Yesterday was the first proper day of work for most of the country, myself included. But it wasn't like it's always been before for me. I saw lots of my friends having to steel themselves to get up early and go reluctantly into work (I hope the 9am meet up for coffee and moral support at Ritazza went well, oh Shiny Dudes!) and I waved my own lovely husband off as het set out into the freezing fog with an air of resolve and reluctance about him.
And me? I was tucked up in the warm with a hot water bottle, a cup of tea and my trusty laptop, eager to crack on and full of ideas. It really is true that it doesn't feel like work if you enjoy it. And I'd go further than that and say that, now that I'm in charge of my own destiny, I have an energy and a work ethic I haven't experienced for a VERY long time.
So what did I do with it all yesterday? Well, I sent out a mailshot to 40 local companies, all fellow members of Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce, offering them a free coaching session - in this business it's all about reputation, and no-one's going to hire me in preference to anyone else unless they've seen me in action and think that I can do a better job than their current supplier. I read somewhere that you generally only get a 1 in 10 return rate from this kind of marketing so I'm hoping for a maximum of 4 new clients as a result.
I needed to bank my FIRST EVER CHEQUE FROM A CLIENT (woohoo!!) and buy some printer labels so I decided at lunchtime to walk to the Bath Road - it was such an utterly beautiful day! I grew up round here so I decided to try out the old back ways and footpaths that I used to use when I was a nipper. I ended up taking 2.5 hours to get there and back and complete my transactions but it was wonderful - I explored bits of Hatherley/Warden Hill/Tivoli etc that I haven't seen for years, I found a whole new housing estate that I never knew existed (and was able to say to someone "the last time I used this footpath it was all fields round here!"). I met some lovely dogs and their charming owners and, best of all, I was able to bask in the glorious sunlight rather than being cooped up inside with no idea of what the weather was doing.
I then spent far too long doing battle with my printer but we finally reached an understanding and I showed it who's boss. Note to self: must buy some more paper to make up for all the sheets that got wasted yesterday, and next time buy standard sized labels. Ho Hum.
I had an email saying that I've had another article published on ezine - this one's about how Evil Leaders can lower staff morale very easily by following advice from the Institute of Evil Leadership (I have appointed myself spokeswoman for the Institute...). You can read the article here http://is.gd/5MCYV
And then, to round of a splendid day's work, I heard that 2 of the 3 potential coaching clients that I visited just before Christmas have selected me to be their coach. Much delighted whooping ensued and I allowed myself another cup of tea and a slice of cake to celebrate. I'm going down to Surrey to meet up with them on Friday so that we can crack on.
As for today, I shall be concentrating on raising awareness of my New Year, New You workshops: the evening classes are due to start next week and so far I don't have any takers, so my target is to have at least 4 people signed up by the end of tomorrow - there are only 12 places available so if you're reading this and you're in Cheltenham and you're at all interested, please have a look here http://is.gd/5MCPv and book yourself a place. And if it's not for you, then please forward the details on to any friends you think might like it.
OK, that's the first thing on today's to do list done, onwards and upwards!
Showing posts with label ezine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ezine. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Monday, 14 December 2009
On Being Reborn In Islington
It's 12:49 on Sunday night and I'm so tired I can't sleep. On Friday I went to a Trainer's ThinkTank session in Bristol organised by the marvellous Lee Cottier, which left me buzzing with new connections and loads of new ideas for things I could do to clarify what I'm about and how I want to focus my efforts to ensure that I get the right kind of work for me, and that I don't have to wait too long for it!
This was the only the 2nd ThinkTank that Lee has organised but it has the well-oiled feel of something that's been going for ages and I felt very lucky to be a part of it. It's amazing how my horizons have been expanding: not so long ago I couldn't imagine not being part of the community of my old workplace, and I imagined the world outside to be hostile and scary. Not a bit of it! Everywhere I go, people are warm and welcoming, willing to share their experiences and lend a supporting hand, and very encouraging when I tell them what I'm doing. It feels so refreshing after what my experience at work came to be like, I keep having to pinch myself!
On Saturday, my lovely husband and I spent 8.5 hours on a coach to and from London so that we could go to the Coaching Development Christmas Party in Islington, which was the first time I'd been back to the place where I did my coaching qualification course since it finished in July. We were both shattered because one of the cats had been playing up all night so we'd not had much sleep, but we decided not to take the easy option and stay at home.
And I'm so glad! Despite feeling like the undead on the Tube, once we came up out of the Angel station, and I was surrounded by Islington in all its glory, I suddenly got the most amazing rush of exhilaration, and it lasted me until we got back on the coach 2.5 hours later.
My life changed in Islington. I remember being afraid before I went on the coaching course, because I knew that I would change as a result of it, and I was worried about the impact it would have on me and those around me. I was assuming that the changes would make me dissatisfied with my lot and they did, but not in the way I feared. I think my marriage and my relationship with my children has become stronger as a result of the course, and my relationship with myself and what I want from life has altered out of all recognition.
I now associate Islington with a kind of re-birth. For many of us, the course was something of a spiritual journey, not necessarily in that we found God (well I didn't, I can't speak for anyone else) rather in that we found ourselves and realised our true purpose. I remember being witness so some astonishingly transformative moments as my colleagues got in touch with their innermost fears and desires, and I particularly remember spending one lunchtime sitting alone in glorious sunshine, revelling in just being, and realising that I had finally come to a place of peace and stillness within myself. That lunchtime had a profound effect on me, and the memory is now a touchstone for me when things start to get a bit hectic. The feeling of inner peace has never really left me since then and I suspect it never will.
To be back in that special place, then, and with my special person, was a bit like having all my Christmasses and Birthdays come at once. And on top of that, we went back into the building where it all happened and there were Phil and Colin, my gurus, and lots of lovely chums from my course, all delighting in seeing each other and catching up with the news. It was like I'd never been away and I came away floating on a cloud of love and affection which is still making me smile.
And on top of that, I found when I checked my emails on the way home that I'd had a 2nd article published on ezine - these articles are, for me, part of the concrete proof that my life has taken a radical change of direction. It;s not something that i would ever dreamed of doing in my old life, but suddenly my mind is alive with ideas and possibilities - to the extent that tonight, right before I started writing this blog, I uploaded the first 5 chapters of a children's story to the authonomy website. If you want to have a read, you can find it here. It's called the Blibble and I started writing it 15 years ago, never really thinking it would see the light of day despite the children urging me to finish it over the years.
But now I'm a new version of me, and there are all sort of new possibilities in my life - and why shouldn't I write a book? I'd love to know what you think, and if you have children I'd really love to know what they think - and if enough people want to know what happens next, I shall oblige.
Life is full of possibilities. It can also be full of fears, and I have spent too many years being held in one place by mine. But now I have grasped the nettle, and I don't intend to let go of it.
This was the only the 2nd ThinkTank that Lee has organised but it has the well-oiled feel of something that's been going for ages and I felt very lucky to be a part of it. It's amazing how my horizons have been expanding: not so long ago I couldn't imagine not being part of the community of my old workplace, and I imagined the world outside to be hostile and scary. Not a bit of it! Everywhere I go, people are warm and welcoming, willing to share their experiences and lend a supporting hand, and very encouraging when I tell them what I'm doing. It feels so refreshing after what my experience at work came to be like, I keep having to pinch myself!
On Saturday, my lovely husband and I spent 8.5 hours on a coach to and from London so that we could go to the Coaching Development Christmas Party in Islington, which was the first time I'd been back to the place where I did my coaching qualification course since it finished in July. We were both shattered because one of the cats had been playing up all night so we'd not had much sleep, but we decided not to take the easy option and stay at home.
And I'm so glad! Despite feeling like the undead on the Tube, once we came up out of the Angel station, and I was surrounded by Islington in all its glory, I suddenly got the most amazing rush of exhilaration, and it lasted me until we got back on the coach 2.5 hours later.
My life changed in Islington. I remember being afraid before I went on the coaching course, because I knew that I would change as a result of it, and I was worried about the impact it would have on me and those around me. I was assuming that the changes would make me dissatisfied with my lot and they did, but not in the way I feared. I think my marriage and my relationship with my children has become stronger as a result of the course, and my relationship with myself and what I want from life has altered out of all recognition.
I now associate Islington with a kind of re-birth. For many of us, the course was something of a spiritual journey, not necessarily in that we found God (well I didn't, I can't speak for anyone else) rather in that we found ourselves and realised our true purpose. I remember being witness so some astonishingly transformative moments as my colleagues got in touch with their innermost fears and desires, and I particularly remember spending one lunchtime sitting alone in glorious sunshine, revelling in just being, and realising that I had finally come to a place of peace and stillness within myself. That lunchtime had a profound effect on me, and the memory is now a touchstone for me when things start to get a bit hectic. The feeling of inner peace has never really left me since then and I suspect it never will.
To be back in that special place, then, and with my special person, was a bit like having all my Christmasses and Birthdays come at once. And on top of that, we went back into the building where it all happened and there were Phil and Colin, my gurus, and lots of lovely chums from my course, all delighting in seeing each other and catching up with the news. It was like I'd never been away and I came away floating on a cloud of love and affection which is still making me smile.
And on top of that, I found when I checked my emails on the way home that I'd had a 2nd article published on ezine - these articles are, for me, part of the concrete proof that my life has taken a radical change of direction. It;s not something that i would ever dreamed of doing in my old life, but suddenly my mind is alive with ideas and possibilities - to the extent that tonight, right before I started writing this blog, I uploaded the first 5 chapters of a children's story to the authonomy website. If you want to have a read, you can find it here. It's called the Blibble and I started writing it 15 years ago, never really thinking it would see the light of day despite the children urging me to finish it over the years.
But now I'm a new version of me, and there are all sort of new possibilities in my life - and why shouldn't I write a book? I'd love to know what you think, and if you have children I'd really love to know what they think - and if enough people want to know what happens next, I shall oblige.
Life is full of possibilities. It can also be full of fears, and I have spent too many years being held in one place by mine. But now I have grasped the nettle, and I don't intend to let go of it.
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