The hardest hit
Yesterday a friend of mine alongside 400 other people marched through Norwich to voice their concerns around how welfare reform will hit those with disabilities. This group gave voice to many people who because of their profound and multiple disabilities may have found it very difficult to protest. One of the things that worries me about the proposals is the fact that people who live in residential homes could stand to loose their mobility allowance. The argument for this being they live in homes where they should be funded with a vehicle. This is so worrying as in the field I work in those with learning disabilities, the people still in residential homes are often people with huge needs, for whom a car is a total lifeline. Homes are being squeezed all the time as local authorities cannot afford to increase funding and costs are rising. So the outcome will be invisible people. Those with the highest needs could end up trapped in their homes, their lives getting smaller. Is this what we wanted when we all stood up to say people being shut away in hospital was unacceptable? To me we are in danger due to cuts of creating mini institutions all over the country. People with disabilities do not think easy life, let's take everything we can from the system. If you want to find hard working people go spend time with people with disabilities, no one said mmmm yes give me a life long condition so I can get a free car. As a society we should help everyone make their contribution to the fabric of our communities and people with disabilities have a huge amount they can bring to the table, but only if they can get there. DLA is an enabling benefit, non means tested and designed to help people have full lives. If you like me want everyone in Britain to have a voice and have a choice you need to write to your mp to voice your concerns or search The HArdest HIt on the Internet. Let's all support those without a voice to shout.

I have had my five a day!
Everyone knows that we all need to have five a day to function healthily in body. But I think we also need five a day to stimulate our brains, and that's five a day of ideas, thoughts or deeds. Well today I had some serious nourishment for the old grey matter when I attended the impact2enterprise conference at duxford war museum. The day started with a truly inspirational speech by Arthur the front man from the people's supermarket. A very entertaining talk where he explained his journey from chef to business working with Jamie Oliver and then setting up acorn house and water head house restaurants in London. The first eating establishments serving a social cause, funded by charity but using a business model. He then went on to talk through the journey of the people's supermarket, a fantastic story which left me buzzing with ideas. After this I then attended a workshop run by the guild looking at social impact. This is one of this areas where I sit in meetings and try to look knowledgeable but are always very lacking in understanding. Well I had some lightbulb moments in this session and feel totally ready to try and focus on this in my unit. After a lunch I had a frenetic session on social marketing and felt a little smug as I am already doing some of the things he advised, gold star for me! And then we had an interactive discussion on leadership which was facilitated by andy from third sector futures which was time to get back to basics and think about have we followers? The day ended with a wonderful talk by a woman after my own heart a chocoholic! Jo is the co founder of green and blacks and took us through her journey. She gave me the quote of the day "passion not pensions" as someone wrestling with supporting a local authority spin out this struck a chord and reminded me how i need to help staff connect with their internal reasons for being in the work to enable us to move forward.
So there were my five a day feeding my brain and making me full of more enthusiasm and excitement for the future. I am now ready to tackle the world, that is after I have checked out my social impact!

I'm sitting here reading hard for my Charities and Social Enterprise Management cert ed and the current piece of work I'm doing is around marketing and trying to define my brand. I really am the marketing mans dream, I believe so much of the hype around products I always try and buy Sony or apple, I shop at m and s for my food yet paradoxically I buy all my clothes on eBay and charity shops but there again that's another brand of social responsibility I'm sucked into.I'm trying to define our prospective new social enterprise as a brand, where would it shop, what car would it drive and so on. This has got me thinking what brand do you most associate yourself with and why? In a society bombarded with media marketing on our social networks, Internet browsers, spam to our phones, adverts on tv and newspapers we are all segmented and analysed. What age are we, sex, home owner, pets, car, professional the let is endless everyday we are sold things because someone has found the unique selling point of their product and then targeted us to buy it. Has this always been the case? Three hundred years ago was there some group of marketing men huddled together to sell local women the latest turnip. Mmm probably not but there were still aspirational aspects, people would see nobles out and about smoking, eating potatoes, wearing ruffs and the common people (you and me) would dream of having these things. Is that so different to people clamouring to buy a copy of Kate's shoes or dresses when she is photographed at royal functions? The main difference is three hundred years ago people just did not get exposed to things in the same way, there were papers of sorts but you had to be able to read or have the money to buy. Most things were either experienced with your own eyes or through a third party by a song or story. Singing was twitter and Facebook for the olden days!
So I digress what would you be if you were a brand, me I think I would be fairy washing up liquid, known by many, trusted, sometimes a little to mild, but soft and gentle. Ironic really as I have a dishwasher.
Wish me luck with my assignment this diversion must now come to an end while I get back to the books!

Keep foolish
This was a quote or rather part of a quote which inspired the late, great Steve Jobs of apple fame to keep going with his dreams. This really inspired me as too often we all treat life with this sincere reverence focusing on our careers and accumulation of financial wealth. If only we all were a little more foolish how much more pleasant would our world be. When was the last time you really laughed till your sides hurt? Me? It was last week when myself and a group of friends attended a hen night for a very dear lady, we had good old fashioned silliness, games and singing washed down with alcohol and a feast. After an evening of giggling I felt so much brighter and ready to face challenges, even the dreaded mother in law seemed easier to deal with after so much fun. So I urge you all have a laugh, make a tit of yourself and be foolish, I think mr jobs would like that very much.

Another year older....
On Saturday I turned 38, a year which is not revered but just another year older. I am finding now I get a little more anxious about the future each year, I focus on my health, my career and start worrying about retirement more, all a sign of advancing years I have been told. I'm looking forward to being forty as I see that as almost a reawakening of youth, a chance to abandon worries and have some new found freedoms. This birthday was very uneventful, a few cards and presents in the morning then hubby went to work and I went off to work to support a fundraising event. Got home had a takeaway, then my chest pains got horrific. For those who don't know I have developed a syndrome called teizetes which is an inflammation of the intercostal tissue. It's not life threatening but is exceptionally painful, the symptoms are that of a heart attack. On Saturday the pain intensified and I got worried, so had to get it checked out as I did start to worry I could be having a heart attack. Sitting there waiting for the doctor to reassure me I thought it would be bloody ironic to have a major health issue on my birthday. But it also made me realise that I had started to get to the age when health becomes your greatest gift. The news was it was not a heart attack but was still the teizetes and I have to learn to manage this better but also perhaps I need to take control of my health and stop trying to hide from my arthritis. So what for the next year? This next year will be a really exciting on for my career as we step into a new chapter, my eldest is starting to drive, and my middle children are starting their gcses. So here's to the future and health, wealth and exciting times.

Whose your coach or mentor?
This question has arisen from something that occurred this weekend. My man had some worries and he was fretting so he spoke to his mentor today. Now for those who don't know my husband was a tattoo apprentice, he is now a artist not apprentice but he still works with and for his mentor so still has the relationship. When I came home the worry worn man I left this morning was gone, he talked through his problem and asked for advice and then the weight was lifted by someone who had a good grasp of the situation. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mentor in the formal sense like my husband does but we all make our own mentors in life. For some people it's their parent who acts as a confidant and guide, for others it may be a best friend who you talk through problems with to find your resolution. Many of us have a life partner we share with and work as a team to make decisions and finally some of us have work relationships which we can use, perhaps a professional we admire or aspire too. To be honest I think in life we can move between mentors and coaches finding the right person at the right time to help us. But to do this we have to open our hearts and minds to the concept we can seek advice and guidance, we are not alone and that a problem shared is indeed halved. Many of my friends have a religious mentor, perhaps even the person they pray or meditate too, but getting these relationships is probably what marks the difference between a child an a adult. As a teenager we think we are too independent to seek advice and as we mature we start to reflect on the value of talking things through. So why am I mentor minded this week, well apart from my man I am meeting someone on Wednesday for a 1-1 so I can talk through her professional journey to help me during a crucial time in my career when decisions are so important. But what I have to remember is to make sure I share this new knowledge and put it into my learning, as that's the difference between a sounding board and a mentor. So my advice is find yourself a mentor, be it formal or informal, spiritual or social, it will make a difference.

How long does it take to learn a craft or skill?
This is a bit of a piece of string length question but I'm sure we can all agree some principles,
Firstly it depends on the learner and student, it depends on the complexity of the task and it also depends on the existing talent. But I ask my readers this, would you let someone remove a hernia if they have only been in training for three months? Would you let a builder build your extension who has been trained at great speed by someone who is not a master builder? Would you let someone tattoo you who has shown minimal drawing talent and who is been taught in a fast track way? Well I would answer no but apparently I must be in the minority. A tattoo apprentice should present a comprehensive portfolio to their prospective mentor, the mentor will usually then critique it and the apprentice will go away and work on their points before trying again. Once the mentor accepts to train them the apprentice will work cleaning and doing menial tasks for usually up to six months to show their commtiitment. At this point the mentor may if they feel the apprentice is showing promise may let then start to learn to use the tattoo machine on skin which initially the apprentice will do on themselves so they can understand the process and feeling. After this which usually last a few further months the mentor may feel they are ready for trying on others such as friends and then and only then may they show the promise to start on doing half price tattoos on members of the public. This progresses until eventually after a couple of years the mentor will say you are ready to not be my apprentice now you can call yourself an artist. Well this is the old fashioned way but a way which teaches you humility and respect. I am horrified to see the glut on so called apprentices who present artwork which is poor quality and then being let loose on people in a quick turn around to generate more income for business owners who believe they can call themselves artists, well I say shame on you.
In life you get the tattoo you deserve so if you go and see someone without checking out their experience and you get something shocking, well learn to ask questions and make informed choices.
Well there I have vented my frustrations but I am sure here I am preaching to the converted but please if a friend says oh I can get a cheap tattoo by a friend at home, or there's this apprentice they have only been working for a week so all their stuff is half price put them right. A tattoo is for life and sadly so are mistakes.