Continuing my getting rid of stuff, in English we my say “clearing the decks“, it was time to let go of some of my connections.
These connections were telephone lines and internet services.
Prior to ADSL, cable, high speed internet connections, when dial-up internet was the only way to get to the world wide web, I decided that I would have to install two telephone lines, and that was basically supplied by one company, BT.
This coincided with a new supplier entering the communications arena, TeleWest, later to become Virgin Media, installing for the first time their infrastructure, cables and services into the area, giving telephone, internet and TV in one package, via high speed cable.
I went with the new supplier TeleWest, having two telephone numbers,
The new suppler also gave internet access at a reduced price with the package. Always glad of an offer, a bargain, I installed their internet, knowing I would gain in access speed to the internet.
But I retained my old BT number, I had too many associations to it. People knew the number, I had web sites giving that number for my business, my internet was connected through it.
The ISP also housed my web sites.
I was very comfortable with the arrangement.
This meant that I had two services, two telephone lines, two internet providers, and two bills (invoices) to pay.
I was still comfortable with the situation. It served my purpose.
My special telephone number
My Slingbox TV service, which allows me to access British TV via my home TV, live from where-ever I am in the world from my PC and the internet, was on the old internet (ISP) connection.
But it has come to a time when I needed to sort myself out. I had paid too much out.
The old ISP had associated with another ISP, sold out. No consideration of how I felt.
Did I need the hassle?
It meant work, to transfer services from one telephone system to the other, to reinstall services I had been using on the old internet service to the new.
Some of these services needed passwords, log-in names, keys. But during my clearing out, my shredding of paperwork, I must have disposed of this information.
Oh Poo Poo. BIG OH POO POO.
I hit the roof. My temper boiled over. I swore. My blood pressure hit new highs.
That was the reason I never throw anything out. Paperwork, nuts and bolts, screws, old manuals, anything. They will be needed in the future, and here was the example.
Then I realised what I was doing to myself, getting worked up was making the situation worse. It was not solving the problem. I needed to calm down.
With the help of the NLP technique I call “Fred“, “Antonio“, “Mustapha“, I took control of my state, I became calm, strong, and was able to workout a new strategy.
I realised that it was no good crying over spilt milk.
Do not cry over spilt milk
Crying over spilt milk is a loverly saying which I describe as the following.
Take a carton or bottle of milk, take the top off, and take it to the sink in the kitchen.
Pour the milk down the drain, and watch it disappear, leaving the empty carton or bottle.
The milk has gone. Finished. It is no good crying over it.
The clock still ticks away, time does not stop for anyone.
Once I stopped beating myself up over what was gone, what I had lost, I was able to sort myself out in a rational calm way, and approaching the problem from a different view point, I soon had everything sorted.
No more paying out for something that was no longer needed. The suppliers were happy to take my money, doing nothing for it.
It takes a lot to let go of what you are comfortable with, but there comes a time when things no longer fit the purpose, their services are no longer appropriate, it is then time to say good-bye, move on.