What have I learnt in the last decade?
So many people are asking this at the moment and I’ve not given it any thought….until now. And I’ve read some pretty profound things, people losing loved ones, surviving all sorts of major illnesses, experiencing horrific trauma, so I guess it’s got me looking back to where I was 10 years ago, the hopes and dreams I had for the 10 years that stood in front of me, and what my hopes & dreams are for the next 10 years. And boy have they changed. And they’ve changed because of what I’ve gone through in the last 10 years, I guess. I’m a pretty open book and one thing I am very honest about is people should always be at the heart of what you do. Maybe this is why……
The 2 biggies for me was I walked away from the food industry with no job to go to. It’s common knowledge that it broke me, and it broke me pretty quickly and took me a LONG time to recover. If you knew me 2009 / 2010 and we’ve not spoken since, that wasn’t me. It was a depressed and incredibly anxious version of me. People, places, industries, companies, work pressures can destroy you in a very short period of time which is why I am passionate about looking after yourself & each other as it took 3 to 4 times longer to fix me than it did to break me. Once I had been put back together by the love & support of family, friends, doctors, counsellors and medication (chocolate and alcohol as well as some happy little pills!) I took the simplest decision which people describe as the bravest……I set up my own business which will be 6 years next year. It was a no brainer for me because whatever happened, I could never be as unhappy as I was at the start of the decade. And with my passion for the food industry, I stayed close to it, only diversifying in the last 18 months which I have absolutely loved and will continue to do going forward. Challenging yourself and taking yourself away from your comfort zone is the best thing, we should all do it more often.
I have learnt how to run a business, build a website, get a great Accountant who does all the number side of things for me. I have lost contact with people who were my work family, I’ve gained a new work family, I’ve made mistakes in my business but more importantly I’ve learnt how to succeed as well. I’ve learnt how to dig deep and then dig even deeper, how to ask for help and how to say No so that the power of Yes is valued. I have battled loneliness, isolation and lack of motivation but even now, some days I still don’t win that battle but 9 times out of 10 I do. I’ve survived the political debacle that has been the last 3 and a half years and I fell in love, and out of love with videos on LinkedIn!
Personally, life never works out how you plan it and I’m so glad that I never looked into the crystal ball of 2010 – 2019 but what I am hugely thankful for is that all my family & close friends are still by my side. I have gained new friends, cemented even deeper friendships and sadly lost old friends in the last decade, people I thought who would always be by my side, but I had to put me first as I couldn’t continue to put me second when they also always put me second in their life as well. And my beloved Dad (and Stepdad) gave us some pretty scary moments. But against all the odds, not only did he survive, but he made the greatest comeback of all time. I know that life can change in an instant, for good or bad, but what do I know right now? That I am truly blessed. That my little family isn’t as I planned but they have taken away some of the loneliness, soothed my soul and made me grin from ear to ear as well as count my blessings, every single day. So whilst I’ve not found the love of my life, had children, moved to a stunning house in the country, won the lottery, travelled first class, made my millions, employed a team of people, lost the 2 stone I had planned and bought a brand new car outright, I am surrounded by love, family, friendship and people who ask, listen and genuinely care how I am. I measured success recently as I put my Christmas tree, it’s a little bit quirky but every single decoration tells a tale as when I moved into my home, I virtually owned nothing other than a canteen of bloody cutlery and some clothes! My Christmas tree has a koala holding a surfboard, a flying pig and a decoration that says “Jo”. My bestie bought it in the sale, it was broken and should have said “Joyeux Noel”. It is full of decorations bought by people for me, or by myself reminding me of someone or somewhere fabulous. And every year I add to it, and every year I love putting the tree up, it’s made Christmas magical again.
So I’d say that was a pretty successful decade. And as Christmas fast approaches, not everyone is smiling and celebrating. 2019 seems to have been a particularly cruel year for a lot of people I know & love. So be kind to yourself, be kind to others and when you ask how someone is, really listen to their response. Take time to help someone across the road, buy a homeless person a coffee, always be thankful and don’t take life for granted. Success if never the big stuff. We all know someone who would love to be writing what they’ve achieved in the last decade, but they never had that privilege. I just hope to goodness I’m lucky enough again because that will be a successful decade.
Email: jo@winhurstrecruitment.co.uk
Tel: 0115 975 6513
@winhurstrec