People Power
Category UKLUG Random Personal
To many, UKLUG was just another Lotus
User Group conference. However, to me, it was much, much more. Please allow
me to explain?
After the death of Lynne, my wife, in March of this year, I did what I suspect most people do to deal with such life changing events -- I kept myself as busy as I could, and tried to "just get on" with things. For the most part, this actually worked. However, around about the start of August 2009, I seemed to run into a very large wall.
Since April, I had been exercising like a man possessed, and was making great progress on the eradication of the excess poundage that I had accumulated since my late 20's. I was eating properly, and I could see & feel the benefits the new regime was having. I was even beginning to sleep a lot better, and felt invigorated at the start of each day. Then, just as soon as I thought I had things back under control, someone put me in to a little room, with no windows or doors in it. (OK, physically that didn't happen, but mentally, I felt very boxed in. You get the picture ...)
I couldn't motivate myself to exercise any more, and my healthy eating regime gave way to takeaways and junk food. Getting out of bed to go to work each day was becoming a major chore. Even my love of all things within the Yellowverse couldn't pull me out of the "funk" that I was in. In short, I could not be arsed doing anything.
However, my mood, and my outlook on "life" changed around about Monday 21 September 2009. That was when I had a bit of an "Oh shit ..!" moment, as I realised that UKLUG was a little over 2 weeks away, and I hadn't done a single bit of preparation for it. I'll admit, I was very tempted to email Warren and Kitty telling them that I wasn't going to be able to deliver my session. However, my conscience wouldn't let me do that, and I realised that if I wasn't going to make a complete fool out of myself, I had better get my finger out and work on my presentation PDQ!
The thought of disappointing Warren, Kitty, Bill, Paul, et al, scared the shit out of me. More importantly, the thought of looking like a complete eejit in front of a room full of geeks, some of whom I had worked with before, also scared the shit out of me.
It's hard to describe, but that shit-scaring "realisation" powered me on tremendously. It freed me from my mental prison, and gave me the wake up call I so desperately needed. I had wanted a lifeline to pull me from the mire I was floundering within. What I didn't realise until that day was that I had it in my hand all of the time.
So, as mushy as it may sound, I owe a lot to the talented peeps behind the organisation of UKLUG. Whether they knew it or not, they did me a massive favour when they approved my session for UKLUG. In effect, they gave me the lifeline I was looking for, and without that lifeline, who knows how long it would have taken for me to get my life back together again.
Thanks guys. I owe you. Big time!
After the death of Lynne, my wife, in March of this year, I did what I suspect most people do to deal with such life changing events -- I kept myself as busy as I could, and tried to "just get on" with things. For the most part, this actually worked. However, around about the start of August 2009, I seemed to run into a very large wall.
Since April, I had been exercising like a man possessed, and was making great progress on the eradication of the excess poundage that I had accumulated since my late 20's. I was eating properly, and I could see & feel the benefits the new regime was having. I was even beginning to sleep a lot better, and felt invigorated at the start of each day. Then, just as soon as I thought I had things back under control, someone put me in to a little room, with no windows or doors in it. (OK, physically that didn't happen, but mentally, I felt very boxed in. You get the picture ...)
I couldn't motivate myself to exercise any more, and my healthy eating regime gave way to takeaways and junk food. Getting out of bed to go to work each day was becoming a major chore. Even my love of all things within the Yellowverse couldn't pull me out of the "funk" that I was in. In short, I could not be arsed doing anything.
However, my mood, and my outlook on "life" changed around about Monday 21 September 2009. That was when I had a bit of an "Oh shit ..!" moment, as I realised that UKLUG was a little over 2 weeks away, and I hadn't done a single bit of preparation for it. I'll admit, I was very tempted to email Warren and Kitty telling them that I wasn't going to be able to deliver my session. However, my conscience wouldn't let me do that, and I realised that if I wasn't going to make a complete fool out of myself, I had better get my finger out and work on my presentation PDQ!
The thought of disappointing Warren, Kitty, Bill, Paul, et al, scared the shit out of me. More importantly, the thought of looking like a complete eejit in front of a room full of geeks, some of whom I had worked with before, also scared the shit out of me.
It's hard to describe, but that shit-scaring "realisation" powered me on tremendously. It freed me from my mental prison, and gave me the wake up call I so desperately needed. I had wanted a lifeline to pull me from the mire I was floundering within. What I didn't realise until that day was that I had it in my hand all of the time.
So, as mushy as it may sound, I owe a lot to the talented peeps behind the organisation of UKLUG. Whether they knew it or not, they did me a massive favour when they approved my session for UKLUG. In effect, they gave me the lifeline I was looking for, and without that lifeline, who knows how long it would have taken for me to get my life back together again.
Thanks guys. I owe you. Big time!
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Comments
You've always been a brilliant speaker - I think you were the only person who needed convincing.
Here's hoping we see you on stage at Lotusphere...
---* Bill
Posted by Bill 09:41:15 On 14/10/2009 | - Website - |
Posted by Ben Poole 18:44:36 On 19/10/2009 | - Website - |
Posted by Paul Mooney 13:27:23 On 22/10/2009 | - Website - |