Preface Part 2
With hindsight setting up a charity, with the best intentions, was somewhat naïve. I very soon learned that this sector of the economy wasn’t much different to any other; in many ways it was more corrupt as it pretends to be something it isn’t; at least traders and bankers don’t pretend to be the second coming. What I mean by this is that my experience of Charity was that people within it were more interested in fundraising, salaries and bonuses than the causes they were using to generate the monies. Many organisations had huge reserves, were over staffed and there was very little accountability to the outside world or to stakeholders, unlike the corporate sector. I became disillusioned after 4 or 5 years of this and it didn’t leave me feeling positive or fulfilled; time to make some more changes.
I continue to support the projects that I set up but, other than that, I have not taken on any new projects and decided to continue to explore new things, learn, travel, have fun, keep fit and see where life takes me.
On my travels I visited some amazing places: Brazil, Argentina, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand to name just some of them. It was during a visit to a retreat in Koh Pha Ngan in 2008 that things took a major shift for me. I was not in the happiest mindset, my divorce had become somewhat protracted and I was struggling with all the changes that were going on in my life. I met so many interesting and eccentric characters at this retreat; a guy who made money for food from giving Tarot readings, a heavily tattooed Italian woman who meditated standing on her head and a posh English lady who had ‘dropped out’ of mainstream living to stay there all year round. Conversations were never dull and most of all there was a real atmosphere of love, support and acceptance. I was introduced to the work of Byron Katy and enjoyed reading Ekhart Tolle’s popular take on Zen Buddism, The Power of Now.
Looking back, this was a big moment in my transformation from a City trader to a personal development coach and writer…
