THE COMPOUND EFFECT

Do you ever really think about your life, the way that it works and are you mindful about the decisions that you make? Do you think that you have your life mapped out and know exactly the steps that you need to take in order to reach your so-called final destination? You may or may not have heard of the Compound Effect; you may be practising its techniques without even realising it. It is a best-selling book penned by an American guy called Darren Hardy who started his first business at the age of 18. Hugely successful guy who has made it by following his own principles that are actually so easy to follow. Quite simply, the core concept around it is that we can make small changes or steps for a big pay-off. Let me give you an example:  We're overworked and desperate for a holiday but we simply can't afford one. What can we do? We also like to indulge in a bit of fine vino, so we fork out £15 every week for a nice bottle. So if we didn't buy that anymore, we would be saving £60 a month which equates to £720. Suddenly after just one year and we set this money aside our bank balance is looking slightly healthier and looks like we can afford a holiday abroad. If we did this over two or three years, we would be able to afford going further afield. What we see there is that we have made a tiny change that will enable us to reap a larger reward. It's those little things that matter. We all have goals, whether it's being a millionaire by the time we reach 30, owning a villa in Spain, becoming CEO of the company we work for, writing a BAFTA award-winning TV show, getting a first class Honours degree… the list can go on and on. It doesn't even have to necessarily be a monetary goal. We may weigh 12 stone and wish to weigh 10 stone, or drop so many dress sizes. It's all about breaking it right down and disciplining ourselves to be strict and adopt and maintain healthy habits that will help to serve our purpose in the long-term. To enable us to successfully pass that golden and much coveted finish line. Achieving those milestones is about how much effort you put into the daily grind, those unshakeable small habits that become ingrained into your mind and you do them over and over again. Darren Hardy has this life formula which nails it:

Your choices (decisions) + behaviour (action) + habit (repeated action) + compound effect (time) = goals. Looks easy enough doesn't it. It's probably something we have all tried and may have even mastered, but that's essentially what it boils down to. We are faced with choices everywhere we turn. They literally hound us; the good, the bad and the ugly. The decisions that we make are projected into a mirror into what our lives are like every day. Darren said that whether we are happy, rich or healthy, or broke, depressed and unhealthy, it is our choices that navigate us. Choices can be so simple but can lead to bigger things. If we stay up super late watching that trashy TV movie, we will feel sluggish the next day in work and we won't be as productive. If we have the cake instead of an apple, we won't lose the pounds as fast as we want to. If we splurge our cash we won't have anywhere near enough for that house deposit. Our habits can either make us or break us. It is said that it takes approximately two months for a habit to be formed and for that behaviour to become automatic. It's not always going to be easy. We can often find ourselves stuck in a rut and our unhealthy habits are weighing us right down, pressing on us heavier than a ton of bricks, but it is absolutely possible to slowly shift that behaviour and replace with newly-formed and beneficial habits, particularly if we can set our sights on the end-game. Little by little, a small amount of progress can add up to big results, and those results are capable of blowing our mind. After all, it is droplets of water that make an ocean isn't it. Sadly, we seem to be living in a world of instant gratification. We want it but we want it right now and we are impatient. The thought of saving money for ten years is unbearable, the thought of giving up ice cream is unthinkable, the thought of walking to work rather than a five-stop bus journey on a wet and windy Wednesday makes us shudder. Let's face it, we can imagine how good we will feel dropping three dress sizes and wearing a stunning ballgown, but for some reason we can only think about the here and now, in that stuffing that ham and pineapple pizza in our mouth will make us feel good for twenty minutes maybe. But then what? We're back to square one, the dress seems further out of reach than ever before, and the pizza wasn't even that nice anyway. However, if we can hone our brains and define exactly what it is that we want, we should be able to come to the realisation that the time and effort is worth it. Consistency and being realistic certainly is key here. It would be no good at all if you went to the gym for eight hours straight, it would be far better if you went for half an hour three times a week. You will make progress over time. Think of the end result; visualise yourself having achieved that one goal. How good does that feel? It can absolutely happen over time

and you will get your rewards, whatever they may be. Small steps to success should be your life mantra. Imagine if you could set aside half an hour each day to take a small action towards getting something you really want. Thirty minutes is nothing. Time ticks by and we seem to be experts at squandering it. Imagine if we could use that time to our own advantage. Because that's what it's all about, giving ourselves the best existence possible. Once you can start off doing something small and consistently, you will soon find yourself on auto-pilot, the habit will be second nature and every single day you will be closer to what you truly want out of life. That one thing that will make you leap out of bed in the morning. As the result or rewards gets nearer and bigger, it will feel so much more real, attainable and satisfying.

MORE ABOUT ME AND MY STORY

I started to do these podcasts because I have such a passion for helping people through my treatments and through my words. I wanted to provide some insight into various topics covering health, wellbeing and lifestyle. I don't profess to be a top expert but what I do bring to the table is my vast experience, knowledge and my willingness to help make a difference. If listening to this podcast gives someone a giggle, some hope, a light-bulb moment, some respite from their crappy life, then I know that I will have done my job. That sort of thing gives me great pleasure. I spend my life working with and around people and I put time and effort into their needs and what is going to be only beneficial for them. There is far too much negativity floating around, it's so insidious. We are often keen to knock others down, for no reason at all. We validate our own sad existence by making someone else feel bad. It's not on. Kindness costs nothing. I want to do my bit and spread some love, have some cracking discussions about things that affect us all on a daily basis. I want to offer my insight and possibly sage words, but you'll have to be the judge of that. I want to be thought-provoking. It's my aim to get those cogs in your mind turning, maybe offer a fresh perspective and challenge your own views. You never know, you might end up learning something new. As I'm researching these podcast topics, it's been a blast getting to grips with some delicate and sensitive subject areas. I've learned so much and it's made me think twice about certain things. I do love to challenge myself and I like to discover the whole picture; not just the rose-tinted one I might have held in my own mind. So, that's all well and good. I'm sure you'll be wondering who I am. Here's a bit of an insight into my backstory. I have been in business for almost 20 years. Gosh, when I look back at the differing types of businesses I've owned. From property to beauty and skincare, including an international company spanning the Middle East, USA, Australia and Europe. This one started off as a small one-room beauty salon I bought from eBay. I also owned the oldest estate agency in Liverpool. I have created businesses from scratch with no funding and taken over a 150-year-old business that was on its knees and turned it into a thriving business within 3 years. That's no mean feat. I'm incredibly proud of what I have achieved. I've poured blood, sweat and tears into it, and am so lucky to have got to where I am. I have got a solid and credible reputation from my business peers which means the world to me.

But I'll keep on going, no resting on my laurels here. I'll keep plugging away, trying to excel even further and smash even more personal goals. One thing it's never been is easy, not one jot. I have my own life struggles and challenges. My beautiful daughter has liver disease and my beloved mum Dolly has lung cancer and both my parents have dementia. It can be tough but I do my utmost to stay positive and upbeat. I try my hardest to keep on going and I always manage to stay afloat, I always stay on top of things despite it being a massive struggle at times. What I have realised is that mental health plays such a huge part in my life. I'm always mindful of how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking. I have people who depend on me and I have to stay strong for them. I refuse to let it get me down. With doing my beauty treatments, it's so easy to see that it is not just a treatment bed. It's not just somewhere people come and lie down while they have a particular treatment, get up, leave, end of story. As soon as they lie on it, it instantly becomes their safe place, their sanctuary, the opportunity to truly be themselves. I believe in the healing power in beauty treatments. People open up. They get on that bed and they open up to you. I might be the only person they reveal things to; their fears, their anxieties, and I'm honoured and privileged to be that outlet for them. People might not feel able to open up to a therapist but will find it more comfortable chatting casually with their beautician. Think about it. You're having your hair done, they ask the obligatory, 'Are you going on holiday this year?' Soon enough, you're chatting like old friends revealing things you wouldn't normally consider talking about. It's a safe, warm, non-intimidating and relaxed environment. It's a hell of a lot different than, say, sitting formally opposite a therapist. The barriers don't seem to be there. You become their confidante. There's no pressure on them to talk. Not like in the therapist's office when there is immense pressure to reveal what's been troubling them. On the treatment bed it's totally up to them, there is no judgement whatsoever. A bonding process is created from the outset. You're helping them to feel good about themselves, to be the best version of who they are, and you're on their side.

Physically, you could be making something go away that has been causing them great distress, to hide away, anxious to face the world. Something simple like a facial can give them confidence and enhance their self-worth. You're investing time and effort into them and they acknowledge the role you're playing in assisting them to feel better or be better. They'll find themselves offloading without even realising it because it's that type of secure environment and they're more likely to volunteer information about themselves. There's a great sense of satisfaction and pride in what I do and knowing I may have shaped someone's day for the better by doing a little treatment is just wonderful and heart-warming.

GETTING A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Do we really give much thought to our sleep and if we actually get enough or get what we need to function? You've either said this yourself or heard others say it – 'I'll sleep when I'm dead.' Sleep is so underestimated. It's incredibly vital to us, it's how we keep ourselves well and ticking over. If we don't get enough ZZZs then we are going to end up doing serious damage to both our bodies and our minds. Who on earth would want that? For the sake of getting your head down and taking that time out to recharge and reinvigorate, isn't it better to be in tip-top shape while you're awake? We need to be mindful about looking after ourselves. We only live one life, get one body and one mind, don't we want to have a crack at having the best possible ones? You might not even realise how much grabbing your forty winks is going to help you, it's astonishing what it does impact. Okay, I'm going to be talking to you now about what happens when you sack off your siestas and don't get enough sleep. Poor sleep can put you at risk of so many health problems – heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and it can shorten your life expectancy. So when you do say, 'Oh, I'll sleep when I'm dead,' that might be coming quicker than you would have imagined. Also, there are other health conditions you'll be more of a higher risk for – high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and stroke to reel off a few. I mean, who would want that? A consistent lack of sleep could make you very ill. If we don't get enough shuteye we can get cranky, irritable, snappy, miserable, and who wants to be around that? Okay, so just one night with little sleep isn't going to be enough to trigger these issues but it will make you flat out exhausted and the next day will be a nightmare. You don't want to slowly be seeping into a sleep deprived schedule, believing it won't affect you, it will. The damage may not necessarily be visible to the eye but your body can only take so much before it starts to shut down, before it's had enough and goes into meltdown mode. After a spate of sleepless nights your concentration and focus might will get impaired; you're definitely not on top of your game. Your memory will take a knock and it'll affect the way your process information and reason. You'll be introduced to the not so wonderful world of brain fog, you'll want to nap during the day, which is great if you're able to do so but not so great if it means your boss finds you face-planted on your keyboard. Gradually over time, you can even start to suffer with symptoms of depression. A lot of people who have that or anxiety tend to get less sleep of a night. Insomnia can even be an indicator of depression so maybe more mindful when you constantly find yourself tossing and turning. They kind of bounce off each other, and not in a good way, believe me. It's a

vicious circle you certainly don't want happening to you. If you have ever felt low, you'll know only too well how tough it can be to fall asleep, or when a million thoughts are whizzing around your little head. The point being, they feed each other. Your skin will definitely suffer and not thank you for it. You might have recoiled in shock facing yourself in the mirror one morning; you are genuinely aghast seeing this sallow- skinned, puffy-eyed person glaring back at you. You may notice awful dark circles around your eyes and lines that have decided to take up unwanted residence on your face like annoying squatters that just won't leave, now they are tenants you definitely need to evict as soon as possible. Lack of sleep causes your body to release more cortisol, which is a stress hormone. If there's a lot of it, it can break down collagen which is what keeps your skin smooth and elasticated. It also makes us produce a smaller amount of a growth hormone which helps us thicken skin, increase muscle mass and strengthen bones. I hope I'm painting a picture of why you need to sleep. It is pretty much related to everything. One other thing to add is that it can contribute to obesity. This will probably blow your mind. Not getting enough ZZZs can spike your appetite and your hunger levels and you might feel more likely to want to devour crap or whatever you can get your hands on. As if that wasn't bad enough, you tend to get more high-fat, high-carb cravings. You might be wondering, okay well I'm definitely going to give myself plenty of shuteye, but what is enough? Most healthy adults need between 7 – 9 hours of kip every night. That is the baseline amount but of course personal circumstances may vary slightly. You might need more and you might bounce out of bed all fresh and perfectly healthy on less. It's a matter of adapting your body and it will sure as hell tell you, scream and shout, if you are mistreating it. Let's journey to the flip side now as I'm sure I've depressed you enough with all the bad stuff. Let's go into the benefits of getting decent sleep. You'll probably find that you pick up bugs less often and you don't catch colds as regularly. Who wants the dreaded flu, or, if you're a bloke, Man Flu. Your weight may be more regulated and you won't feel the need to reach for the family size bag of crisps or that tub of Haagen Daaz. Your stress levels will reduce and will put you in a lighter and happier mood. Your risk levels for conditions like heart disease or diabetes will be lower. You will think more clearly, with a level head, and more rationally. If aspects of your life depend on the decisions you make, whether your career or personal life, then this is vital.

You won't feel drowsy during the day – if you drive or operate machinery, this could be extremely dangerous, so if this podcast makes you sit up and listen to one thing, let it be this. You will look more refreshed making you want to go out and face people. Your skin will look better and nicer, and that should boost your confidence and self-esteem. We just need to find our regular schedule and little routine to stick to so that we are getting enough hours of a night. It might be worth seeing what would help to wind you down before your head hits the pillow. You could read, listen to some soothing and calming music, maybe stay off your phone and avoid social media, light a scented candle like lavender or drop some lavender on your pillow. It's trial and error really but it's worth it and one of the most important things you can ever do for yourself.

RETHINK THE DRINK

How many times have you heard yourself say something along the lines of 'Never again'? Has your Dry January gone belly up literally days into the New Year because you can't shake off that craving to have a little tipple? Are you of the opinion that 'Just the one won't hurt'? You're most definitely not alone. Alcohol is a funny one. It can appear to be our best mate, lull us into a false sense of security and have us believe it's acting in our best interests. It fools us. Yes it can make us feel good, confident, sexy, but what we are plying into our bodies is toxic, poison, and too much can lead to a very dangerous path indeed. Plus, if we start to rely on it, we can end up in an extremely dysfunctional and abusive relationship with the booze. Many of us return to drinking time and time again. Even if it made our memories hazy, even if we were sick on the pavement or in the taxi home, even if the resulting hangover made our heads pound so hard, even if it gave us the dreaded beer fear, even if it made us send unwanted texts to exes or people we hate, even if the acid reflux in our throat was so bad because of all the fizz we'd been knocking back the night before. So yes, we often turn to it given every conceivable emotion; sadness, emptiness, pain, happiness… It appears to have an answer for everything we throw at it. It reminds us that life is so damn short so it ought to be wildly embraced, and if that involves a second pitcher of Margarita then so be it. We gradually become drawn into its bosom. It envelopes us with whatever we want or need at the time – whether it's love, warmth or acceptance. It doesn't care about your job, your family, your mates, your responsibilities, your bank balance, your physical body. Oh no, it wants to be selfish and keep you all to itself. Over time excessive drinking will rack up an incredible and sadly undeniable list of damaging things it can inflict on you, and I'm going to go into this right now. Some of it will shock you, and that's a good thing. Alcohol is a poison, and you're pouring litres of the stuff into your body over and over again. Would we willingly pick up a strange bottle labelled 'Poison' and start to guzzle it without a care in the world? No. Poison is bad, toxic, and doing damage to your insides. It slows down your brain and you can lose your balance, it dehydrates you, it angers your stomach lining which may result in bad acid reflux – quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable sensations ever. It lowers your blood sugar so if you're Type 1 Diabetic, that's not going to be fun is it, you could have a seizure. It also lowers your bodily temperature which could put you at risk of hyperthermia.

Ale disrupts your sleep cycle leaving you sluggish, lethargic and pretty knackered. While it can help you conk out initially, you're being deprived more of the restful REM sleep a person needs. You'll need to get up more to use the toilet so your sleep will be broken and as your muscles are more relaxed you might snore, which is a big fat no-no if you have a partner lying next to you. Regularly drinking more than you should can contribute to high blood pressure which can end up with you having a stroke or heart attack. Plus if you can't get it back down, you'll find yourself taking medication for potentially the rest of your life. Don't even get me started on the number of empty calories we pile away by drinking. Alcohol is full of sugar which isn't going to be friendly on your waistline. A pint of cider can have five teaspoons of sugar. Think about that when you've excitedly finished work on a Friday and you're headed to the beer garden and fancy a few dark fruits ciders. While it might be a taste sensation, you're drinking an awful lot of calories, more than likely hurtling over your daily sugar intake, and now it's given you the munchies to you hit the chippy, consuming more badness and wasted calories. I have to mention the dreaded 'C' word because alcohol is associated with many types of it. Excessive drinking will out you in the high risk category of mouth, tongue, stomach, pancreas and throat cancers, amongst others. It also has links to liver, breast and bowel cancers too. Plus, if you're regularly vomiting back up your booze, that can damage the throat. You don't want to be ripping your throat and have the shock of your life when you start to vomit blood. It can have a horrible impact on your mental health too. Imagine feeling anxious and not being able to quash it. So you tun to the odd drink to 'take the edge off.' It might appear to help and your anxiety fades but you will build up a tolerance and need more to get the same effect. Now alcohol gives you anxiety anyway. Can you imagine having your original angst supercharged and supersized when it merges with the alcohol anxiety to create a monster of dread and fear? It can also give you depression and the suicidal thoughts or urges. Once your inhibitions are lowered you could be more inclined to act upon those devastating thoughts or urges. It might make you feel more aggressive and because your thinking and judgement is impaired, you could misinterpret someone's actions or behaviour and want to have a go at them or even worse. In addition to the obvious risks associated with alcohol in pregnancy, there's also the need to be mindful if we're breastfeeding – it takes two hours for a unit of ale to leave a mother's bloodstream. Excessive drinking can also lower chances of conceiving. Dependence on alcohol can creep up before we even realise it's happening. We might enjoy the odd one or two which might turn into three or four and the frequency of when we are

drinking will rise without us even thinking twice about it. This is a dangerous routine to get into and once alcohol has us in its vice-like grip, can be tough to get out of. If we think that we have to control our drinking, it's a fair indicator that we have a problem because we shouldn't have a need to control it. If you're worried that your intake has gone west and you know you're caning it a lot more than you should and are feeling some physical and mental effects, you could try and write it own. Do a drinks diary for a week or a fortnight. Seeing it on the page in black and white will make you accountable, especially if you show it to someone. All these tasty and thirst- quenching drinks can add up and it's so easy to do, it's easy to slip into the routine of drinking. It could be familiar, make you feel safe and comfortable. But instead of reaching for the bottle it might be time to reach out for support, be it from your family, friends, GP or other health professional. Your health should always come first. It might be tough to stop or cut down but it's potentially life-threatening and no amount of drunk 'Cheers' is worth that.

IT'S OKAY TO BE GAY! SEXUALITY AND COMING OUT, HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED

Unless you've been hibernating or have a self-imposed social media blackout you'll be well aware of that fact that TV presenter Phillip Schofield recently came out as gay in the most public of ways.

In the immediate aftermath there was a mass outpouring of public support for him; tens of thousands of Tweets, Insta and Facebook posts congratulating him, wishing him well, complimenting him on taking quite possibly the toughest and most difficult decision of his life to finally reveal this to the watching world. A life he's lived under such scrutiny with eyes on him everywhere. Everyone knows him. That likeable personable guy loads of us used to crush on in his Going Live! and broom cupboard days.

He was cocooned and enveloped in the warmth and support of his colleagues; you may have seen the footage or images of co-star Holly just being that supportive mate, holding him, comforting him to calm his apparent unease and anxiety.

Whether we may have been shocked, gasped out loud, not really bothered, or chunnered under our breath, 'I knew it!', there's no mistaking that coming out is a monumental and life-changing act.

Some struggle to ever do it; the words get stuck in the throat and, for whatever reason, they're never able to do it. They might not feel safe, that they will be unaccepted and suffer rejection from their nearest and dearest. Everyone is different and will have an opinion on the matter.

While we may have had the odd sharp intake of breath over Phillip, the world didn't stop and we all just carried on. Nothing to see here really.

You have to hand it to him for taking that leap and allowing himself to be who he is, finally. The guy's 57 and he can now get rid of some of the burden that's weighed him down for so long. He can look in the mirror, face himself head on and hopefully he can feel free.

I think regarding sexuality and supressing facets of yourself, it's important to be true to you and you have to be able to look in the mirror head-on and say, 'This is who I am.' And be proud.

We've entered another decade and slowly but surely the LGBTQ+ community has been more accepted. Yes there are still pockets of people and communities who will never be able to condone it; look at the recent Hollyoaks storyline with Mitchell, a young black doctor – all his life he was the absolute apple of his grandfather Walter's eye. That is, until Mitchell came out. Walter, who's a pastor, was disgusted, wanted to drag his distraught grandson off to church to repent his sins, threw him out of his home, and told him he never wanted to see or speak to him ever again.

Homosexuality used to be illegal which is probably a bit mind-blowing. It was only decriminalised in 1967 but only if homosexual acts were conducted 'in private' and both partners were 21 or over. In 1965 a UK opinion poll was done and 93% of people said they saw homosexuality as a form of illness that required medical treatment. What's scary is that the act of homosexuality in the 1800s was punishable by the death penalty. How can you equate something so evil like murder to love and wanting to be with your partner?

How frightening must it have been around this time to be gay; you'd be terrified, alone, fearful for your life even. Lots of men were dragged off to have Electric Convulsive Therapy in an attempt to shock the gay out of them, so inhumane.

In 1990 the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. This was hugely momentous and is still massively celebrated to this day – on the 17th May falls IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia) – when the WHO struck it off its list.

The amount of Pride festivals seems to grow year-on-year and it's encouraging to see the amount of LGBT-friendly people who turn out to show their love and support, it's very much a family-orientated affair and the clue is in the name – a chance to be loud and indeed proud. You do get the odd few who complain and demand why there isn't a pride to celebrate being straight. Being straight was never termed a mental illness, you weren't given shock treatment to get the straight out of you, you could have sex with your partner and not worry about being sentenced to death… The LBGTQ+ community have struggled and fought against so much hate, disgust and judgement, the absolute least they deserve is the right to shout about who they are in a safe and welcomed space. We are all human aren't we, after all.

I remember an episode of Ellen where, in one of the character's dream, sexuality was completely flipped over. Basically the majority of people were gay and being straight was seen as the repressed minority. Ellen is by far the best poster girl for coming out; her 1997 episode where she came out as lesbian drew 42 million eagle-eyed viewers.

National Coming Out Day is on 11th October and used to raise awareness of the LGBTQ+ community, a concept originally born out of USA which has crept into other countries like UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Coming out is a choice and it's nobody's business but our own. It's a big, bad world out there and, while things are so much better, you don't know what you're going to come up against. You might be riddled with anxiety and stress. At the back of your mind you could be desperately trying to quash a mountain of fear and unrest; What if they despise me? What if they laugh at me? What if they disown me or don't want to be my friend anymore? 'What if…' is king of the head-wreckers because we can all become so consumed by assuming the worst and suppressing ourselves, we may never take life by the balls and live it the way we want to. No-more cowering in a corner, no-more lying to your family over who you're dating, no-more pretence and trying to force yourself to be 'normal'.

The point is, it is totally okay to be gay. It's okay to be gay, lesbian, straight, bi, trans… Being who we truly are is something that should be shouted from the rooftops. We get one life and one existence so why should it have to be wasted or lived half-heartedly? We shouldn't deprive ourselves of anything. Why must our cups be half empty? Why can't they run over, filled with an abundance of love, laughter, feeling wonderful about who we are, lifting our head up and looking those in the eye when we say, 'Actually, this is me, and I'm just as valuable as any other human being.'

If you're thinking about coming out and are battling with it inside your head, do take these points into consideration:

• It's not something you should be obliged to do to suit other people or make them happy. It's your life so do it on your own terms.
• If you're outed and you aren't ready, it's okay to say that you're not what they've said you are. You're absolutely okay to wait until that very time when it's right, and it's when you say so, not anyone else.
• Coming out might not necessarily be a positive experience and you need to prepare that you might lose friends, but were they ever really your friends?
• You don't have to come out and say that you identify as anything. After all, labels are for drinks bottles. If you don't want to stick a giant fluorescent sexuality label on your head, don't. How you identify is up to you.
• There's no wrong or right way to do it. Whether it's a Facebook status, WhatsApp group chat, one-to-one and face-to-face, or a casual 'by the way' chat over the photocopier at work, it's all good. Do it how you feel most comfortable. After all, by coming out to people, you're allowing them to step inside your safe zone.