In Marbella this week for a friend’s wedding, I decided to take up a new hobby: scuba diving!! I’m still feeling pretty pleased with myself. It’s one of those things I’d always believed I could never do, mainly because I can just about doggy paddle a width and don’t even get my face wet in the shower. Yet I’ve always wanted to swim like a mermaid, with hair gracefully swirling around and angel fish weaving through my legs.
One of my favourite quotes is Henry Ford’s – whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right. So I changed my mindset into believing I CAN!! I CAN dive. I CAN get my face wet, I CAN wear flippers without laughing, I CAN descend to the bottom, weighted and possibly not as elegantly as Ariel, but this was just my first lesson after all!
I can’t quite describe the feeling of freedom you get floating in the blue; the absolute tranquillity of a soundless world where people communicate only with fingers and bubbles. If we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, being beneath the waves removes all that, and the weightlessness you experience translates into an absolute sense of calm.
What a world away from the hustle and bustle of running a London-based business. This holiday was the first time in a couple of years that I’ve left my laptop at home. I ensured my clients’ social media was ready before I went. Blogs were written and uploaded, ready to go live at their allotted time. Tweets were scheduled, photos selected for Facebook posts and e-shots set to go. So I was free to float about in my new-found dreamy world.
Incidentally, on the subject of hustley-bustley London, one of my friends is seeking tenants for two commercial properties – one in South Woodford and the other in trendy Hackney Wick. He’s not an estate agent, just a business owner who’s moved due to the expansion of a successful business. So if you have contacts looking to settle in this area, please spread the word. The company that moved out is up for a couple of high profile industry awards, so the feng shui must be marvellous there (if you believe in that)! Call me if you’d like more info.
On Wednesday I was back in the city to attend 
a beautiful and passionate performance of La Traviata at Drapers’ Hall. The Stroke Association invited me as a thank you for my work raising awareness of childhood stroke. It was the first time I’d met Karren Brady – she’s now the government’s advisor on small business, so quite a handy person to know! She supports the charity too and gave a heartfelt speech during the opera’s interval, after the sea bass and before the chocolate truffles.
I had a couple of chats with Miriam Margolyes and she said I should be on TV – maybe that can be my next challenge!! Do I believe I can do it…? We’ll see. It’s funny, but more people I know were impressed that I’d met Professor Sprout than the queen of the Apprentice. I guess we all love a little magic in our lives.
Our belief system is set by the age of seven, and much of what we know stems from those tender years. You probably ‘knew’ Ariel when you were seven. She was a brave young thing, sacrificing her all for her beliefs. As she says, ‘Ready to know what the people know, ask ’em my questions and get some answers. Bright young women, sick of swimmin’ – ready to stand. Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun; wanderin’ free – wish I could be part of that world.’
Well firstly, if you have questions, I have answers. Secondly, if you’re fed up with anything in your life or business, don’t be afraid to take a stand. And finally, if there’s a world you wish you were part of, step into it. Or, like me, gently drift away. You can’t tweet underwater, but I’m here now, back on dry land: @WeekendWitch.
(Thanks to the Guernsey Arts Commission for sharing their La Traviata pic)
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