As you read this latest blog from me, I will be somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean on a cruise……. A couple of interesting facts will be that I won’t have access to the internet or a mobile phone. Yes, you heard it nearly over two weeks without these aids (my wife calls these devises my pacifiers). The reason for not having this is simply the cost of the cruise liners extortionate prices, and yes, there is the roaming charges also, by my phone provider.

Of course, couple’s therapist will be saying, “Mike this is doing you good, no one can get hold of you, and you will be giving your beloved wife 100 % attention.” A romantic time away and rekindling that spark and time that we wanted.

Yes, of course, this so important, but some questions will be …. will I be in cold turkey having withdrawal symptoms from my devices, how much will the new counselling sessions be costing me on board or the shrinks 1-1, due to lack of my devices, and should I have had paid unlimited access to the internet etc.
Like me do you spend too much time on your phone, tablet or computer and ignore your watch telling you it’s time to stand and get away from the screen……. Have a walk, get some fresh air and re-charge your batteries………Or even your eyes saying please, please I need a break!

You may not have taken the steps I have without any devices…. how about trying a little break and seeing what else is outside and can be done for that time spent sat in front of a screen…. Have a go and see how you get on!

If you see or hear of someone that has been thrown overboard in the Atlantic Ocean without any access to a mobile phone ……. please send a rescue boat to put me back into the 21st century!

Mikehabbott.com

It feels odd to be writing about my father’s passing, as it was only two years ago that we said our goodbyes to our mother, and yet, here I am writing another farewell.

It was in early August during one of our daily phone calls… that took place at 5pm daily and without fail since my mother passed away. It was only a short call, what have you been doing today, how’s the weather and mostly what have you got for tea…and of course he would ask me how my day had been too.

But on this call, he divulged that he was feeling a bit under the weather, this was most unlike him, stiff upper lip, never really telling you where he was at, and I suggested that he take a paracetamol. Sounds a bit pathetic as the by the weekend he had collapsed and the following Monday was admitted into hospital with sepsis, and under 24 hours of being in hospital we watched him slip away surrounded by his loved ones.

We were stunned and shocked by his sudden departure; however, he had always wanted to walk down his local high street and die outside the local Weatherspoon’s pub and be propped up in the corner with us attending his wake.

Dad cannot believe that you have gone, and you will never open your front door to greet me again.

I am so thankful that you didn’t suffer or be in hospital for endless days which you would have hated. It was hard enough seeing you with the oxygen mask on that was helping your breath, and I am so very grateful that I got to tell you……. thanks for an amazing childhood, introducing me to music and the word that I never said enough to you I love you.

Life passes you buy so fast, and you think your loved ones will be here forever….it reminds me of when I had to put coins into the payphone to call someone and the minutes would go so fast; that frantic search for another coin to continue the conversation before those dreaded pips cut you off.

Don’t let today go past without ensuring that you tell those that you love how special they are.

As the clock comes around to 5 pm…. I think to myself that I must phone Dad. Then the stark realisation sets in he’s gone but never forgotten.

Mikehabbott.com

My feet are still not talking to me after completing Trek 26 and raising money for
Alzheimer’s Society. I had set myself a target of raising £300 and walking 13 miles!!!
Yes, I hear you say, 13 miles walking!!! A friend of mine when I shared that I had completed
31,500 steps and taken nearly seven hours to complete the route…suggested that I get an
Uber next time!!! (My feet would agree with him).
Of course, there was the other compelling factor to consider and that it was taking place on
the hottest day of the year so far here in the UK. It couldn’t have been the week before
when at the start of May we had wet weather, no, the sun was beating down upon me. I felt
like a lonely cacti in the dessert, with no shade to hide from, (my succulent stems, pads and
branches were now wilting in the heat) and with each new mile, came another ray of
sunshine melting me.
I now have massive sympathy for cactus, will never look at them the same, and will take the
time to talk to them and ask are they okay!
It also amazes me that people came from all over the country to attend this event,
(Leicester, Wakefield, St Albans, and Manchester), saying they had always wanted to visit
Stonehenge!!! There are a few good Bed and Breakfasts that are available in the
surrounding area that don’t require you to walk 13 miles before staying there.
The wonderful people that I met on route as they passed me by, always asking was I okay,
and hearing the stories of how this dreadful disease Alzheimer, had impacted their family
lives and they were walking to raise money to help find a cure…… The best of what makes
Great Britain great and the millions of unsung heroes raising money for so many different
great causes.
The scenery was amazing and with each new step……. remembering my amazing Mother,
who had been so affected by Alzheimer, and praying that one day we will find a cure for this
disease.

It was also wonderful doing this challenge with my amazing sister and her husband and
daughter…. although after one mile of walking together they were off, leaving the dust in
my face as they stormed ahead……having said that, they were at the finish line, cheering me
over the finish line. Aiding me, (or as my niece said, “she was now my carer”), now my sister
and niece were guiding me to lying down in the grass, with my medal of completion hanging
proudly around my neck.

Maybe you need aiding not on walking 13 miles, but circumnavigating your life,
then reach out to Mikehabbott.com, and let’s have a chat.

I’m amazed everyday how many obstacles I have to overcome…There’s the obvious one of getting out of bed on those wet and cold mornings that we have had this year and starting the day.

Circumnavigating through those bleary eyes of re-gaining consciousness, (not like an Apollo mission coming back to earth, with a smooth landing), after a good night’s sleep, having wrestled the duvet with my wife. No this is Mike Abbott Astronaut extraordinaire finding his socks to put on!

And of course, my body is arguing with me, what are you doing, where are we going? You are quite mad Mr A. can’t you just hit the alarm clock with a hammer!!! Surely that would deal with that obstacle once and for all….

No, I’m not taking my body on an Army assault course, just to the bathroom.

In life there will always be obstacles to overcome. Nothing in life is a smooth journey, and when starting out on a new adventure it seems plain sailing, until you hit those bumps in the road.

In observing these life obstacles, in whatever shape or form they appear-whether it’s life itself, the daily list of jobs to conquer, or the crazy traffic on your way to your destination there’s been another accident, and your sat in traffic having thought how long is this going to last. Obstacles are here to stay………… as I have personally discovered……Its learning how to circumnavigate through them, around them and over them that counts.

Like an Apollo mission there is a whole team that has ensured the astronauts have landed back safely to earth, maybe they could assist me in getting out of the house and joining planet earth!

If you want help with your obstacles and want to speak to a Life Coach that can steer you through your personal obstacles, then reach out to Mikehabbott.com

A blog about HR, (it’s not the holiday session Mike and we would rather be following the Holiday Route sign, as above. HR you’re not talking about Human Resources, or its more affectionate name…Human Remains!!) What’s happened to you!

Indeed, I am, I have had the privilege of working in the field of HR (Human Resources) for over thirty years, yes, I know I don’t look a day over 21. During this time, I have seen the huge benefit and difference that this makes in companies, carried out with the correct implementation, and ensuring that individuals are treated fairly and consistently.

I know there is talk of AI eventually replacing everything, however, HR to me is the fabric that holds the thread of organisations, challenging people, and leaders to do the right thing. Yes, we can get tied up in red tape and polices, like polices on how to operate the pedal bin, with 17 points, that no-one can understand or fathom out, written by people in Ivor offices, with no understanding of HR on the front line.

To me it’s the common-sense approach to each case that I’m dealing with, what is the right approach and yes, I’m not quenching the Employment Law legislation that governs employer and employee relationships, including trade union, and their understanding and boundaries we work with.

I’m thankful that the antiquated leaders I once worked with……. I have left behind, as they would not survive in today’s modern world with their bully tactics, discriminating and favouring one person against another.

As my mind reflects back to those moments, I’m thankful that they are not on constant repeat (or on shuffle mode within my music play list) in my memory dragging me backwards.

HR is like the Holiday Route sign, pointing companies and individuals in the right direction, ensuring that the people that work in it are looked after and cared for.

Let’s not forget the correct building blocks that HR can add to organisations and personalities, like each new dawn that I awaken too (in HR) be a day that I make a difference in someone’s life for the better!

If you want help with your HR and want to speak to someone that does the right thing, then reach out to Mikehabbott.com

My Father gave me vouchers for Christmas, which was very kind of him, to spend on what I wanted. I needed a new coat as the one I had sadly has worn out, its life with me was coming to an end. How was I now going to dispose of this coat that had been on so many different adventures together with me. This was no singing in the rain moment, wearing my trustee trench coat sadly, this was goodbye, so tissues were at the ready. I couldn’t look at it anymore and tried looking away as I put it on.

The zip fastener was now not allowing me to escape once done up but allowed me to do it up. The coat……. it laughed in that eccentric tone, as it knew what was coming once, I tried to undo it. My coat had smelt new coats that others in the family had purchased and had been placed next to at family gatherings, discussed life and what was occurring in the lives of those that they had escorted.

I was now being abused by own faithful coat, you could not escape, and looked like a monkey at the zoo trying to unzip it. The more frustrated I got with the zip the more it chuckled at me even louder.

So, at the end of the January sales I headed to the store with my lovely wife as my advisor (No this was not a NATO summit, where she would be guiding my every movement, ensuring that I didn’t embarrass myself!) and more importantly would the new coat be allowed past the Passport Controller!!!, at home.

We found one that was just in my size and headed to checkout to pay using my gift card, along the way my wife and I exchanged a few choice words, then she said.

“I’m never going shopping with you ever again”

This NATO advisor had said this in front of a gentleman who was standing nearby, as my wife passed him by marching at full speed up the central aisle, back to the car in front of me, he said to her.

“Is that a Promise”.

I didn’t know whether to give him a big hug, high five him or send him a cheque in the post!!!

My old coat that I had worn to the shop was now notifying me, this is what materialises if you replace me! You have been warned!

If you want help escaping from the zipper of life that caused you to be burn out, give me a call and let’s see how I can assist you at Mikehabbott.com

I find myself having to circumnavigate the online battle. Trying to see my Doctor, the first response when you now phone is, have you booked via the App, no I haven’t, they suggest (I mean the recorded voice of a human being, or is it an AI replacement) that it’s easier to get an appointment…. oh, come on!

I miss speaking to a human being at the end of the phone, that individual who is breathing and has blood flowing through their veins. Rather than filling out another online e-Consult and of course if you don’t get it right you lose everything.

And then there is the bank, I wanted to place some money into an ISA savings account, I was greeted by a human being dressed smartly in the banks uniform, well I thought to myself this is a good start, and yet within 30 seconds of me telling them my enquiry………You guessed it, they replied, do you have online banking!!!!

I’m thinking of starting a campaign against everything online, t-shirts, flyers, and placards. Marching around my local shopping precent. To then being carted off to the local Psychiatric ward………… where visiting is only made possible via an App!!!

If you want help with your burnout from Apps, give me a call, and let’s see how I can assist you at Mikehabbott.com

This week brings the reminder of where I was on the 17^th of January 2023. I was attending my beloved mother’s funeral, it was a very cold bitter winters day, as the temperature was -7 in West London. My wife and I had stayed at a local hotel and defrosting the car was a mammoth task, as all I wanted to do was get to my parents’ home as soon as possible.

I remember standing inside my parents’ home as we gathered with family, friends….in the front room…. with everybody chit chatting quietly… and then the cortege of the hearse and funeral car arrived sliding into position in the road so gracefully.

In slow motion everyone was now ending their conversations and looking out of the window. Like synchronized divers standing on top of the 10 meters board looking to complete their next dive……the silence of the crowd awaiting the splash and what routine would these amazing athletes be performing. This beloved mother had completed all of her front foot dives, summersaults, back flips, and had certainly made a big splash with her amazing life.

I was asked by my sister to go and take a photo of my mother to stand in the back of the hurst. I stepped outside to speak to the funeral director who asked me a few questions about my mother, how thoughtful I thought, before I handed him over the photo.

It was a bazar feeling handing over a photo of my mother and at the same time realising that her body was in the hurst in front of me. A journey that I’ve never ever been on before……

The funeral was a truly fitting tribute to her, the readings, address, music, wake, all going without any hitches.

My brother-in-law, nephew, close friend, and I carried her into the crematorium, with Nigel Kennedy and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle playing ‘The Lark Ascending’, by Vaughan Williams, (this quant essential English composer) echoing through the crematorium out into the English countryside.

Joan Abbott the proudest Englishperson would have been in her element.

We had made the right choices for her funeral, right choices that I once made regarding my recovery from burnout, which you can find out more by reading my book called:

Burn Out “My Story From Burn Out To Recovery”. Available on Amazon

I’m going to have a bit of a rant about parking! Sorry, I apologise in advance…..As a person who wants to help other people, I need help regarding the state of the parking where I live. I don’t know what it is like where you live, but where we reside it has exploded. That once peaceful maneuverer off our drive (I hear you, you’re moaning and you have off road parking, come on Mike get a grip!!!) has now been replaced by asking our neighbours to move their cars, and too ‘Cap it all’…….. the new neighbours opposite have parked across their drive, causing me to have to manoeuvre the car at an angle that a F1 racing driver would be proud to have completed!
I understand that when the houses were first built they were not designed for the family who have four cars, all fighting to find a space and conveniences, of not walking miles back to their homes, with bags of shopping and kids in tow.
Is the solution to move to that house of my dreams, with no neighbours and off road parking? Where I can just pull off the drive and effortlessly onto my journey…… without having to see my neighbours in various different forms of dress, no makeup and explaining to me that they had no other option but to block my drive, and avoiding their morning bad breath!!!!
My wife thinks that I have lost the plot and should be grateful that we have off road parking. I think I’m going to paint some double yellow lines and hand out pretend parking tickets…………..Please help!!

As I move up in years, and my age moves towards another digit, so do the rest of my family, and especially my parents. I appreciate that at my age I am very fortunate to have both my parents still alive, despite all their many illnesses to overcome.

Sadly, my Mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia some three years ago, this tragic disease has ebbed away at this once brilliant mind, causing it to forget her short term memory, and heavily rely on my Father to recall what they have done that day. This sharp witted lady now so heavily reliant on others just to function, brings home to me that getting older is not all that it is cracked up to be. Especially if you do not have good health.

I see the frustration in her eyes……when I visit her and the deterioration in her overall health, as she tries to recall what she has done, who she has spoken to that day, and it is so sad to see. I am thankful that she still recognises me and asks me how I am doing!

The conversation is now heavily centred on my Father, (who answers the phone, greets you at the door, and holds an adult to adult conversation with you) this once lively three way conversation has now been replaced by a one way chat with my Mother, trying not to answer her sentences and still viewing her with the dignity and love, that she so richly deserves.

If you are fortunate still to have your parents alive and of course you have a good relationship with them, remember to treasure each conversation, laugh, and most of all remember to create lasting memories that can be recalled…… should they lose their memory.