The annual Christmas poem 2022

The Trodden Annual Christmas Poem – 2022

Every year I say it – it’s been bigger than the last
But fair to say that 22 sure whipped by pretty fast
I barely kept a diary, photos few and far between
But this Annual Christmas tome at least
Can summarise what’s been...

January started fine, with Taupo for a stay
Marked 20 years for me to have a kid free holiday
February marked a great event – Joseph turned 16
For me the prospect of a move, a new house I had just seen
Within 3 weeks it was all on, a buy, a sell, a shift
To Hamilton in March, we came – there was a lot to lift!

Joseph got his L plates and I taught him how to drive
April was the month for that and still we are alive
The annual ladies getaway in May, we went for Mother’s Day
A real first for all of us to celebrate away

Then covid came to our house and alone we had to be
All of June we were inside, the power bill was something else to see!
By July, Joseph had a parttime job and earned himself a bunch!
Whisked me off, to Zealong tea for a belated birthday lunch
August was the month of trains as the lobby group reformed
We got the government listening and the media informed
(The project is still growing, with much ahead to do
Thanks to work behind the scenes by an amazing crew)

The tour of ‘the Temple’ was September’s special treat
A truly one-in-a-lifetime event that never will repeat
October – Niamh turned 20! What more can I say?
I am so proud of the amazing woman she has grown into today
A car crash, mediation and move moving cat and daughter
Select committee hearing, the lounge flooded with water

November was a weird old month, full of stress and drama,
I left it feeling full of hope December would be calmer...
But not to be, the universe had other plans in view
A change of job, exams, more crashes, the hospital for two

Yet here we are, the year most done, and all of us survived

In fact, I’d say despite it all, we actually have thrived
There’s lots of things to celebrate, be grateful with good reason
To you and yours we wish you all a Happy Christmas Season!

What the heck is TNBC???

I am currently at the half way mark of treatment having been diagnosed with TNBC at the end of March.  It's a relatively rare form of breast cancer, which weirdly mainly affects young women of Maori or Asian descent, with just 300 odd cases diagnosed each year in NZ. 

I had what I thought was a pulled muscle from over zealous gardening,  and had gone to the doctor with a couple of other minor niggles relating to women of a certain age ;)  when she mentioned I was due for a mammogram so should add that to my wellness to do list.

It was a massive shock to discover the pulled muscle was in fact a tumor...not least because I found out my role at work was being disestablished as part of a restructure the same week...and in the same few days my dog was diagnosed with heart failure, and I was booked to have a basal cell carcinoma removed following a brush with melanoma a few years back. It was quite a week!

Thanks to having medical insurance I was able to see a surgeon within 48 hours of diagnosis and had a lumpectomy just 3 days after that. What was originally thought to be a garden variety tumour turned out to be triple negative so I then moved to chemo. My mind and body were in shock for sure, and it has been a very hard road with me getting every side effect possible and a secondary infection that landed me in hospital early on.

I'm now 11 rounds of chemo in with 5 to go and the 15 radiotherapy sessions still ahead.  I won't lie, it's been a freaking arduous journey and still feels like I have a mountain to climb ahead of me.  Upon diagnosis, my life literally ground to a halt overnight, as I withdrew from all the things I loved doing to focus on treatment and recovery (and minimise my risk of other infections, including Covid).  

I've had amazing support from my friends ( code named The Boob Tribe) as well as my family and incredible resilience shown by my kids.  For them, this has become normal life as we know it.  Right from the start I took the approach that I would follow the advice of the experts, and not do too much research - and I'm glad for that.  Whilst some days this crazy life still feels like it belongs to someone else (I'm reminded it doesn't, when I catch sight of my hairless head in the mirror), this has given me a measure of control that getting stuck into reading every book and attending every support group meeting might not have done.  I literally start each day with 'what can I achieve today', and in fact at times, 'achieve in the next hour, or the next ten minutes'. 

 

There's been a lot of hard times. I have struggled with the toll this has taken on my appearance and stamina. The damage to my 'offal' has been awful....suffice to say few parts of the inner workings are operating as they should be.  I've gained a lot of weight thanks to treatment, but don't have the energy to increase exercise.  I'm bald, covered in a rash, and have a constantly dripping nose (currently blood noses, good times).    Right now, the fatigue, coupled with insomnia (both side effects of the chemo drugs, and the drugs I have to take for the side effects of the chemo) are particularly bad.  I feel seasick most of the time, and everything tastes weird.  

Some people in my life have disappeared...it's a tricky thing, to be confronted by a seriously ill person. I hope they'll be back one day, but if not, I understand.  Others whom I barely knew have become close friends and confidants albeit at a distance as I find myself really unenthusiastic about having visitors or socialising.   I am a pretty positive person but this has seriously challenged that mindset. Some days are good...especially the ones when I am on steroids, and others are just feckin' awful.  I find myself becoming more reclusive....I'm sick of my own story, sick of  the 'head on the side, how ARE you' comments, sick of the surprised 'oh you're STILL doing that' remarks from people I haven't seen in a while.  

I've had to stop doing a lot of the things I love ...volunteering,  dancing, numerous cafe visits!...whilst neutrapenic, but there is light, I hope, at the end of the tunnel. I have a long road of recovery ahead but firmly believe that mental resilience and ability to "let it be" has helped enormously.    And then there will be bursts of lightness...a walk with a friend in the sun (ooops not meant to be in the sun when you're having chemo), a quick trip to the shops, a visit from someone I've not seen in a while.  A day on the couch with Netflix might be not so fun any more, but the ability to use that as a reason to employ a cleaner kind of is....

I started a new role with the same organisation in the middle of all it all, very glad to have been successful in quite a competitive recruitment process and with an incredibly accommodating people leader who has been happy for me to work from home,,and take recovery time as I need to. 

Mindset really is everything.  I look forward to the day this will be a distant memory.  Fingers crossed. 

TRON - the Rail Opportunity Network

For posterity, I'm making some notes about how it all began, and attached the original submission I made to last years Select Committee hearing.  More can be found at www.makingrailwork.com and on Facebook (search Making Rail Work)

1.       The start of the dream 2013 – 2016

 

Sitting in traffic in June 2013 on the Southern Motorway, trying to get to Queens St in peak traffic. ‘’This is a nightmare’’, I say to my co-passenger.  ‘’If only there was a train!’’.  We discuss the pros and cons, remembering when back in the late ‘90s there had been a train from Frankton to (we think) the Strand, that for some reason had been cancelled.  Facebook is the place to be, so as we sit in gridlock, I create a Facebook group, imaginatively called ‘We want a commuter train between Hamilton and Auckland’.

I invite all my friends to ‘like’ the page and start engaging with various other groups such as the Campaign for Better Transport.   I attend Regional Council meetings, contribute to council plans by way of submission, and occasionally ring talkback radio.

Three years go by, and I am in a queue at the Pumpkin Festival at the Hamilton Gardens.  Then Labour MP and spokesperson for public transport, Sue Maroney is ahead of me.  We get chatting, as you do, and discover this common interest.  From there, we agree to meet, and following a couple more meetings decide to see if we can form a more formal group to get some solid research and higher profile.  Fortunately, the Railway Union and the University of Waikato agree with us, and we get funding to complete a feasibility study. 

With the numbers in hand, we are finally ready to go public.  It’s great timing, with an election looming and a mayor who at that time was not at all keen on public transport.  We need a better name and ‘The Rail Opportunity Network’ – or TRON for short, is born, and officially launched at a public meeting held at the Frankton Junction Hotel in April 2016.  Attended by politicians, lobbyists, the press, and plenty of others interested in supporting rail between Hamilton and Auckland, we are now really on our way.

 

2.       2016 – 2020: Te Huia Train

With the announcement by then Transport Minister Phil Twyford that there will be a significant commitment and investment in rail, TRON is able to make great inroads.  The steering group dissolves as most people become busy with other projects, but I (Susan) keep it going, using social media and regular spots on radio (and a couple on TV) to keep our story alive. Further feasibility studies are commissioned, there’s more public consultation, and media interest remains strong.  Following further commitment from the Waikato Regional Council, Hamilton City Council, and the Waikato District Council, there is finally a real proposition ahead, and in due course the rolling stock is bought and sent to the Wellington depot for refurbishment.

TRON continues to make it clear that we see the line between Hamilton and Auckland as just the beginning of a wider commitment to rail.  We change our focus from being just about a commuter option to really telling a story of connecting people and places, not only on this line, but across the golden triangle.  One thing at a time though, and despite some delays, the train is ready to be launched, and is given the name Te Huia. 

The train leaves the new station near ‘Te Awa the Base’ with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and others on board.  We are on the 6 o’clock news, and there is much excitement about what the future of rail might look like. 

The future is looking bright – and then Covid strikes.  The timing could not have been worse, with the train having to be effectively mothballed.  The press has a field-day, with naysayers citing the costs of the train as a waste of taxpayer money.  No one considers that it’s not just rail, but we become a visible punching bag for government spending.

This is made worse by issues with the tracks, causing delays and cancellations.  TRON is still advocating for rail as an alternative to cars, and as the conversations around global warming become louder, and the cost of petrol spirals out of control, we see even more possibilities.

 3.       2021 – back on track

I receive a phone call from someone in Tauranga who has heard about TRON’s work and is looking at developing a proposal for a ‘golden triangle’ train service.  It’s great timing, and a group gathers via Zoom to discuss how we could build on the work already undertaken by TRON to grow the vision and bring more people ‘on the journey’ with us.

We have big goals and are fortunate to be a team of diverse people with passion for public transport and a wide range of skills.  More research is needed, we have a goal to get in front of as many politicians as possible, and we need to keep media interest high.   I’m keen to be involved – the TRON project is now mainly just me and a large-ish social media following, supported by one or two people in the media who are supporting our work.

We need a new name though – TRON is not right any more, and one of the group comes up with the brilliant ‘Making Rail Work’.  Further funding was secured via Trust Waikato and Bay Trust, and we were able to set to work on a significant project that culminated in a Select Committee hearing, with all parties and other key stakeholders in attendance, and a record number of submission. The issue of rail was still well and truly alive and had resonated with an enormous number of New Zealanders.

 

4.   2022 – Connecting Communities – public submission and Select Committee hearing

Right from the start of this project in 2013, I have wanted to see people travel by train, explore local culture, and engage with local people. To see connection, responsible and safe commutes for workers, students, and tourists, and find ways to revitalise small towns along the train route.

Having spent my time with TRON focussed mainly on community engagement, I elected to look at this as part of our submission to the government.  Some of the committee asked hard questions, but we were prepared and ready, with facts to back up our claims.  We also acknowledged that there are groups largely invisible in the conversation about passenger rail, including the small towns along the rail lines where public transport is almost non-existent, Gen X, Y, and Z population who is motivated to use sustainable, climate-responsive, and accessible public transport, and iwi, whose very land and people are directly affected.

Connecting people is at the heart of our purpose and is the very essence of community rail. With a network that is at the same time national and local, rail can have a wider social impact. We identify the need to look beyond the people and groups who have traditionally been involved with the railways and be open to everyone; involving a wider mix of people it can play a valuable role in building and supporting integrated communities.

Creating submissions and watching the live submissions on the Select Committee hearings were exciting.  Making Rail Work was determined to be well prepared (we were!), and well received by the committee (we absolutely were).  We were fortunate to get time to speak individually, and I was thrilled to be able to outline the background to MRW, and where we saw the potential for rail to positively impact isolated communities along the proposed rail corridor, as well as tell the story as the importance of rail for the economy and wellbeing of ‘the golden triangle’

Some of the committee asked hard questions, but we were prepared and ready, with facts to back up our claims.  We also acknowledged that that there are groups largely invisible in the conversation about passenger rail, including the small towns along the rail lines where public transport is almost non-existent, the gen X, Y and Z population who is motivated to use sustainable, climate-responsive, and accessible public transport, and iwi, whose very land and people are directly affected.

We want to encourage individuals, communities, voluntary organisations and businesses to take responsibility for the issues that matter to them and their communities. The voice of community is a crucial part of this success, enabled by drawing on local insight to understand and function as an advocate for local people’s views and needs and inform decisions about services and infrastructure to improve local transport provision.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/92630903/missing-link-on-passenger-rail-service-wades-in-with-strategic-plan

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/397378/waikato-wide-train-service-campaigners-new-dream-after-hamilton-auckland-rail-route

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/115263837/what-happens-in-auckland-will-impact-hamilton-commuter-rail-service

Last week my daughter started work on Te Huia - the perfect ending to this project for me. 

NB I wrote a 3000 word contribution to the next stage of planning for MRW but as it is unlikely to be included I am not attaching this here.  I do hope though that one day my kids will read this, and realise what a big project it was. 

I want the truth (how I came to handle the truth) Pt 2

Following on from the post yesterday, which was shared on social media, I was asked if I could provide further background and pointers on how people can support those down the rabbit hole, and hopefully encourage them back out.

This is my response:

The change for me came through personal life experiences. As I started traveling and thus my world view grew, as I raised kids, as I saw shitty stuff happening in the world and could no longer justify it with blind faith, I became more open to other views (or at least, became more open about my inner views...).

I now find any dogmatic view very uncomfortable. In terms of pointers, I think those responses like 'that's interesting, I'll consider it' and so forth, give people with strong views a sense of validation, but you are also keeping boundaries around what you will and won't' take on. Moving from a strong view comes with grief as another poster mentioned. In the case of deconversion from Christianity, (there's more on this elsewhere on my blog - search 'Christianity') I have heard this described as more painful than a divorce (from people who went through both). Understanding that a belief system, be it a religion, a mindset, or subscribing to a particular conspiracy theory comes with its own culture, language, and community will help. 

The person who is embedded in these things is being challenged on every level and that is scary. If it's faith-based, then showing science won't make a difference - it's more likely to push the person further towards their belief, regardless of it's through fear or actual believing. As in any cult-like behaviour (and yes I am aware that there is a very wide spectrum, I'm just generalising for simplicity), a gentle, prolonged, and non-judgemental approach is the only way to move people from one belief to another. And they need to have a personal interest or impact to want change, such as (in the case of Covid say) getting sick and experiencing 'the other side'. 

Hope this helps. 

Further reading:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/summer-2020/unprecedented/we-were-there/when-a-relative-falls-down-a-rabbit-hole/

https://ericgeiger.com/2021/05/how-do-i-pull-my-friend-out-of-the-rabbit-hole-of-conspiracies/

http://voicesofdeconversion.com/

I want the truth! (You can't handle the truth)

 Many years ago...more than 35...I was deeply involved in an evangelical church.  I desperately wanted to be part of the community. I wanted to feel what I saw other people feeling on Sunday mornings. I wanted to be a living example of the things that were being preached.

This church, like many others, taught that there was a special prayer to be said, that would ensure entrance to heaven on death. It required, essentially a kind of personal sovereignty (is that expression sounding familiar!?!) that led to sacrifice and quite possibly persecution for holding on to certain beliefs. We were beseeched to go tell it on the mountain and pray without ceasing.  It was particularly important to ensure everyone we knew - especially family - heard this message, and had the opportunity to accept it for themselves (there's that personal sovereignty thing again).  After all, if they didn't, they would be in eternal torment and it would be MY FAULT if I hadn't told them the Truth.  We were reminded that we were a minority, but that this was normal...most people wouldn't listen, and part of being the bearer of this news would include feeling separate, perhaps even mocked or ridiculed. In fact, that was probably part of the deal.  But continue we must, led by faith (because well, you know, faith). 

I didn't even really know if I believed all I heard - there were certain things that I secretly didn't agree with - but boy oh boy, I was not going to take the risk.  And so, at the peak of my quest for devoutness, I was telling ...preaching....to everyone I could.  I was petrified of eternal damnation for my family, but also smug in the knowledge that at least I was right, and would be saved from doom.

There were things I didn't understand, but I turned to the voice of others with more charisma and those with spiritual knowledge. I closed my friend circle, choosing only to socialize with people of similar mindset (it was safer that way anyway, lest I be tainted by another view). I immersed myself in Christian literature, studiously avoiding anything that might challenge what I was hearing and reading.  The fact that the majority of what I read didn't stand up to scientific scrutiny, and was not accepted by the general population was irrelevant.   I had answers for those people anyway...because... faith. 

There was a bit of a problem as time went by. I discovered that there was an outside chance that whilst what I was following was A truth, it might not be THE truth.  There were just as many fallible people within the group as outside - charlatans and liars, the gullible and lonely, and many many genuinely kind people who truly believed what we were being taught.

What I'm seeing now, as the pandemic continues to rage, is a similar thing in the right-wing /anti-vax/pro-Freedom movements.  By and large, these are good people - they are standing up for what they believe in. They are desperate to ensure that their message gets to as many as possible.  They are looking for leaders, and signs and wonders, to support their beliefs.  For some, the lure of being a martyr for the cause is attractive. Social media has given many a platform that my teen days of street preaching could only have dreamt of.  

I see so many parallels.  It's given me a fresh insight and deeper sympathy for those who have ended up down the current rabbit holes that are overflowing with conspiracy theories and self-righteous anger. 

Noone wants to be told they're wrong. No one really wants to admit they might have got it wrong.  And generally no one wants to be told that the truth they have believed in for a very long time, might not be so true after all.  

One can only hope that for many, there will be, if not a revelation, a slow awakening.  There can be many truths.  Choose yours wisely. 

The Annual Family Poem 2021

This sure has been a heck of a year!
How can Christmas already be here!
Even so it's probably time

(Traditionally I'd be making this rhyme)

Read on for the highlights of our family's year
Omitting the Covid's, and my fast greying hair
Dancing got squeezed into weeks with no lockdowns
- including my sister's wedding

 (Hurrah! A magical day)

Did a trip on the first Te Huia train - lobbied 8 years, shed a few tears
Even got a few days away, in Wellington (one of my favourite towns)
Never so much time spent on Zoom and the phone!

Susan changed jobs to an English Language school -
a change from the orchestra which is pretty cool
Couldn't quite give up music though - wrote another children's show
Had to do it 'online' though - musicians a yes, but the audience no!

Reinstatement of The Village Messenger - so happy to start it up again
I do so love the power of my pen
Son Joseph won the year 11 Hospitality award, even cooks dinner for me
- if he's bored (hurrah for Hello Fresh!)

Time for change for Niamh too - moving out of home and a new career doing
Making cocktails and pouring pints for Good George Brewing
At home learning and working most enjoyed by the pets (woof woof!),
and we loved no early morning alarm going off

Susan joined Waikato Refugee Forum as Advisor to the Board
- a privilege to work with such extraordinary people
Please stay safe this summer - mask at the ready!
Our summer will be spent at the beach and Lake Taupo (just for me!)

Even if you're just passing through, do drop in and visit for coffee...or cake

Merry Christmas from us! Enjoy your break!

The annual family poem 2020 - Fairytale of Pirongia

 

FAIRYTALE OF PIRONGIA

The Annual Trodden Christmas Poem 2020

 

It was Lockdown Eve,

Down the Five Stags

A young man said to me, won't see another one

And then he played a song

‘You Can’t Touch This’ I think

I turned my hands away, And put them in the sink

 

Got on the bike again, Didn’t care about the rain

I've got a feeling We needed to get out the house

So happy Christmas, I’m glad we made it

I can see a better time, When all our dreams come true

 

We had masks in the parks, We had queues up wazoos

But the time went quite quickly with 1 pm news

When we first locked the doors at the end of the spring

We conquered the Covid and handwash was king

 

We got fat!, We got thinner

We had salad for dinner

When the lockdown was over, We didn’t want more

I went back to dancing, But Joseph quit Fencing

Niamh learned how to barber, And we shopped through the night

 

The orchestras kept going and They played their hearts out well

And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day

 

I’m the mum! He’s the kid! She’s the one chucking junk

Cleaning cupboards and drawers like tomorrow won’t come

You cook and I’ll clean, What? The dryer’s on again?

Then Christmas came fast The year’s done at last

 

The orchestras kept going and They played their hearts out well

And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day

 

The year was tough for us, Well it was for all of us

We kept our dreams alive, In hope of better times

We made a list of things, That turned out in the end

We’ll put it on the fridge, And be glad for them

 

The orchestras kept going and They played their hearts out well

And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day

Listen to the soundtrack so you can sing along:)

 

 

Could be me

 

Today I was teased for the very last time

And I ran from the room to write down this rhyme

To capture the hurt and to capture the shame

That I felt when I heard the crowd call out my name

You’re so noisy they said, you talk far too much

You mean well, we know, but it’s always a rush

You’re hard on the ears, and perhaps we could mention

How it seems that so often you don’t pay attention

Your voice is too loud and your hair is too wild

Apparently, both since you’ve been a young child

You know that we love you but honestly mate

Could you tone it right back - and try not to be late!

And as for the drama that dogs you each day

Perhaps it’s your own that gets in the way

It’s a maelstrom that enters the room don’t you know

And we feel like you have to be star of the show

Well…the thing that hurts most is that all of it’s true

I know I’m ‘too much’ - for me - not just you!

Perhaps I’ll be quiet, say ‘I’m fine thanks, and you?’

When asked how I am at the next public do

I’ll sit in the middle, and tie my hair back

So I do not offend, but blend into the pack

I don’t need reminding, I know how I am

And ‘good-natured teasing’ won’t help with this jam

it's just a matter of faith

October 2014

Last weekend I found myself in the most unlikely of places - invited to the house of a friend, I expected to be '' meeting new people'', but in fact discovered that of the 8 families there, I knew 6 of them, and all bar two of the adults sat somewhere on the ''faith scale'' - a pastor at one end, and...well...probably me at the other.

Conversation with two (whom it turned out I have known since teenage youth group years)  turned, as one might expect to things spiritual.  Was I going to church and if so where? No? Oh, why not? I found myself frustratingly clumsy in response - mumbling about being ''churched out'' and ''taking a break from formality'' - and feeling more than a little deceitful with it. Because although both of those things are true, the story is rather more convoluted than that.  Like many things - the complicated questions can have simple answers and the simple questions often have (very!) complicated answers!

February 2020

Part of the annual spring clean (which I tend to do over the summer break) includes a tidy up of social media, emails and so forth.  My blog has sat largely untouched for a long time, for a bunch of reasons, including that I write a lot for a living and so don't really indulge in it for pleasure much these days.  So today, as I was scrolling through the half-finished posts, deciding what could stay and what could go, this one caught my eye, still in draft form from 2014.

Since I wrote the lines above a lot has happened in my life and world view of things spiritual.  I've been grappling with whether I even need to be writing it down for posterity, but it's interesting to look back on these things...so here it is.

Not long after writing those words, I found myself back at church. It was an 'of course I'll go with you' kind of thing rather than a conscious effort on my behalf, coupled with a vague idea that if I could get my kids interested again it might be a good way to get them into the youth group.  The problem was, I'd sit in church feeling grumpy and resentful that I was there, being all judgy about the people in the room (and wondering how many were there with the same motivations as me) and really not communicating at all with the God I was supposedly there to meet with, and in whom I wasn't sure I believed in the first place.

I came to the conclusion I was better to stay away - echoes of the 'better to be cold or hot than lukewarm' bible verse in my head.  Time went on.  I reached the conclusion that God wasn't overly concerned about my lack of Sunday commitment.  More time passed...I accepted that the beseeching I had done of God in the previous year or so had had absolutely no effect at all - either I wasn't asking with a pure heart, or he didn't care or maybe didn't exist...

And now, in 2020? I want to believe there is a God because I don't really want to have to accept that the world is just some kind of cosmic accident (and ergo, so am I). But do I believe that God is interested in me? That I can have some kind of personal relationship? That my eternal life is dependent on this Judeo-Christian belief I have had around me my whole life?  Nope, and I don't know if I ever did.

What I do know is that I have a responsibility to do my best by the world - which means to walk lightly on the earth, be kind and generous with others, respect myself, all those things that make us good humans.  Does God fit in there somewhere? Possibly, but not in the way I thought and not in the form I've always reverted to imagining. 

It seems to me that the Christian version of God is one of many.  A truth perhaps, but not THE truth. It's just a way of us mere humans making sense of the world.  Just as every Muslim or Buddhist or Taoist does.  When I do the Beliefnet quiz I almost always get 'Sikh' as my most closely aligned religion - seems strange until you read what the framework is.

The thing I just can't get my head around is the New Age type stuff. It seems it is a never-ending, self-perpetuated cycle of self-improvement that has little to do with others - that is definitely not the religion for me.

I read somewhere recently that to be spiritual is just to have an awareness that life is bigger than we are. You don't have to say you're a spiritual person (ick), or 'act' like one. That the rest doesn't really matter.  I think I like that.

The Annual Family Poem - 2019

Christmas 2019 – the Annual Trodden Poem

On the First Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me

                A proudly earned a Bachelor’s Degree

On the Second Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s degree

On the Third Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me  

                Three sold-out shows, two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned a Bachelor’s degree

On the Fourth Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Four quotes in the paper, Three sold-out shows

                Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s degree

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper, Three sold-out shows,                 

               Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelors Degree

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me

                Six dancing classes, Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper, Three sold-out shows,                

               Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me

                Seven days of driving, Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper, three sold-out shows,                

               Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned  Bachelor’s Degree

On the Eighth Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Eight awesome staff, Seven days of driving,

                Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper, Three sold-out shows

                Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree 

On the Ninth Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Nine driving lessons, Eight awesome staff,  

                Seven days of driving, Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper

                Three sold-out shows, Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree

On the Tenth Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Ten grand of new boobs, Nine driving lessons,

                Eight awesome staff, Seven days of driving,

                Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper,

                Three sold-out shows, Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, my good life gave to me

                Eleven massive concerts, Ten grand of new boobs

                Nine driving lessons, Eight awesome staff,  

                Seven days of driving,  Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper, Three sold-out shows,                 

               Two gorgeous children and

                A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my good life gave to me

                Twelve awesome ladies,

                Eleven massive concerts, Ten grand of new boobs

                Nine driving lessons, Eight awesome staff,  

                Seven days of driving,   Six dancing classes,

                Five pets at home,

                Four quotes in the paper

                Three sold-out shows, Two gorgeous children and

                 A proudly earned Bachelor’s Degree

manpower mandate motivation

As is oft the case I have a theory. 

Over the past 15 or 20 years I have met with literally dozens of people who have great business ideas, and very often those ideas are born from a passion for a hobby or interest that they want to monetise.

Whilst there are many good reasons to grow a hobby into a more sustainable income I've also seen the same pitfalls present themselves over and over again, and this is almost always due to a lack of understanding about purpose.

Before anyone starts a business I recommend that they really come to grips with the 'why' - because that matters even more than the 'what'.  Why do you want to be self employed? Why do you want to sell this particular product or service? Why do you think there is room for this in the marketplace?

The answers are likely to be...because I love this thing...because I'm good at this thing...because I want the freedom of working for myself, and it won't feel like a job... Because I feel like I've got something great to offer.  All of which are GREAT reasons to add to the PLUS side of the list.  

In the for-purpose world (used be called charities, non-profits or community organisations) those values exist too, but the primary goal is to engage people, develop a community, create passion and purpose for the outcome - and whilst having enough money is important (non profit doesn't mean for-loss!) the driver is not income generation.  

And so, for people starting a business from a hobby, there is an immediate confusion for their customers.  This is particularly apparent in the arts and sports worlds.  Where large groups of people come together to enjoy something (a play, an orchestra, a fitness class) they will generally be happy to pay a fee. They'll probably be happy to help set up, pack down, do the dishes, and all the other things that go with running a club.  No organisation survives without ongoing, enthusiastic and high quality manpower. But when those same customers realise that the people running the organisation are doing it as a business, their enthusiasm for 'helping out' will quickly wane.  The business owner might initially be viewed as wearing a technicolour dream coat that every one wants to touch - and the more charismatic you are as a business owner, the more attractive your service, the more likely this is.  Eventually though, the hardworking 'volunteers' that your business (and it is your business) requires will move on to other things.  

They may have the usual volunteer fatigue that goes with the for-purpose sector, or they may simply need to rationalise their time, but the most common reasons for this are firstly that they don't feel valued (because they're doing everything for free - and that includes your perceived generosity in offering 'free' classes, 'free' food and so forth), and secondly that they see the head of the business profiting from their hard work.

People will only want to touch the coat so many times

So what is the solution? The first is, as mentioned earlier, to understand your motivation, and to show integrity in this decision. If you're setting up your business to monetise a hobby, do the numbers. Can you actually make this work by paying people fairly? Can you cover all your costs from your income, even in the early days?  Are you really a business, or is it a hobby? What are others doing?

Ask the big question - what is the mandate? - it a true purpose that could engage and motivate a community and is thus really a social enterprise (think of Eat My Lunch, Agoge and others).  If it is, do the research, and then set the organisation up that way - be honest with your 'customers'.  Invest in getting the structure right and the marketing, the business plan and the success will follow.

The main different between the two options is motivation. For purpose literally does exist for the purpose, for profit to make money. Both can exist beside each other as long as there is clear boundaries, strong structure and true understanding from all the stakeholders including the users of your service. 

But whatever you do, don't think that you can go on forever, relying on the goodwill of others to give you an income.  There's already more than enough for purpose organisations out there doing that, who will value their workers as true volunteers.