Hello, my name is Michael Rocharde. I’m British, 69 years old, fast approaching 70, and, for most of it, I’ve lived a fantastic life fueled by a large amount of luck, for which I constantly thank the Universe, and by a willingness to take risks that most people wouldn’t dare to.  I’ve travelled all over the world; lived in 6 countries, and become fairly fluent in 4 foreign languages. I’ve followed my dreams, no matter where they have led me, and have used up more than a few lives in the process.

Fear is not part of my vocabulary. That doesn’t mean I don’t get scared; it just means that I don’t let it stop me from pushing forward. The second thing that I don’t let stop me is other people’s negativity when they say “That won’t work!” or “That’s a bad idea.” I don’t ever listen to those people, because they, and their comments, are coming from a place of fear and insecurity.  What I’m proposing to do wouldn’t ever work for them, so they try to discourage me from doing it. 

I have always charted my own path, and also believed that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. It has been said by some that Stubborn is my middle name; if so it will be capitalized (STUBBORN), because when I decide not to be moved or to do something, there is nothing on earth that can force or stop me. 

I know, and so should you, that sometimes opportunities present themselves. I am always  on the lookout for them, and I have the courage to take them.  I am also a firm believer in the saying “When one door closes, another one opens.” It is the way of the Universe.

2021 has been a tough year for me, health wise.  It started with agonizing pain in my right arm, which came out of nowhere and lasted for almost a month. On October 6, I experienced a life-changing event; a heart attack while on a train to Madrid.  Three months later, on December 20^th, I was rushed to hospital for a suspected stoke that found me unable to speak without slurring and robbed me of any strength.  Fortunately, it turned out to be a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) and the doctors were able to find the cause (a blockage in a neck artery), and add a blood thinner to my medications to prevent further occurrences.  A week later, I took a bad fall and badly bruised the ribs on my left side.  The pain was, and is, excruciating but it will pass.

As I write this, I’m well on the way to recovery but it has made me realize, for the first time, that I’m not actually immortal and that my days are numbered.  I don’t say this with any expectation that I’m about to die, but more as a realization, and that I need to get the things done that I’ve been meaning to do but haven’t got around to. This book is one of those things.

So why should you read, or listen to, this book?  I’m not famous, although I am fairly well known within the community that I work in.  I haven’t changed the world, although I keep trying.  I think the answer is that I’ve always had an irrepressible sense of humor, albeit British, and that has stood me in good stead when times were tough, which has happened more than a few times.  I love to laugh, especially when I’m the target, but, more than anything, I love to make others laugh, which is a good part what this book has been written to do.

But let’s start at the beginning, well not quite at the beginning but two years on..