.. the good news is that I am planning to do a lot more travelling in the UK to run events in the Midlands and in the South of England – and internationally too. And those dance weekenders will still be happening (yes, Ms Rose, the Burton Ball too)! My youngest son is going to be in Stoke at Keele University, so I also have an excuse to visit there as well!

What?

One of the exciting things about this trip has been the insight I have had into what I want to do for a business – which, for me, is about my purpose and my ‘reason for being’. I’ve spent a lot of time considering what I want to create. I sense that when I originally left Unilever I shrank down from what I really wanted to do and settled for something ‘safe’… and now, having got back in touch with that dream, it’s allowed me to truly look at the future with new eyes.

I’ve recognised that what I really do is to help people connect with the truth of Who They Are, of what is possible for them – of reaching their potential. There’s a lot in there about encouragement, about confidence, about true prosperity, about personal evolution. I have found, though, that I work with people at an almost alchemical level – that they ‘get’ it simply by being around me. I have a unique blend of spiritual insight and understanding of how people work that I believe will enable me to bring something very special to people. I think, at the core of it all, it’s based around my faith that ‘you’re not broken’.

How?

I’m moving away from one to one coaching and therapy work, at least as a core part of what I am doing. I’m going to be focussing more on workshops and seminars, as well as mastermind group work, products (CDs, DVDs, on line programmes) and writing – I have a couple of books mapped already.

I’m also looking at some massive event ideas too, things that don’t fit into the normal mould of personal development or spiritual events.

There’s a whole load of stuff bubbling away and just waiting for me to get back and start to get traction and put a plan together – I have deliberately stayed away from creating that absolutely concrete plan until I get back.

On line, I’ll be pouring more effort into the Journey Into Power blog site, and using that to share thoughts, insights and more. I’ll also be launching a new blog site and regular newsletter, based on the insights and quotes that have come to me over the years. It’s going to be called ‘The Promise’ which will help me share some of the truth about life in a simple and inspirational way. 

And this site? Well, the adventure continues. I’m already thinking about the next adventure – maybe not 12 months next time, but there’s a whole world to see.. Africa, Latin America, Antarctica, Alaska…. I’m definitely going to continue to Explore The Adventure. What about you?

Continuing the journey

It’s actually been an incredible few days here in Cambodia. From expecting it to take a week to get my passport/exit visa/Vietnam visa sorted out to suddenly finding I could be out of the country by tomorrow… well, I realised that suddenly my reason for being here is over. I had “remained too long on this mountain” and it was time to move on.

More significantly, I had learned the life lessons I needed to…when anything suddenly changes, it’s worth looking back and seeing why? I might be as easy as ‘I did that’ or, as it was for me ‘I learned that’

• I needed to understand the reasons why I actually created a situation where (if you remember) I lost first one credit card then another, my passport, and a whole load of other stuff.
• I needed to learn some things about forgiveness – forgiveness to others, sure… but more importantly forgiveness of myself.
• I needed to learn more about who I truly am – and what I am going to be doing when I get back to the UK.
• I needed to learn something about my own personal worth and value.
• I needed to learn why I couldn’t manage to get a job even though I tried – and how, despite my attempting to close the door on my business, it was going to remain resolutely open.

This blog was really created to be a travel blog – but because there  have been so many lessons learned through that trip, then my beliefs and thoughts have crept in – because it’s impossible to separate the parts of our lives.

And yet… as I get my act together, and as I work out what I’m drawn to do, I’ve decided to create a new blog, which will be more about teaching and about exploring the Universe, God, Love, Destiny, Personal Evolution and more.

I’ve called the blog ‘”Journey Into Power” and you can find it at www.timothyhodgson.com. It’s a work in progress, and you’ve seen one or two of the posts before, but read the introduction at

www.timothyhodgson.com/about-the-journey

and a bit more about my path and journey at

www.timothyhodgson.com/about-tim

Now, that’s going to make it easier for me to concentrate on travel stuff on Explore The Adventure, and use this blog for my deeper thoughts. And I will try and reference links from Explore The Adventure to this blog when it makes sense to do that.

For the moment, until I get my fan page sorted out, both of those will feed Facebook on my main page. You decide what you want to read! Later on, I’ll separate them.. but bear with me for the moment! So much to do… and so much travel to get in, too. And remember that both of those blogs have a subscribe link for email so you won’t miss anything.

It’s been an incredible few days, and so much clarity has come through for me – I’m really excited about the future!

Loads of love

Two steps beyond. . . .

So, back in Phnom Penh. It’s hot as hell, and I have a feeling I may melt.

The Embassy issue dire warnings that they are closed on Friday for the Royal Wedding. If that delays the arrival of my passport I am going to write to William & Kate. . . .

And I have lost all my passport photos for getting visas. So I need to take a trip to the photo studio again. This time, I am pleased to see that I look less like a gnome (or Ferengi).

But good news! My passport is ready. A quick trip to the embassy, and I’m clutching a brand new passport. With pictures of birds on the pages. Why birds?

OK, let’s recap.

I lost my passport and credit card on 20th March. I had to wait until 30th March to get that credit card so I could start on the passport trail – but meanwhile I managed to get the police report filled in.

Step 1 – Get to Phnom Penh & apply for new passport. Visit embassy, pay fee for new passport and courier fee ($254).

Step 2 – wait for passport to return from Hong Kong – total time, 23 days

Step 3 – Return to Phnom Penh. Collect passport from Embassy

Step 4 – Take moto out to airport ($10) to apply to immigration for an exit visa at a cost of $40 (they nearly fined me for staying in the country longer than 30 days). Expected time – 3 working days

Step 4 – Visit Vietnam embassy for Vietnam visa. Expected time – 1 day.

Total expected delay in Cambodia – 3 weeks. Which means I need to really rework the rest of my trip… things might get cancelled/rearranged as I have

• Vietnam
• HongKong
• China
• Tibet
• Nepal
• India

still to go and around 80 days to do it in!! Better get zippy!

 

Coda: having phoned immigration today at 4:30, I was advised that for ‘an expediting fee’ I could get my exit visa today rather than next Tuesday. Possibly the best 20 bucks I have ever spent. So, after organising another ‘expediting fee’ for my Vietnam visa… I could be on the way on Saturday…. (the expediting fee could not under any circumstance be called a ‘bribe’. But it wasn’t going to get written on a receipt, no sir)