UPDATE: The ultimate question – Have I found the answer?

I BEGAN this blog a year ago after attending a seminar called ‘The Book You Were Born To Write’ by Nick Williams.

NOT the answer to the Ultimate Question!

Completing my 42nd year felt like an apt moment to do so, since 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything!

It’s been an interesting and eventful year – I did not expect to see same sex marriage become legal, and possible in 2014.

My aim to complete my story as part of the first British same sex couple to have a civil partnership in a place of worship has become more urgent – the window of opportunity is smaller than I thought.

Over the last four months my energy has been focussed on my work with LGBT youth, which reached its peak around Liverpool Pride in August.

Now I have some time to review how to share my story – perhaps it is a book, perhaps it’s LGBT Awareness training for faith leaders, maybe both.

In March this year, I attended another workshop called ‘How to Inspire through Public Speaking’ with Sarah Lloyd-Hughes of Ginger Public Speaking.

She shared how brilliant public speaking is not following a ‘one-size-fits-all’ formula – it is about speaking from the heart, being authentic. This helped me to reflect on how I have found my voice, by being true to myself, finding that my story resonates with others, and realising that sharing my experience may help others to realise they are not alone, that they too can live authentically.

Now Ginger Public Speaking is running a competition to win a Scholarship for a place on its Inspiring Speakers Programme, worth £2640.

Entrants submit a 1 minute video – the eight videos with the most votes are shortlisted for the next stage of selection.

Here is my video:

Voting closes Wednesday 4th September (Voting link disabled after closing deadline).

If I succeed, I will complete a regular video diary about the course, about twice a month.

Have I found the answer to the Ultimate Question? One year on, it feels like I am closer to living more authentically, so maybe I am well on the way!

UPDATE: Thanks to all who voted for me in the Inspiring Speakers Scholarship Contest. I needed to make the top eight to get through to round 2. I was in eighth place until the last hour. Sadly I fell short by 7 votes. But the speaker who took eighth place was from Syria, and if anyone needs an inspiring speaker right now it’s the people of Syria, so I will take some consolation in that.