Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Regrets in life?

My big regret is ever hearing of Frank Sinatra and in particular that song ..

Looking back always has a sharp focus which was not there at the time.
I wish that I'd tried harder at school. I wish I'd chosen Engineering at Salford Uni instead of a rotten Ford Anglia and the Civil Service.
I wish that I'd had a practical engineering based job instead of pushing a pen.

But you know what?
If I had a time machine and went back to tell myself all this stuff, aged 'teen'. I doubt I would listen, even to myself.

I have a rebellious and stubborn streak, and quite honestly find it hard to take advice from anybody, myself included.

Having said all that, I've done OK..........

I was given the one I worked on in the weeks running up to my finals for 10/- ( ten shillings or 50p for the younger members) . I dont know what happened to it - when I went home I just left it at the side of the road outside my digs.

Howard surely you're now talking deep carpet sobbing regret!

Regrets, no. Looking back at how I spent my teenage years it is a miracle I passed my A-levels, got to Uni and completed my degree. On graduating mid-1980s I joined the 20-strong graduate programme of a yuppie-boom investment manager, and was one of a handful still there when the bubble burst. I stayed 25 years, buying company stock whenever the chance arose. If I'd made any other choices, I'm sure I would have screwed it up.

There is one thing I wish I had done. In the Summer before leaving for Uni, I'd already split with my girlfriend of a couple of years, and had met a girl called Julia whose parents' house was at the end of the runway of West Malling aerodrome. One Summer Friday she invited me over to watch the practice for the air display from her garden. We were sat on a blanket with a female friend of hers, a bottle of wine and Marc Bolan on the tape player. The girls weren't into the planes and announced "we're too hot, we're going inside for a bath together - if you get bored of the planes, come join us". I don't even remember what the aeroplanes were now, I bet I would have remembered that bath if I'd gone inside...

My Mums step Dad was quite well off and had a Le Mans.

So when Dad turned up on his BSA - guess what he got to use the Singer to take his GF (Mum )out in!

Looking back is quite tough I think.

BUT if you had told me when I was 16 ( in 1964) all the amazing things which would happen to me I simply would not have believed you.

I qualified as a Merchant Navy Hofficer - and promptly left, after four years hard work. Idiot!!

BUT then I somehow got my first job in marketing. The start of a very successful 30 year career.

I think I could have achieved even more - but at 52 the inner voice of self doubt ( is he your friend too?) was stronger than the inner of voice of confidence and self belief.

But everything worked out ok for me.

I think my Advertising career was just right for me - even though I discovered it almost by default!

Sometimes wish I had spent a little more time with friends that have passed away instead of having to be busy working and raising a family.

Mostly I can't believe my good fortune and luck during my lifetime, I have met some wonderful people along the way most of whom are still at the end of a phone somewhere around the globe or nearby.
These are the important things in life to me, not things.

Friends have certainly more than compensated for a totally useless Mother that walked out on the family when I was 18 months old, we haven't seen her since so there is a God .

So fortunate to have been an engineer, I couldn't have coped with selling anything I'm far too honest for that.

Howard
My friend is 92 years young. He still goes on holiday and the ladies chase him...in the Care home! This year he is celebrating drawing his pension from the MOD for 5o years! He joined the RN in 1936 as a nipper and left in 1969. His reason for a long life is to keep looking forward and have a tot of rum every day. So start planning that road trip to Europe, NC500 etc. You have one thing that a lot of people tell me is a big regret not getting years ago - A Morgan!

Reading through these posts reinforces the improbability of my present position when considering what I did, and didn't do at school, Uni and work....

Mostly I did exactly what I felt was the right thing to do, and without much thought and with no regard for the consequences...

At junior school I spent as much time outside the classroom as inside because I was bored and intolerant of almost everything. But I passed my 11 Plus and went to Grammar School.
There I worked at what interested me, got a reasonable bunch of O levels. In the 6th form I did little work, having discovered a young lady called Anne, who was a bit of a distraction... and because my predicted grades were dire I got no University offers....

But I got 3 good A levels so got into Uni on the Clearing, to read for a Degree in Applied Biochemistry. Why Biochemistry? It seemed interesting.
At Uni I almost failed my first year, but somehow survived and ended up with a good 2:1 Honours Degree.

I'd no idea what job I wanted but on a whim applied for a MCB Course at Birmingham. This involved working at Worcester Royal Infirmary and 2 days a week at Birmingham University.
Living in Worcester I met
But I failed the first year Uni exams and being a hospital biochemist wasn't for me. So I quit and went home.

I still had no plan, but my parents were getting restive so I applied to a couple of Employment Agencies in New Scientist.
Through one of them I was offered a Job as a sales rep in Central London for BDH Chemicals. That lasted 13 years as I climbed the greasy pole and ended up as a Business Unit Manager. Then the Business Unit I ran was sold to Coalite. No way I was moving to Bolsover, so I quit.

A contact I'd made at BDH offered me a job in Germany. So we sold the house, moved to Germany with 2 young kids, great time. But after 9 years the company was sold and I didn't like the new owner, so, yes, you guessed, I quit.

One of the Distributors I'd set up offered me a job back in the UK, so we all moved back. After 2 years they fired me...a new experience. What to do?

Consulting: with some success and then one of my clients in the USA offered me a chance to set up their European subsidiary with 40% equity. It all went rather well and I also got 25% equity in a second subsidiary.
9 years later we sold out to Sigma Aldrich, rewarding in many ways and great fun. This lasted until 2016 when Sigma Aldrich was taken over by Merck Germany.
I didn't like their style and culture so I concluded it was time to go.
If I'd been younger I'd have quit, but at 66 I'll retire.

I never had a plan, never made any strategic choices, reacted to negativity and stupidity wilfully and emotionally.
But we enjoyed all the experiences and in the end it worked out quite well.

Would I do anything different with the benefit of hindsight? No.
Do I regret anything? No.