2015? Kerching! And oh yes. Screw you ;)

Happy New Year to all my connections. From my old to the new connections. Who showed me love, support, mentored me and told me never to give up.

For all the bad times? Am also grateful. Here is a glass to those few businessmen who were awful, horrible, sexist pigs. Who refused to listen or empathise - so hysterical were you to pursue the path of money, money, money. 

Back then, I was intimidated by a couple of big suits, whom I heard speaking contemptuously in front of me about the folks in 'developing world" - whom you only saw as a one way ticket to lining your immoral pockets. Or insisted that I could do my products cheaper ' get it from China you said. 'Make it cheap' you insisted.  Missing the freaking point about my dream to support artisans. And ancient handicrafts. Some of you were so controlling. And demeaning. On the odd occasion you got spiteful. Know this? Your angry little face kept me amused for many days.

As well as the odd so called high profile businesswomen who have been utterly vile to me. Or showed evidence as faux feminists. Yuk. You make my skin crawl. I know of at least 5. Am glad you do and did what you did. You need to be taught there is another way. So I wish you peace and solace. Yes. Love and happiness to y'all - even the good, bad the ugly - who brought me ready to face 2015. And one day, I will share what happened as these types of things need to be talked about. Via my blogsite Ms YasminIsYasmin as it is all material for me to write about.

But until then. While I was starting out, I put up with it all.

And fact is. I survived it all. I survived you all. The bad uns that is. As I learnt to I accept who you are - and what you are. You are and were designed to be that way with me.

And boy. Did it make me better as a human and as a business person. You were my horrid assault course. To get me prepped and ready for the dream I will die trying to deliver.

It reminded me of this quote:

"He who finds diamonds must grapple in mud and mire because diamonds are not found in polished stones. They are made."

And like me, if you struggled too, surely it proves this? We should still be nice. We have got to ALWAYS keep our integrity. What else is there? It is not money that people remember - it is who you are, what you did and what you said. So screw JUST profit, profit. Keep your head held high if you know you have done nothing wrong. And make money but let's more of us do it by being nice.

Keep to your mantra, try to make money with clean hands and clean minds. Easier said than done eh? But I am giving it a go.Even it makes it 100 times harder for people like us. I always want to sleep at night even if doing so means my duvet is flea and hole ridden. (That was a metaphor - no I did not have fleas and holes in my duvet - you get my drift though, right?)

Stay close to that self-belief every time others come to tear you down because of their own greed, petty egos and misplaced values - for which there is no room nor need in the 21st century. They do it because they are myopic and cannot stand to see you be - something we know they can never ever be.

Screw all the ones who tried to slam me down. Thanks - keep at it. Am ready for you. And choose to celebrate the ones who help, love, guide, mentor and are my critical friend. The best a business bod can have. Thank you.

Now. 2015 is the year to bring in the money for my life long dream for British organisations Lovedesh and its campaign to get people to change their experience of the poorest nations in the world via #LTTTW campaign. So it can support its its sister charity Amcariza Foundation with its grass roots projects that sponsors livelihoods out in Bangladesh in a whole new way - Kerching.

If you want to be part of any of it - before it goes global - now is the time to holler now! ;)

Finally. We should all try and be more like trees. You hear me. Feel me? If not - see attached picture and quote below.

Am off to get all green, woody, gnarled and leafy. And to avoid some humans (for a bit) ;)

Yasmin C xxx

I do not often follow people, nor am I into spiritual leaders but I will always listen to their advice. And ready to be inspired. Here is Ram Dass, a US contemporary spiritual author explaining why humans should turn into a tree:

"That when you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

"The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying “You’re too this, or I’m too this.” That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are."