4 years since I met Brad...

Two weeks ago, I posted this:  4 years of 4N

Well today marks another milestone:  4 years since I was *Bradded*

It happened at the meeting he writes about in Chapter 5 of GOYA 1.  He says "I have since found out that she found me "bonkers", yet got me, straightaway".

It's true, I did think Brad was bonkers (and still do), but I also thought he was smart and gutsy and I knew instantly that we'd work well together.

During a 10 minute 1-2-1 and over a coffee later, we shared our backgrounds openly and found that we had a lot in common.  We did MLKT in less than an hour and later that day Brad was lieing on my Hypno couch significantly testing my  Hypnosis skills (that's another story!)  Before he left, he invited me to his wedding which was to be 6 weeks later (!) 

The journey since has been a rollercoaster ride, full of highs and lows, successes and failure, love and spats, all of which have bonded us closer, enabling us with Tim and Terry to deliver our shared vision.

This morning, I was reflecting on that first encounter 4 years ago and it occured to me:  How different would life be now if Brad and I had not clicked on 25th April 2007?

I'm interested to know:  What chance encounter in your life has had such a significant impact that you cannot begin to imagine what life would look like if it hadn't happened?

 

*Bradded*  
An experience, not necessarily pleasurable or painful of being persuaded to do something by 4N Managing Director, Brad Burton

Fabulous story Tamsen. It is amazing when we 'click' with someone straight away!

Mine is when I met my husband for the first time. I instantly knew that I would marry him...and then I got to know him and I was a little freaked .

Anyway... we've been married for 15 years and he is not only my best friend but someone who has helped me to 'get over myself' and be a much happier person than I was when we met. I thank God for him every day.

Thanks for sharing and may the '4 years with 4 Directors' bless many more people over the coming years. 

Mine is a guy called Stephen Hughes, who I met whilst running my business in about 2000.
Stephen was the manager of a hotel that I had the food & beverage contract for. He was a supportive colleague when business got tough and became a good friend.

Stephen lead me to where I am now.  He introduced me to Bartercard as a customer and I later became a salesman for them.  This elead me to attend 4N in Cambridge where I met Tamsen.  I now work as part of the 4N National Team and am more fulfilled in both my work and my life.

Sadly Stephen took his own life recently.  Again, he had a significant impact on my life.

At one point both Stephen and I were looking down similar dark paths.  The path he chose took him from to total despair until he ended his walk with life.

This caused me to re-evaluate everything:  What I have, where I am and where I want to end up.  More importantly, who I want to be when I get there.

Stephen also taught me that happiness outweighs all other forms of success..

Thank you Stephen, RIP

Thanks Tam, I remember it like it was yesterday, I had hair and a suit on.. How things have changed.

Who knows where this network would be without our Tam, weird totally weird, what I find fascinating about your journey Tam is your a Director of 4N a real one.. As a result of being a member, it's no special Directors network where we found ya or you found us, same goes for Terry Cooper.

look at the talent within this network for your business and go find yourself a Tamsen! or create the conditions where a Tamsen finds you.

it's been a total pleasure Tam and your summary of the last 4 years is a fair one. but for every tear shed, there has been 10 smiles. I think we can all live with that.

4N is a better place for you.. X

I was so moved by this post Gary.  And I completely agree with your sentiments.

Well done Tamsen.  Sometimes we don't actually know turning points are going to be turning points when they're happening, but something very powerful happened to me when I was a naive 16 year old.

As a little girl I would often perch on our neighbour, John’s, garden wall whilst he tended his plants.  He would tease me, asking gentle questions about school, and magically finding laughter in everything.  I would wistfully imagine what life would be like if he was my father. 

I rarely saw his wife Veronica.  She would occasionally venture out with a shy smile and then retreat to her kitchen.  But even as a teenager, I sensed they adored each other.

Then one day I found out that John had died. He died from cancer at 42 years old.

It was two months before I saw Veronica, on the opposite side of the road. I panicked. If she saw me, what on earth would I say? I’d known her husband, but hadn’t really known her. At 16,this was an overwhelming dilemma.

She did see me, and I reluctantly crossed the road, my awkwardness eating away at me...and terribly afraid of upsetting her. I knew the worse thing I could do would be to mention John.

Unexpectedly she asked me into her house for a coffee. 

That afternoon, we held hands in her kitchen. She spoke of the pain she felt when people  avoided her. She told me that because people didn't know what to say to her they crossed the street. 

"I long to talk of John" she said "but it’s as though he never existed.”

So we talked of John. And we both cried - for a man we both loved in our very different ways.

That afternoon, Veronica taught a naive 16 year old a valuable lesson; a lesson that now runs through me like a stick of rock. 

She taught me to reach out.  She taught me the power of words, and that if someone means something to you, you should always tell them.

Because one day, it might just be too late.

jj

 

You making me cry, guys.

 I don't mind tears, they sooth.

Significant encounter in my life. Well there are a few, apart from God, I've been inspired by a few significant people in the positive sense and also in a reactive way. An example of the latter would be a vow I made to myself : when I am an old lady I will not have any regrets.

I'd say significant encounters would be those of my best friend Laeti (we evolved different paths in the last few years but she's still got the title. Life peer if you like!), then my best friend Flo (we've gone a long way), then perhaps my old mate Brian in the last year or so (no comment, yes I said "mate"). My meeting them didn't change any one thing in particular in my life but they've been alongside steadily and I can't really imagine what my life would have been without them.

My friend Delph as well, and her wise dad who gave her an advice in the speech he delivered at her wedding, which I took on board for myself: "make your own trace in the sand, walk where nobody has walked before".

Bet: I am going to click "Post Reply" and I will suddenly remember a hugely significant encounter!

Happy Brad-meeting birthday Tamsen!

 

 

 

That truly is a fantastic story, tamsen.

It is fantastic when things click, I have 2 very special people in my life - we all met for the first time by chance on a night out in Melbourne (none of us were suppose to be there either, it was purely chance of cancelled transport etc. that we finished up talking at all.)

One is my husband and the other a very close friend.  Over the years, we have had some fantastic times together. 

Chance encounters are a fabulous thing, a little moment of serendipity that changes our lives, making it impossible to see where things may have ended up, had the moment not happened.

So my chance meeting is actually a re-meeting, but no less special because of it. 

I'd made friends with a girl at school, best mates, but as often happens we drifted when we changed schools at 16 - kids...so cavalier eh.  After a while I missed her, but life happens and I got on with getting on until, at the age of 22, I walked past someone in the street.

Turning back I saw my old friend staring back at me in utter surprise, both of us caught in a moment of open mouthed awe.  This was shortly replaced by high pitched squealing in the most girly fashion...as you can imagine.

We've not made the same mistake since - marriages, divorces, tears, laughter and kids have all been shared.  Yoda ( her nickname on account of her calm logic) and I have been as sisters since then - she's part of my family and there is nothing I cannot tell her and know that it will be OK.

It taught me to treasure the people that understand you, accept you and love you for who you are...because they are the foundations that keep you standing when the storms are raging all around and tearing down your world.

Happy Brad-day Tamsen and it's lovely to read everyone's stories, even the ones that made me a bit teary.

Great story Ali! 

Btw - Gary Johannes calls me Yoda (not sure ít's for the same reason though!)

 

 

It's not the way you look either.

It's the way you keep challenging me with the impossible and then pushing me until it becomes an unconscious ability I have.

Ali, your story answers many questions I had as to why you take every opportunity you’re offered  

 

Wow two Yodas in the world.....tingles! There is hope for us after all then :D

'Turned a different corner and we never would have met' as George Michael said, bless him! This has happened again and again to me. And one thing I've learnt, everyone you meet touches your life in some way and teaches you something, although it may not be immediately apparent. Some of my most enduringly difficult relationships with people have taught me the most.
One day I'm going to draw a diagram of the web of relationships that has built up around me since I answered a tweet from Michelle Dalley @creatingmedia 9 months ago; from that point my 4N life started to weave its wonderful magic! I visualise a spiders web of links between fabulous people and little dew drops of opportunity! Such as the day I met Tamsen, and the time when I was 'Bradded'!
And the great thing about life? One of those serendipitous moments could happen again today, you just don't know:)

Maz rox x

"Brad was lieing on my Hypno couch significantly testing my  Hypnosis skills (that's another story!)"

Hahah you must tell me about that

Yes Tam we want to know!

 

What, again?  Lol..

You were without exception my greatest Hypno challenge but I cracked it with the millions of cotton buds!