Norwegian bliss

As I find my way into White Knight, slowly handing over my other job to someone far more competent and excited about it, I feel a strange urge to not talk about it. How do you tell those who are still looking, still trying, still not in the right place at the right time that you've been given your dream job? I fin it hard. On the one hand I work harder than most, I take one every challenge I get and I look for more things to learn, more things to do all the time. I do deserve the opportunity, but I wish others around me where getting what they deserve as well. 

But it would be worse if I didn't know how luck I am, how blessed I have been. It would have been worse if I didn't listen but paraded good news around. I really don't want to do that, but I am excited and happy and I will share it all here as no one reads this if they don't want to know.

Funny though how some types of friends are only around when things go bad,when they can be the strong one or the better one. Being happy, it seems, is a good way to loose friends. Or some types anyway

I'm home in Norway at the moment and I'm having a lovely time with family. I'll be singing on Saturday, with a really great norwegian artist (Age Steen Nilsen) and my old choire as well as my Dads orchestra. It gonna be awesome! And when I go back I'm gonna miss people here a lot, thanks to everyone I've seen and will see. I miss geekyness and quirkyness and good coffee. And my lovely family. I hope everyone in the UK is gonna treat their dads on Fathers Day coming up. Anyone have a really good way to do that?

Be well,God bless

x

As He moved me

It's been a while since I've taken time out to write something here but these last few days the world has moved underneath my feet and I have to share it, I have to tell.

Some time ago, about a week, I went to Preston to meet the founder of White Knight, a company that does a very broad kind of financial advise, everything to new training and networking to cost analysis and advice. I hope that I could become part of their portfolio, part of what they offer the businesses when they help them. But higher powers had different plans for me

Saturday I spent 7 hours talking to R.Walsh, the founder, and we shared a very special day.He is a wonderful man, very wise and in full connection with God, as well as being an extremely capable business man. And for one reason or the other he really likes me. Unlike most men I have met this week, most of which pay more attention to my skirt or cleavage, he cares only for what I have to offer as a person. I'm hard working, out going, inventive, capable and a fast learner. In addition I know my stuff and if I don't I go find it gladly. And he sees all that, and more potential than anyone I've ever met. We share many views about religion as well, we both would like it to be a major part  in our lives, but still do business to earn money. Fact is that being wealthy enables you immensely, and the sooner you realize the more focused you can be. However, I would not go for the money, secretly being a bohemian, but for what I can do with it and I think many feel disappointed, thinking money in it self is going to make you happy when what you spend it on is just as essential as actually getting it.

And so I feel like I'm bursting, like the world is moving beneath my feet to give room for this new oath that have appeared in front of me and I don't really know how to celebrate enough. Honestly, I have lost a lot of friends and pissed off a lot of family by being who I am, whether that is having hope or simply getting results from hard work, but in this job it will finally pay off to be me, in every single way and I think I will grow and develop to a whole new level given the opportunity.

Many shy away from talk of God, especially if they don't believe themselves, but fact is I would not be anything like me without my sturdy faith. My confidence is not in my own person you see, its in the powers behind me, then ones that enable me and bless me with opportunity. That's why you could ask me anything and I will say I can do it. I will win a Nobel Peace prize and I will make a difference. The day I'm right I will put my hands up and tell the world where it all came from. I'm a vessel, a tool, a great one at that and I will never stop being grateful for my gifts and chances to succeed. Now I will work hard but not stress, I will try but put my faith in higher powers and find some way to share it all with everyone around me

If there is anything I can do for you then let me know and I will gladly put in a good word ;)

Oh,and hearing Jason Mraz' "I'm yours" from a Christian perspective gives the song a whole different depth. I recommend it

x

I'm a woman I am and don't you forget it!

I just got home from Newport (South Wales) where I have had some business meetings, visited some important places for the coach service, like ticket offices and bus stations, and traveled all over the UK with train, bus and taxi for the last 2 days. I'm exhausted, thanks for asking...

But happy. I'm very new at all this coach stuff but I'm catching up and going to meetings I feel like I know exactly what I'm doing, taking phone calls where every other word is slightly strange and setting up meetings with the one executive after the other. I think I'm getting the hang of this and in a months time I will be running two or three buss services between London and Newport and Lockerbie to Dundee. (Google it, always good to know). Big leap from the aid work that I am doing but hey- I'm a woman! I can multi task! 

So at the moment I get up in the morning, do revision, which means turning my lecture notes and essays into brightly colored A3 posters, I send out emails and do a few calls to make sure my team of students gets closer to getting the last £300 in for Tanzania and at the same time I talk to coach operators and bus stations and banks. Some of this is done on a train, going often to Glasgow but lately to Wales as well, some of it in Whetherspoons because thats the hip new trend for business meetings, and the rest either in bed, on my desk or having coffee somewhere with way too much stuff in it.

This makes my week an interesting array of bank meetings, revision lectures, talks with companies that would like to fund raise with me (I've got my first meeting on thursday!) and keeping up to date on African merchandise and its possibly very successful marketing in the UK. Anyone want to join me in the craziness? Honestly- I am exhausted BUT I love it. I really do, I love making plans, arranging and organizing and talking and writing and smiling to people, and thats pretty much all I do. Sometimes I even eat and sleep, which I love too :)

So everyone who knows me- be happy for me, anyone that don't- give me a call, I can fit you in somewhere here too :) Still got some slots open between the orange magic marker and the 6th cup of tea (how british is that?)

Well, that was my little update. My students are doing well with there small tasks, we are sneaking closer to our target, and I am still looking for more charity work to do, after my exams especially, because it mights just get too quiet...

Be well! And enjoy that well earned exhaustion after a good days work- I know I will

The Magic of Openess

According to my mum I've always been an open person, talking to anyone that would listen, and asking questions to engage people in conversation. I still get friends asking me to come along to parties, to make sure people get chatting, and whenever I've met parents of boyfriends it always comes in handy to bother to listen to what they have to say

But it has hardly ever paid off as much as about a week ago, where I came down on a train from Glasgow and started chatting with the guy that shared a table with me. First we talked about computers, as we were both using them and his kept dying on him. But as you do you get talking about work and other interest and my project came up as well as me wanting to offer businesses consultancy to do fundraising. Then he mentioned a launch he wanted to do with his coach company and I took the opportunity to sell my services, he wanted to connect the launch with a charity he supports so it made sense, and he seemed interested.

But I must be a better saleswoman than I expected because after a few emails and phone calls he has decided to give me a job as project manager for his newly developed holiday section. It came up that he has a condition and needs someone organized to do all the bits and bobs he's not good at or doesn't understand, so he offered me the job...

He has excellent contacts and his very hands on and great at what he loves, and now I"m gonna be filling in the gaps.Better still- he wants to employ others with difficulties and unfortunate circumstances, which makes the company something I can put my heart into, not just a job

He also want to train me until I can take over as CEO, him being the owner...

There's a lot of details to be sorted out and things I won't mention here, but simply because I didn't judge him for being a bit awkward and different I have now been given a huge opportunity, especially in this economic climate and its not all down to luck.

You never know who has contacts, or ideas or an opportunity to offer, and being open will at least make it so much easier to seize the day, and might make your dreams come true

Kind of magic I think

Pump it!

I found it! I have been looking for solar powered water pumps for a while, ever since a friend mentioned that they are used all over Germany. The problem with using solar panels in development countries, like Tanzania, is that they often got stolen and sold or they are too expensive to fix if something happens to them. Solar panels seem like such a brilliant thing to have in countries with hardly any rain during the year, energy often being a big problem to run any kind of basic equipment, like pumps for wells. 

But with the tiny ones I've found some of the major problems are solved. The solar panels themselves are so small that selling them is not worth the effort, and with them being so cheap with a little starting capitol most communities can afford one. They can pump a lot of water up from a well they work in cloudy weather when there is any, and the parts are easily fixed. The skills and knowledge to make sure it can run for decades are next to nothing, basic mechanics are know to a lot of the population due to basic technology introduced some years ago

Might seem strange that I get so excited about these, after all I'm not bringing any down with me in September and I'm not really planning on spending time distributing them either. But when I do consultancies with companies and schools I can use these solar pumps as an example of how simple things can make a huge difference, just as I did with the insecticide bed nets last year. Having these sources around I can also try to get big donations from the companies and then distribute them far more efficiently than I can do on my own or with a small team. Every little helps, I do believe that, but when you're just one person then you got to think big and find creative ways to do more.

Here's the link to the pumps,I know there's different ones out there, and I'll be looking so:

http://www.solarkey.com/product_details.asp?classtype=0301&mid=281

wish me luck :)

Epiphany in the night

You know when you have those nights when you can't sleep, when there is something you are suppose to realize or remember but your brain is too sluggish to get there before ruining some sleep first? I don't have many nights a year like that, I mostly sleep pretty well, though I do dream about the craziest things. But when I do have them I end up doing stuff, like watch Die Hard or read a book or write something. Die Hard numbs my brain and can help me sleep again, a book makes my eyes lazy, which makes me sleepy, but the writing is the best way, because then I can sneak out whatever it is that I'm suppose to realize out of my head and go to sleep a little bit happier

See, I tend to have the best ideas in those few nights. Its a shame I don't have more of them. These are the nights I realize that if only I could find a really rich person to set it up we could solve the unemployment crisis. Yeah, its true. AND we can save millions at the same time. Put up a factory, have people making water purifying straws (yes they do exist, here's the website: http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw-introduction.htm) and then loads would have work and even more would have clean water. Brilliant yes? After a while we can switch to other really cheap, simple solutions, like insecticide bed nets or little solar water pumps. 

I'm sure there are loads of issues with this plan, and please feel free to let me know, but the thing is I feel that for some reason it seems like people can't help complicate things. If you have a huge population without work why not put them to good use? In England it can be things like mentioned above, in poor countries there is urgent need for infrastructure, so get people doing that. I can't seem to fully understand the issue with that, after all someone in power could with a bit of creativity and thinking out of the box find the resources to start such a project, and then the rest will follow, opportunity creating new ones.

This might seem like a young persons rant about things she doesn't understand. Fact is I have great people backing me up. Jeffrey Sachs, a personal favorite, introduced in his book "End of Poverty" an idea called clinical economics, meaning taking a step back and looking at a situation including every aspect of it. Say if you are looking at a country in trouble you would not just look at the economics to help them economically, but you would take into account the geographical positions and resources, religious and cultural traditions, political connections and history. This for me seems like such a simple but brilliant idea, and I kept thinking- why has no one done this before??? I don't know much about financial advice, but looking at all the aspects and the nitty gritty of it surely must make sense to anyone? That's what I would do...

So here's to really simple ideas in the middle of the night. I hope people with a bit more power than me has the same thing once in a while, and if not then just give me some time and I'll take care of it ;)

I wish you all awesome dreams, or epiphany waking hours :)

Why, oh why

The question I get the most often about this project is why- Why bother? Why not be something else and let others do the work. What do I get out of it? I also get that smile, you know the one, the smile that says "poor ambitious girl, sacrificing her future like that". And then of course the look "I wish I could do something like that"

Well, here's the answers, and I've been running them around in my own head for years.

Why bother? Because the solutions are so simple, so easy to get your head around and and it takes a lot less effort to do something creative and helpful than make up excuses not to.

Why not be something else? There seems to be this idea around that aid work, event management and fundraising is only for nannies with nothing else to do, or women who have no families or other commitments. Or worse- girls with ambition but who give them up, or "grow out of it". Well, I'm not planning on being any of those.I love planning events, getting a team together and pull off a great event, I love finding new ways to solve big problems, I love meeting new people, traveling, spending time understanding situation I've never been in, and I love learning new things. It gives me a buzz, it gets me out of the bed in the morning and it makes me excited about the future. 

And since I love this line of work I'm really good at it

But that's the only real difference between me and other people, I love this kind of stuff and some people don't. I have no agenda getting everyone to go down to Africa to build wells or give up half their house for a charity. But I want to encourage a better way of looking at it- what do you have to spare? Some companies have boxes in storage, with t-shirts, school uniforms, books, toys and so on. I have connections to redistribute almost anything. And as a family maybe you have something in the attic to sell on ebay and give that money to a charity you like? Everything helps. 

And if anyone needs advice about charities, what they do, what they are like to work with, or just a good cause to support with guaranteed good results then let me know,I'm sure I can help you out :)

No guilt, no pity, just really good ideas, now thats worth being a fan of