Tag Archives: Autobiography

Have you ever felt the fear – and done it anyway?

Last week was an incredible week. One of the highlights was Wednesday evening, when I gave a talk to 19 people.

The talk was scheduled to take place in a bar/restaurant but when I arrived there, it was shut! It wasn’t a problem because I did the talk in the upstairs bit in the pub opposite.

I was feeling slightly nervous beforehand, but interestingly once I started, I found myself in the present moment – and in my element!

My ‘off the top of my head’ talk was excellent. I spoke for 75 minutes and the audience asked a fair few questions and were particularly interested in my journey over the last 4 years, I was confident and enjoyed it. My flatmate John came along, we bounced off each other a bit – and afterwards he said I was amazing.

The pub manager took a few photos. You can see from this one how captivated everyone was with what I was saying.

For as long as I can remember I have always felt the fear and done it anyway. The good thing about doing so is that it makes you feel great afterwards.

Every day, I believe in dong something which scares me slightly – because it widens my boundaries and helps me grow.

Please pre-order Stairs For Breakfast NOW http://stairsforbreakfast.com/buy-now because it’s a great read and it will inspire you.

I would like to make a difference in the world.

Thank you
Patrick

BREAKING NEWS: I’ve smashed my initial target of 267 pre-orders…

…and have currently sold 361 copies of Stairs For Breakfast.

New Target number of pre-orders: 1,000

I’ve now updated my THANK YOU page – are you on it? Thank you so much for making my book become a reality.

Paul Ribbons has bought 50 copies of my book. In doing so, he has now set me a new challenge of reaching 1,000 pre-orders.

If it wasn’t for Paul I wouldn’t have written a book. He is the person who initially inspired me to write Stairs For Breakfast. Thank you Paul Ribbons.

Another piece of big news is I have received the edited manuscript of my book from Stephanie Hale. However, as I thought, she has advised for it to be checked over by a libel lawyer. It is a vital step and I’m waiting to hear back from Stephanie on how much it will cost (it’ll be around £1K).

After my epic week of networking and public speaking (more on that to come), I’m now back at home and will be blogging more content for your delectation.

Going out every day last week involved a colossal amount of energy (walking and climbing stairs). Just standing and speaking to people is hard work because I use so much energy standing up, I haven’t got much energy left to say anything. My legs still ache!

Here I am after my 75 minute talk on Wednesday.

If you haven’t pre-ordered Stairs For Breakfast yet, try it, you will like it!

I will be extremely grateful if you buy my book because I need to pay for a libel lawyer now! You can pre-order here http://stairsforbreakfast.com/buy-now

Have you ever taken your dog to the dentist?

Here’s an extract from my book from 1979, when I was 6 years old:

One Sunday evening while he was still a puppy, Zebedee was chewing a bone (trying to get the marrow from the inside of it), when he started yelping. He had somehow got the bone completely wedged between his teeth.

Briard (French Sheep dog)

With it being Sunday evening and no vet nearby, dad carried Zebedee over to Luke’s house (our next door neighbour dentist). My dad, Clare [my sister] and Luke (not forgetting Zebedee) then drove to Luke’s practice. Picture this scene – eight year old Clare sitting in the dentist chair, holding Zebedee in her arms, dad holding the dog’s mouth open, while Luke used some of his instruments to extract the bone from in between his teeth!

Thank you very much if you have already pre-ordered my book. I’ve now sold 206 copies and have updated my THANK YOU page.

To publish Stairs For Breakfast I still need at least another 61 pre-orders. Thank you for purchasing my book. I look forward to sharing it with you.

How worms taught me a bit of maths

Here’s another extract from Stairs For Breakfast

Before moving to Belgium in 1976, dad was working in London and we lived in Bromley. I must have been about two when I developed a fascination with worms! I used to crawl around the back garden and knew there was a part of it where there were some worms. I would pick a worm up, with my left hand, have a close look at it and hold the other end of the worm with my right hand – and then I would pull it apart. I would then put the worm(s) back on the ground and was fascinated watching the two halves wiggle around and the fact that they were still alive. I would then pick one of the halves up again and pull it apart, It was a disgusting habit and my first lesson in multiplication!

Thank you very much to everyone for buying my book. I’m now 88 pre-orders from having Stairs For Breakfast published. http://stairsforbreakfast.com

I’m going to a few networking events next week so have made and ordered this double-sided flyer.

The cover of my book is sorted!

The first draft of my book cover should be through in a week or two. (I’m a poet and I didn’t know it!)

Thank you very much to the people who have pre-ordered my book recently. (My thank you page will be updated shortly). I now have 168 pre-orders – and am 99 away from reaching my required target for having the book published. Http://stairsforbreakfast.com

It’s been a busy couple of days getting all of the bits needed for the book cover.

Thank you to my friend Roy Stannard who has helped me with the back cover summary (and also my biog and a testimony for inside the book). When I first met Roy in 1996 I said “I want to work behind the scenes in radio”. He knew I was serious and we’ve been friends ever since.

Glenn Armstrong texted me “When someone tells me they can’t do something I tell them Patrick’s story and share his ability to overcome whatever is put in front of him. He is an inspiration. Patrick I am proud to be your friend”

Glenn has helped and inspired me so much, without me asking. This is just one of the ways he has helped me with my book.

Glenn – I’m proud to be your friend – and feel humble to be one of your many mentees.

Paul Ribbons has given me the following quote “Patrick consulted me while writing this book. This book is a must for anyone. It’s honest, funny and inspirational. It humbles me just thinking about the effort it must have taken”

Paul has taught me a lot and he’s also kind of like a dad to me. I don’t speak to Paul very often – but I know he’s there if I need advice

I have been through a few emotionally painful experiences in life – and I’ve overcome them all.

When I was writing the book, there was only one chapter which I found painful – because it was something I hadn’t overcome yet – and consequently had been beating myself up about for 20 years.

When I writing said chapter, I phoned Paul twice in one week. it was only after talking to Paul – and writing about it – that I overcome it.

I know I’ve written a great book which will help and inspire many people.

Speaking to Stephanie Hale today, we set the sale price of my (published) book at £15.99.

It means you now have the opportunity to grab yourself a bargain! You can pre-order Stairs For Breakfast for only £15 (which includes postage and packing).

Please help me to publish the book by pre-ordering one or more copies NOW

Everyone loves the title of my book – Stairs For Breakfast is a winner!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION about my book

Thank you to the people who have already pre-ordered Stairs For Breakfast. You are all on my THANK YOU page. I’m blown away by the number of book sales I have so far – and with the people who are helping me reach the required target for my book to be published.

Your pre-orders have enabled me to pay 50% of this invoice. I feel it’s a tremendous achievement.

Stephanie Hale confirmed yesterday that the editing process of my book began last week – and I should receive the edited manuscript in 3-4 weeks.

This means, in order to pay the remaining 50% of the invoice – and to cover the cost of having the pre-ordered books printed and posted to you – I now have 3-4 weeks to sell at last another 109 pre-orders.

You can pre-order Stairs For Breakfast now http://stairsforbreakfast.com

Once I receive the edited manuscript I’ll need to approve the changes – however I don’t envisage it taking a long time to do. I aim to get my book out to you by Christmas.

This is a great article in my local paper this week

I had an excellent day on Saturday at Glenn Armstrong’s Mastermind. I spoke in front of 35 people and it went really well. I’m already prepping my next presentation – it promises to be an awesome evening!

Why not pre-order Stairs For Breakfast as Christmas gifts for your friends and family?!

Thank you for helping me getting Stairs For Breakfast published.
Patrick

It’s all coming together now

For the first time in so many years I am happy and at piece with myself. I get how to meditate now and it’s really helping me.

Thank you to all of you who help and inspire me so much – including my friend Roy Stannard, who has helped me with this

– Testimonials for inside or back cover
– Brief author bio
– Blurb for back cover and Amazon

This is the kind of book you should read when you think you have had a bad day. Patrick Souiljaert was deprived of oxygen for the first 4 minutes of his life and consequently denied the gift of easy movement and speech for the remainder of it. It means that this brutally frank autobiography of a Cerebral Palsy sufferer who needs crutches for walking and eats stairs for breakfast when he falls, should be a depressing experience for the reader. It isn’t. Patrick’s sense of humour and love of his fellow human beings shines through. His recall is amazing, his perception stunning. You, the reader, will share what it is likely to have a profoundly life-limiting condition, of what it is like to be an articulate, highly intelligent person inside a disabled body, of what it is like to have people patronise you when your IQ is several notches above those patronising you. You will laugh, you will cry and you will never feel sorry for yourself again.

You can pre-order Stairs For Breakfast NOW (scroll up – on the right)

Number of pre-orders needed to publish the book 267
Number of pre-orders so far 138

I’m over 50% of the way there! Thank you those of you who have already pre-ordered. Everyone is important.

My 1st book is with the editors…

…and will hopefully be out by Christmas.

I’m getting excited now!

I say my first book because, when I initially spoke to Stephanie Hale, of Oxford Literary Consultancy in June, she said that the 216,000 words I have written were too many for one book – so Stephanie suggested I publish two books!

I would like to thank Francis Dolley and Glenn Armstrong for recommending Stephanie to me.

Also I would like to thank Callum Stannard – one of the three other editors I’ve spoken recently. Callum would also have done a great job of editing my book(s) but he didn’t have the time to do it.

Hopefully Stairs For Breakfast (Part One) will be published in time for Christmas.

So far, I have 79 pre-orders – plus 50 copies which Glenn Armstrong has ordered. (This time last week I had collected 52 orders)

It means I now have enough money to cover the editing costs – but still need another 138 pre-orders to cover the other costs (self-publishing printing, book cover design, postage & packing for the pre-ordered books).

Without people pre-ordering my book, I would not be where I am today. As a thank you to all of you who have already pre-ordered Stairs For Breakfast, I have created this THANK YOU page on my website. Please check out the list of names on it (which I’m updating regularly).

As mentioned, I’m currently 138 pre-orders short of the required target of 267, to get the book published and posted.

I am very proud of Stairs For Breakfast – and have no doubt that people will be helped and inspired by my true life story.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered my book, please could you pre-order it TODAY – so I can have the book out by Christmas.

Would you mind circulating my website http://stairsforbreakfast.com with all of the people you know?

Glenn Armstrong has taught, helped and inspired me so much over the last four years. I value Glenn’s help and feel humble to be associated with people who really want me to succeed

Up until about two weeks ago I was planning to have both parts of Stairs For Breakfast published at the same time. However Glenn advised me to get Part One published first, as it will generate an income and help to pay for the publication of Part Two in 2015.

Also there are now a lot of unanswered questions at the end of Part One – it’s a bit of a cliff-hanger!

Thank you for pre-ordering my book – and making Stairs For Breakfast a great success.

I feel numb

This is not an extract from my book. It is what I’m feeling here and now – and written on the spur of the moment.

I can deal with just about everything in life – with the exception of when it comes to the consequences of building a meaningful friendship/relationship with a woman. Communicating via email can cause misunderstandings – and my fear of rejection can cause me to self sabotage the situation (just in case there’s a chance that I could get rejected). I end up hurting myself much worse.

I would like to meet a woman who has the compassion and who understands why I do these things. To build any form of a relationship I need to take baby steps to get to know and trust the person slowly

I’ve met – and been rejected by – so many women over the years – but the pain of rejection never gets any easier every time it happens.

People are inspired by seeing how well I cope with life physically – but they don’t see the emotional pain I endure. It is by far the hardest thing in my life to deal with.

The most basic human emotional is to love, and to be loved – and to share life with someone. This is something and probably someone I have yet to meet.

I prefer trying and not succeeding – than not trying at all to build, the beginning of a strong and meaningful relationship with a lovely woman who inspires me.

Mentally and physically I am very strong but emotionally I’m fragile.

All I would like is to be given the opportunity, to slowly get to know and trust someone special.

I’m only human – and make some mistakes.

The first 4 minutes of my life

I currently have 22 pre-orders for my book. My target is 534.

This is the first extract from the book – and where better to start from than the very beginning of it.

2nd December 1973 – that’s the day I was due to be born. But there were complications. A couple of weeks before I was due my mum wasn’t feeling well so she went to the hospital to get checked over. Upon being examined, she was told “There’s a problem. You’ve got extremely high blood pressure and we need to induce the birth immediately.”

I entered the world on 21st November 1973 at Masons Hill Maternity Hospital in Bromley, Kent. It’s the only time I’ve arrived early for something in my life!

The umbilical cord had gotten twisted and was wrapped around my neck, causing me not to breathe for the first four minutes of my life. After which point I gave out a little cough and I started to breathe normally.

As I don’t have any baby photos of me to hand, for the purposes of this blog update, here’s another baby boy.

The midwife said to my mum “Your son is fine but he might have some learning difficulties.”

It was only when I was nine months old – when my parents realised I had difficulties sitting up properly – that I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

I reckon I have a recollection of a few minutes just after I was born. All I remember is, bright lights (like in an operating theatre), being wrapped in a white blanket and then being placed in a see-through container, which had a lid on it (what I once described as a breadbin!). Who knows? Maybe the starvation of oxygen made my brain really alert.

When I was about eight years old, I told my mum about my recollection of the few minutes after I was born. She replied “Nah, you must have dreamt it”. But she then said that the white blanket and being placed in an incubator sounded about right.

You can pre-order Stairs For Breakfast from the top right-hand side of this page.

Stairs For Breakfast by Patrick Suiljaert

A truly inspirational autobiography about overcoming adversity and achieving anything you want in life. A humorous and “MUST READ” book.