I lived life like this for quite a long time and was basically being a fool as I was often depressed. This was due to the fact that I had a stutter and despite attending stammering treatments on a regular basis I was unable to find a solution. Years later I did manage to stop stammering, after a lot of hard work and with the help of a seventy minute self-help DVD.

I decided to seek inspiration from books, newspapers and television. I was now twenty-two years of age and had achieved very little in life up to this point. In one of the newspapers I read, there was an article in the letters page which had been sent in by a woman who was in her seventies. It was quite a funny letter and she wrote about how she loved being old. She mentioned that she can now stay in bed all day if she wants to and does not care what people think of her. She no longer attends any type of function or get together unless she really wants to and can quite happily turn down social invites without the slightest feeling of guilt. She wrote that for the first time in her life she does not care at all what people think of her and lives life doing exactly what she wants to do.

I thought about what she had written and realised that I also felt trapped. I did not want to wait until I was in my seventies to be set free, I wanted freedom now. I had to change my attitude to life and I decided to stop trying so hard.

I believe that I am a good human being; I try to do right by the people that I meet; I am honest and caring and try to live life in the right way. I actually for the first time in my life, quite like myself, therefore if other people choose not to, that is fine by me.

My new found positive attitude has helped me in many different ways including in my business life where I sell front doors and bargain holiday deals. I am now a fully contented and happy person and it is in part down to reading that old woman’s inspirational letter.