Welcome to the first ever issue of Escape Stories - the online newsletter of the Escape Club! Are you happy with your work? Do you ever dream of doing something that you were really passionate about and where you felt like you were really making a difference? Did your new year's resolutions include changes to your working life in 2004? But at the same time, do you feel like you could use some ideas, tools and support as you start planning and making these changes a reality? It looks like this newsletter might be just what you need... Our aim is to provide you with all you need in your escape to finding fulfilling work.

"I was happy with a small h, and I was happy in a way that people who are employed in jobs they do not really like, can be happy." These are the words Paul Smith, 39, uses to describe how he was feeling in his previous job as a chartered accountant in a UK-based software company. But the need to get closer to his passions and to take charge of his fate, changed all that. A year ago, Paul left his previous life to pursue his real dream - to become a medical doctor. As a new med student a semester into his studies at St. George's Hospital Medical School, Paul says he is now a person who is "very very happy, who is enjoying every single day, who wakes up every morning and is delighted with what's on offer each day."

As a kid, Paul had wanted to be a scientist, a university lecturer, a Nobel-prize winning physicist, and a RAF (Royal Air Force) pilot. He can't remember putting too much thought into what working life would be like. He thought he would enjoy it and do what he wanted to do, work as a physicist. So after finishing school he went on to study astrophysics, and after graduation thought of continuing with a PhD. However, mainly due to financial reasons, he felt he could not continue down this path, and set his sights towards the City (London business district).

He trained as a chartered accountant, and at the time, he felt that he was very successful with numerous promotions, a new car every year, a great salary and with no real material worries. His love of science never left him though, and he found himself talking to a colleague at work (another fellow scientist at heart) more about science than they talked about work. It was during this time that he also started looking at the work he was doing and realising: "wow, this is forever".

Meanwhile, a few big events occurred in his life that really got him thinking about what he was doing. In his spare time, Paul is a hang-glider. He went on an extended holiday to Mexico, where he encountered a guy who had a small operation letting people try hang- gliding. Here was a man who had relatively little income, who did what he loved, who did not have many material goods, who also contributed greatly to his community, and who was not just kind of happy, but happy with a capital H. That encounter stuck with him as he went back to London.

And then both his parents died, one after another. He did not feel as sad, as he did happy for the lives they had lead and the love they had shared. But it did make him realise that whatever you do, fate will change your life. There is no status quo. So he asked himself: "Why should I let everything that moves me on a new course or new emotion be done by external means? Why don't I make a big change myself? If things can change my life so much without me being involved, it cannot be any worse if I get involved and do it myself."

And then he headed off to Brazil on another hang- gliding holiday. Again he encountered people who were truly enjoying their lives with very little money. This time, he was also involved in a serious accident that could have killed him, but instead he was lucky and walked away from it. That was the final spark he needed. He came back to London knowing that he had to take over fate, and his work was what had to change.

But he was not quite sure what he wanted to do. Yes, he was interested in science, and he also knew he liked working with people. So he went to meet with a careers officer from his old university. The careers officer asked him what he liked and did not like, and very quickly distilled all the information he received to one question: have you thought of medicine? And it felt right.

So Paul started doing extensive research on his possibilities, and after a while found himself sitting through a gruelling exam with 1400 other people applying for 70 medical student places! Although he felt sure of what he was doing, whilst going through the application process, he had loads of doubts in his head: "I'm 37, most people my age are moving into their next house, starting or continuing a family, and I'm trying to change career - am I going out on a limb here? Is everybody else right - and I'm wrong? I want this, but maybe it is foolishness to want certain things, maybe I'm going too far down the selfish route, and I need to be acting more like a grown-up and accept that work isn't necessarily going to be fun. Maybe such things as a happy job don't exist and passions are things you have at weekends?"

Despite these voices in his head, he continued, because in his heart he felt it was the right thing to do, and this gave him the confidence to move on. Yes, the negative thoughts were constantly there. However, Paul soon realised that although at first it seemed like they would not disappear, as the reality of his dream started to emerge, the negative voices started to drop off.

He also thought a lot about the effect this would have on his friends and family. He perceived that they would be concerned and perhaps not supportive. But as he challenged his perceptions, this proved to be the contrary - they were all very delighted and happy for him, very positive and supportive to the change he was making.

His final concern was that failure could not be an option for him - he had to get through the exams the first time round. Although he achieved this goal, he no longer feels so strongly about failure. His biggest learning point has been that if you try do not succeed, you will still be closer to your goal and then you can just try something else.

His perseverance bore fruit, and in September 2003 he became a full-time medical student at St Georges Hospital Medical School in London. "I am a different person than I was, I am now that guy with that capital H happiness, I'm there." Yes, there is still a long journey and doubts of achieving the ultimate challenge he has set for himself, to become a senior doctor, but he is on the path, and the path feels right!

The advice he would give to anyone considering changing careers:

• 1) Plan your move and be as comfortable as possible with what it might entail
• 2) Face all the concerns and challenges you have, do not deny them
• 3) Let other people inspire you. Let your friends and family get involved, they will be a lot more supportive than you would ever imagine them to be.
• 4) "And I suppose the accountant in me has not gone forever": plan your finances!

	Escape Club Workshops
Do parts of this story resonate with you? Do you feel you need a change where you work, how you work or what you work in? The Escape Club offers a variety of workshops that allow you to explore what would make you happy with your work and how YOU can get there! You can download our whole programme from our website: www.escape-club.org or send an email to: programme@escape-club.org "It was great to verbalise what's been in my head and hear back, "yes, you can", providing reassurance and motivation" - Autumn 2003 participant Upcoming Escape Club events in London: February 18 - Money and Security - what do they mean? A discussion evening February 23 - Connect to... Escape - what brings me joy in my work? An evening workshop March 6 - start of 2-month programme, Create Your Own Escape OR do you want a more personalised approach? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a personal coach, someone you could work with on developing the life you really want? We're offering anyone interested 1 month of FREE coaching! Our coaching is telephone-based, so no matter where you live in the world, this offer is for you too! There are limited spaces though, so contact coach@escape-club.org for more information and to secure your space! To download workshop programme... »

	Book of the Month (1)
One by Richard Bach "Consider for a moment the existence of many parallel universes Inhabited by alternative yous out of alternative choices you could have made in your life from the ones you did make. Every choice we make in every moment of our life can affect our entire future and the lives of others. I love this book because it made me feel ashamed of the opportunities I had let slip past, and of the neglectful way I often treat my future self. My big lesson from this book is that it is up to me only to take responsibility for my every dream, doubt, achievement, and failure." -- Fabio Sgaragli - Rome, Italy   To buy this book... »

	Book of the Month (2)
A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber "Has fundamentally changed how I look at the world - he manages this magic trick of making all the competing and contradictory philosophies meld into one framework where they are all mutually supportive of each other. I don't look at anything in the same way after this book!" -- Pete Hamill - London, UK     To buy this book... »

	Other London-based Events
Leading the System February 21-22, 2004, a weekend workshop in London - Do you want to ...create sustainable changes in your workplace or community? ...understand how to approach such change initiatives with a whole-systems understanding? ...access the full energy and creativity of teams and organisations you work with? For more information or to register, email Alok Singh at alok@pioneersofchange.net Want to Make a Difference - and a Living? Sunday, February 22, 2004, 1 to 5 pm, Putney Library, London SW15 - Come and explore what your options for meaningful work are - others have done it - you can too! For more information or to register, email either Holly at holly@hollycrane.com or Satu at satu@satukreula.com

	What is Escape Stories?
Escape Stories is published the last Thursday of every month. We aim for it to be relevant for anyone and we welcome readers from anywhere! In each issue we give you ideas on how to make change happen. We provide you real-life stories of people who said 'okay' isn't good enough and went on to pursue what inspired them in their lives. You'll read not only about the change they made but you'll also find out what their journeys were like, what obstacles they faced, how they overcame these and what advice they'd give to anyone contemplating a career change. We'll also provide you with inspirational resources (books, movies, etc) that have sparked a change our readers who've wanted to share their experiences. And we'll give let you know of workshops and courses you can attend that could support you even more on your 'escape journey'. We grow by referral, so if you know of anyone else who would find this useful, please forward them this newsletter - and if you are interested, and aren't subscribed, you can do so on our website: www.escape-club.org To subscribe... »

	More About the Escape Club
The Escape Club was born from seeing many of our friends being unhappy and dissatisfied with their work and realising that there were many ways to help them and others to truly enjoy what they do. It is a collection of ideas, resources, support and like-minded people for you, who wants to make a change in your working life, but also for you, who also is not always quite sure where it is you want to or how to get there. Our aim is to provide you with what you need along your journey, whether it be specific tools, courses, connections with people who can help, real-life stories, etc. We aim to continue developing everything we do and offer based on feedback and comments we get from you! Our website www.escape-club.org, the hub for all our activities, will be launched in the next few months. Satu Kreula is a coach and facilitator working with professionals from around the world who are unfulfilled with their jobs, and who want to explore their potential, overcome their fears and create work that is meaningful and makes them happy. She has a background in both global youth leadership development and career guidance & management, with work experience in both private and not-for-profit sectors across 6 countries and 3 continents. She is the co-founder of the Escape Club, editor of Escape Stories and can be found at www.satukreula.com.

	Thank You!!!
The Escape Club and Escape Stories would not be possible without the continuous support and feedback from the Escape Club Inspiration Team: Alok Singh (co- founder), Fabio Sgaragli, Ivana Bozicevic, Loli Cenalmor, Sandra Ribon Christensen and Sanna Anderson. A HUGE thank you to you all!!!