At the beginning of 2020, I found myself so exhausted all I could do was sit in a chair and read.
Two weeks into my holiday, I wasn’t feeling much better. I felt as though I was walking a labyrinth that would never end.
Ask for help, said a voice in my head. So when marketing guru and coach Tina Keys at Pink Diamond Projects asked me to look over a document for her, in return for whatever work I might need done, I said could you give me some of your magic and get me up and running again?
She promptly enrolled me in her month-long Purpose and Identity challenge, which provides a framework for looking at the old year, thinking about the new year and setting some goals, along with a daily and weekly programme to make it all happen.
Now, generally, I don’t believe in making new year’s resolutions: just because something changed on a calendar doesn’t necessarily mean everything can be fixed by setting a few goals (see my post on magical thinking, with bonus picture of kittens).
Working life here at Safe Hands. A cat on a desk, a dog under it.
Picture: Renee Moodie
But I was up for anything if it would give me my mojo back. So I set some goals, started a journal and set sail in faith.
A vision for 2020
The process meant doing some intense reflection on what I did and didn’t do last year, and what I would like to be doing this year. Looking back, I took on too much, for too little money, just because work presented itself at times when I needed it.
Terrifying as it is, with bills coming in, I have decided to take 2020 slowly. My initial focus is going to be on marketing and networking, based on a rethink of what it is that I actually offer. I’m still refining that and will be sharing those thoughts as I get them bedded down.
For now, I am hunting out networking opportunities and beginning the process of reviving my blog and my work on social media platforms, all of which fell by the wayside in the hectic last months of 2019.
Safe Hands’s curious cats.
Picture: Renee Moodie
So it’s back to basics for me and my business. My staff – for now, two nosy cats and a slightly demented rescue dog – are happily at, on and under the desk, plotting and planning.
The lessons for me and other people who run their own businesses?
It is always a good idea to ask for help!
And having collaborative working relationships with other small businesses? Priceless.
Contact me if you would like to chat about how I can help with allyour communication needs: coaching, editing, writing, social media.
Main picture by Bob Seddon: The labyrinth at The Edge in Hogsback.