The Great Gordino Newsletter – Sep 2nd 2014

Hi,
As we slip into September, I hope all is well with you.

I won’t be going to university. Well, not this year anyway. It was only a couple of weeks that I had the idea, and some frantic researching and action taking secured me a place studying BA(Hons) Sports Journalism.

That created challenges like finance and accommodation, and spending 3 years as a (very) mature student alongside 18 year olds. I did what I always advise others to do, which is to employ the great goal achievement tip of asking others what they thought. It’s amazing how much help can come your way by simply taking that step.

One of the people I asked directed me towards shorter diplomas, and I found a 1 year course that would have achieved a whole chunk of what the 3 year course would. I say ‘would have’ because after deciding this was a better option, I found that course was about to start even sooner than the university, and more importantly, was full!

Hmm. That then made me think that if I would have taken that course over the university, I could wait until next year, take the 1 year course in 2015 and still be finished a year ahead of the degree.

So, I came to the decision to turn down the offer from the university. It did feel a shame telling them, but I think it was a sensible way to handle what was a whirlwind of decisions based on an idea. It was maybe too much of a whirlwind, and that’s something that can happen when you decide to act on whims – sometimes it goes places, sometimes it doesn’t. This one may still go places in time!

A big thank you to those that gave me advice, it helped a lot!

As someone who has stood in the last 2 general elections, I was fascinated by the big political story to blow – Conservative MP Douglas Carswell left the party to join UKIP. He could have stayed on as an MP, but has resigned which has triggered a by-election.

Polls suggest he will win by a landslide, and will be UKIP’s first elected MP, and that’s big news. It’s big because although they have had members in the European Parliament, they haven’t had Mps at home.

Their leader Nigel Farage has courted the media to great effect, and he has tapped into the frustrations that people feel about interference from ‘Europe’ in Britain’s affairs. To vote UKIP has been seen as no more than a protest vote in the past, but it’s enough of a protest vote to force the Conservatives to act, because it’s mostly been their vote that’s been eaten into.

If, (more likely when) Carswell wins and becomes a UKIP MP, voting UKIP will move from just a protest vote to a vote that means something in the minds of many voters. It may also persuade other current Mps to jump ship and join UKIP. Fascinating for watchers of politics.

I did mention that we have slipped into September. That means a few things –

Firstly, it’s the start of the NFL! Ooh, I do enjoy the NFL, and with 3 games held in London this year, the possibility of a London team looms ever larger. It’s a massive money business, and in my book ‘FB Passion Profits’ I tell you how I made some good money from the sport myself. (you can also get the free guide to the basics at that link)

Talking of big sports money, the transfer window has closed in football, and Manchester United are still struggling to turn their fortunes around. New manager Louis Van Gaal spent a £60 million club record fee to sign Angel Di Maria, but when they played Burnley, they could only draw 0-0. The £60 million for Di Maria is more than the total ever spent on all transfers by Burnley in their *entire* 125 year history! That’s an amazing statistic, isn’t it!

September also brings another voting topic – the Scottish referendum on independence happens on the 18th. Huge for Scotland, and huge for the rest of the UK as well. More of that in the coming weeks.

The Christmas chocolate is already on the shelves in the shops. We still have 4 months left of the year though! A whole 3rd of the year left! I wrote an article about looking at ourselves when we got the halfway point in the year, and the point is just as valid as people start buying for Christmas when we’re only just into September:
Halfway Through The Year – Halfway To Your Goals, Right?

Ok, do let me know what you think – leave a comment below or like, share, tweet etc!
‘Til next time,
Health & happiness,
Gordon