Early days...

Over a month has gone by since I signed up for this adventure and I still feel scared, excited, exhilarated and scared. For various reasons it's taken a long time to set up this blog but I've been able to do a whole host of other stuff to get me well on the way with my fundraising - have a look at my Fundraising Events page.

These early days of making contacts and getting ideas and planning a fundraising strategy - otherwise known as the running around like a headless chicken phase – are not easy but I can see that it’s simply par for the course.

One thing that has made it a lot easier, though, is the tremendous support I've had from family and friends. The ideas, contacts and offers to help have been pouring in and it's great to feel I'm not alone with this challenge.

You see I must admit I'm a bit of a worrier. And I really don’t want to spend the next few months worrying. I want to enjoy the challenge and I’m going to use all the things I’ve learned from my Yoga ( see http://www.yorkshirewellbeing.co.uk/ ) to help me. The style I'm learning is the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga and one of the principles is to do less and achieve more. This is not about being lazy and hoping for the best, it's about having an intention to achieve your goals and doing what's necessary to achieve them, but then trusting that whatever happens is meant to be.

For some reason the film with Kevin Costner where he hears a voice telling him to ‘build a field and they will come’ keeps coming into my mind. Ok, so this challenge doesn’t involve any baseball, but if I do what I can to make people aware of what I’m doing and the amazing work of Women for Women International I have to believe the money will come.

Also, in this headless chicken, one step forward two steps back early phase I keep reminding myself – you can’t eat an elephant all at once!

It’s not the easiest thing to do – asking people for support and money. Does anyone like doing it? I’ve already found myself squirming even when I’m only asking people if they’d like me to come and give their group a talk about what I’m doing! I WILL get better at this though. As soon as I think of the level of suffering that women in war-torn countries have experienced and the challenges they face my embarrassment and discomfort pales into insignificance.