All Change

The past 12 months or so have been some of the most turbulent times for me in recent years.

The house building project of course, was always going to cause stress and cost a load of money. Dealing with that has actually been easier than I imagined, but that's what comes of having the right people around you.

Those people first and foremost, include my wife, Jan, without whose constant trust, support and encouragement when things got difficult, I'd never have finished the job.

The builder has been brilliant and is one of those rare breeds who is totally passionate about his work and always goes the extra mile. Last Saturday (a day off usually), he stayed with me until 9pm - and even then brought his wife over to show her what's been keeping him late most nights for the last year!


But the past 12 months aren't just about the house.

Building that is one thing. Along the way, I realised that a business relationship I had with someone was running out of steam for a variety of reasons.

That meant having to put in place a contingency, as the arrangement has provided me with a significant percentage of my income for a few years now.

Along the way, whilst building more web sites, carrying out my asbestos surveying work (I shouldn't call it work really, it's still just a hobby, albeit very lucrative) and coping with the fallout from a failing arrangement, I've also been quietly retraining so that I can add yet another string to my bow in order to become recession proof.

On Monday I sat an examination and will get the results shortly. To be honest, I'm not great at exams, but the result will be what it will be. I can always resit :)

The key thing for me is to always strive to move forward no matter what. Working for myself since 2002 has taught me a great deal.

Prior to that time, if I had recognised the business difficulties that were heading my way (which I probably have), I would have been overwhelmed with uncertainty, filled with fear and would almost certainly have placed an unfinished house straight back on the market.

Employment feeds fear, because your future is not in your own hands.

When you work for yourself, that fear disappears and makes you strong. Very strong.

I've attached a couple of pictures. The first is the stage I was at with my building when things started to a little awry... The next is where we're at now, still not finished, but we're moving in regardless!

The new garage door comes next week.

After buying our house in November 2006, we'll be moving in tomorrow.

Large donations from rich and generous befactors can be sent to Dave's Huge Mortgage Fund by Paypal at info AT hollywood-internet.com.