A little past to say where you have been...

I started my personal journey many years ago without realising it. Moving to the UK now some 10 years ago was a big step in anyone's life, however for me it just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. I had recently got a divorce, amicable and we still remain friends, closed up a good little business and decided to brave the opportunities in a country I had visited once! Little did I know my journey was really beginning! Wow the years have past and I feel as if it has been a life time already. Being in the UK has changed my entire outlook and perception of the world. It has been an amazing opportunity to experience so many incredible things that if I had remained in South Africa, I just know I wouldn't have grown as much as I have done now. These past 10 years have also been the most challenging of my young life so far, however the most life changing in so many ways. With the weather differences, the lifestyle change, the exposure to a multitude of cultures and the fantastic opportunities to travel to new countries there have been many more ups than downs! Yes the weather isn't great, the lifestyle is totally different and not so sociable or out doors, but then the experience of the countries and cultures are just such an adventure. You certainly become more worldly in a country like the UK especially if you are willing to take risks, learn from others, try new things and really commit yourself to a new way of being. I learnt a lot about myself and what I wanted to achieve and at the time this was a great driver for me to achieve success in a whole new environment. It was a lot harder than I ever believed it could be, but at the same time I have grown so much as person that looking back I am grateful for the challenges that I have faced.

I have always looked at the world as a sort of playground -a place where anything was possible and probable without consciously knowing it. The drive that pushed me to make the choices I have made seems to stem from an influence that is common to most South Africans (even though I was born in Zimbabwe), to get ahead and be everything you can be. Much of the time I believe some of my actions were based on little more than a "hunch" however this seemed to support my journey. Sure I made mistakes but nothing that I couldn't really work my way through and learn from. Finding the right place to call home was a big issue for me as even though I was keen to be able to go to South African type places, I was set on integrating as much as I could into the English culture and choosing to refrain from being around too many South African's all of the time. Not knowing London at all I had no idea but went with my instinct and found happiness in Putney! A great little place to live. Even when I first moved to Putney, I had a real sense of belonging and soon found out that in fact there were many South African's living in the area too. It kind of reminded me of Fourways where I used to live in Johannesburg - same kind of feel but different. However I didn't spend a huge amount of time on socialising as was working for the Hilton Hotel group and amercing myself into the job and English business culture. Constantly being pulled up for my "south africanisms" I quickly learnt under the management of my Italian boss, how I needed to fit in. Now fitting in for me is just a totally foreign concept as anyone who knows me will testify too! So after a year and half of towing the line, the company decided not to expand on a project I had been in charge of, into the rest of the UK, even though I had proven it to be a highly lucrative possibility. It was all about company politics and unfulfilled promises so this was the first opportunity that presented itself to me on my self discovery journey. Was I going to stay for the sake of the job even though the company had not followed through on so many promises they had made to me in the first few months I was there? When I decided to resign it was because I felt that having spent so many hours each day creating this new lucrative market for them, they had chosen to ignore my dedication and hold me back due to internal politics. It was a matter or choice. Once I handed my letter in, then suddenly they were responsive to my needs and ambitions. So I was presented with a situation where I got a personal phone call from my Regional bosses boss, to ask me to stay and they would increase my salary and within the next two years I could expand the project nationally. So there it was - what I wanted but not quiet. Why did I have to resign for them to offer what they had originally promised? I made a decision that day that would affect every decision from there on..., I thanked them for the kind offer and turned it down. It was as I was soon to find out, the first time I had consciously decided that I would value my integrity over the easy choice. That is the day my life changed forever.....