So here we are, the dirt.
Anywho, the year was 2004, which lead to some significant life changing events...
LITTLE PERSONAL HISTORY
Some people think it strange that someone
could be so upfront about what I went through in 2004, I actually find
it helps breaks barriers with people, and never ceases to amaze me how
many people go through similar experiences.
It all started with a Nervous Breakdown in 2004 then I was diagnosed
with Bi-Polar 2 Depression. Within a few days of this diagnosis I
admitted myself into The Priory-Brighton, for a 5 week stay to come to
terms with this dramatic change of personal circumstances.
The last two years have been the most exciting and unpredictable
years of my life. I have bounced back and although still dealing with
the Bi-Polar which will be with me until they cure it, I have become
stronger and generally a more rounded person.
It is a very real fact of life that a great many people do and will
experience some form of depression during the course of their lives.
What saddens me most is the level of stigma and prejudice shown towards
those who have suffered from depression by other people in our society.
It is now accepted as a disability under the Disability Discrimination
Act of 1995 and to discriminate against those suffering from depression
is now as illegal as it is to discriminate against those suffering from
more obvious disabilities.
To cut a very long story short this clearly changed my life, my whole outlook on life and how I wanted to live it from now on
HOW EBAY BECAME...
After
a few years on Ebay what began, as a hobby has now become a successful
and enjoyable business. I have risen from the obscure depths to
becoming one of their valued Platinum Power Sellers with over 3000
positive feedbacks and growing and continue to maintain a 100% record.
eBay is just me, I run this from my 'office' in my home. I am
fortunate to have views of the Cliffs (think Beach Head, White Cliffs
of Dover) and the country from my window.
I am not full-time, as my Bi-Polar now means I need to manage my
life with a little more thought and patience. However, I am dedicated
to my business and thus my intentional small size means I can be truly
'personal' with my customer's.
I was able to tend to this business even through the worst of my
illness. For sure there are days when I suffer from bouts of depression
and low moods, anxiety and general crap, but I remain ever the optimist
and try my hardest to carry on with the day-to-day routines.
I don't always manage, and I am sure some customer's may experience
some sort of 'fall-out' from this, but I try to keep this to a minimum.
For sure it was incredibly hard and at times I found it severely
tiring but I stuck at it and did not let my illness take from me one
thing that was keeping me grounded. I feel this says much about my
strength of character and underlines that I don’t just realize that
that one must always try to remain focused on the positive in life (no
matter how small, insignificant or challenging they may appear at the
time) but that I live out this truth in my actions.
I am now able to look back with immense pride and satisfaction and
see a business that I have created. I have not lost sight of my prior
discoveries and will not allow myself to get sucked into the ‘work,
work’ culture again. I have strong work and life ethics and with the
help and encouragement of Anna (my treasured girlfriend) I am now able
to balance my personal needs with maintaining an adequate financial
income.
True success is not measured by your means. Life is not just about
your bank balance and the house you live in and the watch you wear.
One of the greatest joys that eBay affords me is being able to take
time out for personal and family distractions. I have the freedom of
the self-employed; I can work as and when I want to, I can spend time
reading, running and swimming, I can work from Starbuck’s or my back
garden.
My father as of this writing (28th October 2006) is loosing his
battle with Cancer and we are, as a family, struggling to come to terms
with this. The point is I can give my Father all the time I need to, or
he wants. I would not relish the task of coping with this whilst
working away from home, I can be close to him and this is something I
have made happen.
I can do all these things because I have been responsible for making it all happen.
It is one thing to rise within a company but to make it happen for
yourself by yourself takes courage, perseverance and determination in
the face of overwhelming hardship and circumstances.
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