Phillip Holt's World

A wonderful time in Milan, Italy, awaited me, with very open and willing participants on the Society of NLP’s Master Practitioner course.

This Sunday we learned about unconscious processes, relaxation, and the eyes closed process.

                                        Jack Frost for my ice cream.

‘Annus mirabilis’ is a Latin phrase meaning a year of wonders or miracles. It was first coined in a poem by John Dryden called Annus Mirabilis: the year of wonders 1666. In 1992 the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, used it to describe the year that the marriages of her two sons Charles and Andrew broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire.

For me it has been a journey, firstly by my Angioplasty, or the insertion of a stent in a coronary artery, followed by ever increasing training courses around the globe.

I love my work, there is nothing better than to have delivered a course or courses, in no matter what language, in whatever country, and see participants leaving happy having had learned and achieved so much.

There has been down times, which could have really spoiled my year if I did not know about “Oh Poo Poo” (click to understand), being able to control my state thanks to my knowledge of NLP, and the support and friendship of many around me.

The last couple of weeks has been not good.

Firstly I knew that the company that organises my trainings in Turkey, NLPGrup, would not pay me, despite promises made that payments would be made, deep down I knew the promises were of no value. But, I had made commitments, promises, people and companies were relying upon me to deliver, and they had paid good money to NLPGrup. I did not wish to get a bad name for not delivering.

I was proved right. Still water under the bridge, I will carry on delivering my training in other countries plus Turkey.

My phone system using the VoIP (Voice over the Internet Protocol) DualPhone 3088 stopped working, the base station seems to have stopped working, and trying to get a replacement out of SKYPE or even contact them seems to be impossible.

My mobile phone kept on freezing when people telephoned me, so I was loosing phone calls, the only way out was to reset the phone. (Orange SPV M3100). Plus I could not interface and update mobile phone and computer since renewing my subscription, updating and installing Norton 360 security software.

Perhaps I could get a new phone out of Orange my service provider. But no, they told me to do a hard reset, which meant I would loose all my contacts and diary on my phone. OK I thought, next week after my trip to Italy, I will update the data on my phone, at least I can receive telephone calls.

I had an accident whilst in Turkey, when a cup containing tea collapsed on my computer keyboard (click to read), leaving some keys inoperable. A small portable keyboard solved that problem.

Oh Poo Poo, just carry on.

I had a PhotoReading course last weekend to deliver in Milan, Italy last weekend (2nd – 4th November 2007), despite the early start to catch the 6am flight to Milan from London, I felt good.

With my translator Elena Martelli (click) we set-up the rather small room, creating an unusual seating configuration which worked beautifully. I had no external speakers for my music on my computer, but the sound out of the computer was just acceptable.

The last job was to attach my projector to the computer so I could show slides. When I did the music became corrupted, emitting strange sounds. I knew something was wrong.

I tried to switch my computer of. Nothing happened. This was worse than I could have expected. My whole computer was gone. I could do nothing. No music, no slides, no Mind Maps of the course structure, all was lost.

We borrowed an IPod from Alessio Roberti of NLPItaly, not my choice of music, but it would more than do. Sunday, that packed-up working. Oh Poo Poo.


Thinking I would need a new computer, and knowing I have lost all my data, I put on a bright face, at least I have a good excuse to purchase a new computer, and I have backup, albeit a couple of months old.

I managed to reconfigure my computer, get it working again, by reloading the operating system, but that meant loosing all my programmes, data, videos, photos or contact details, now I am naked, I have nothing, neither on my computer or mobile phone.

It has taken me three days now to get partially back, ready to travel to Milan again this weekend to deliver another course, this time to an NLP Master Practitioner course. I will have my music.

Keep myself smiling, in a good state, that is the key. Trouble is Mee Len is ill, having sickness and diarera, and it has been nearly a week, continually running to the toilet, poor thing, she is so weak, not eating or sleeping well. I am the nurse now, trying to do one hundred things at once.

This has been my ‘Annus mirabilis’, but there is only one way to go, and that is up with a smile on my face, to meet new people and new challenges, and at least I am alive.

BBC World is at currently showing a series on the TV called Formula for Success (click to view web page of BBC World). It combines the excitement of the premier league of F1 motor sport with the insights of business theory and practice.

It tells how working as a team creates a better working environments, higher sustained levels of performance, workable strategies, all over the global markets of business and in sport.

Simply taking the strategies of F1 motor sport, being able to organise and run the sport, the business, so successfully, how these strategies can be applied to global and local business.

Providing training, consulting, talks around the world, I am a global business. Although my business is me, I rely many people in the countries I work in, to work as a team within their own company or organization, and to include me in that team.

Unfortunately I had to cancel a course in Istanbul as there were not enough participants to fill the seats, to pay for the expenses, fees, salaries etc. I apologize to those who wished to work with me, but I will be rerunning the course in the near future.

This rearrangement of my schedule meant that I had to fly back to the UK 2 or 3 days early. I arrived at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, only to find that I had to pay a £50 penalty for changing my flight dates. 

I telephoned my local UK taxi service to meet me at London’s Heathrow airport on my arrival, usually half an hour after landing, but normally they arrive later, meaning I am standing around waiting for them.

The Turkish Airlines aircraft did not go to a normal stand, which would allow a gantry to be placed on the aircraft so we could get off, obviously we would have to get off by stairs and bused to the airport terminal. Sure enough the coaches arrived, and the passengers raced to get all there baggage out of overloaded overhead lockers, pushing and shoving to get to the doors.

Looking out of the window, I could see that there were no stairs, so alighting was not going to happen straight away, so I sat still, which proved a wise move, as five minutes later, the captain announced that there would be a delay, as there were no stairs available, and asked passengers to sit down. Most did, but those who MUST be first at all cost, pushed even more forward to be first.

I just smiled to myself.

It was 1 hour 40 minutes later, that the stairs arrived. Oh I did feel sorry (not) for those standing all that time.

Once the stairs arrived, some passengers still pushed to get off the aircraft, yet we would all get on the same bus and leave the aircraft for the terminal.

What was the point of pushing and trying to get one place ahead?

Because I use the Iris system that means I do not have to show my passport, the technology recognizes my eyes and lets me through passport control. It is fast, so I am in baggage collection usually first. As a frequent flyer, they usually put a label saying “Priority”, but it seems that means put the bag on the carousel last. And so it was yesterday.

I waited and waited, which made me even later. That meant the taxi driver having to wait, so I had to pay him waiting time plus extra parking fees.

The whole travel and world business, needs team work, trust and honour, to honour agreements to the best of our ability. Sometimes teamwork is not implemented, and the good work of others fails.