Christmas and things ......

As it's the last post of the year I'm determined to finish on a lighter note.

2020 has been traumatic, exhilarating, surreal and mostly muted.

I've learned to battle impossible odds. One incident (of many) springs to mind. 

I'd just linked up for one of my biggest meetings of the year. HUGE. A discussion to demonstrate how easily face to face topics can be translated to online learning. Just as we began to talk, disaster! The broadband cut out. As I panicked and bolted through to the living room in an attempt to fix the problem (and restore both signal and credibility), I stopped in my tracks.

My wife looked at me. 

I looked at her.

She knew what she'd done.

I suddenly knew what she'd done.

She tried to justify that Netflix wouldn't stream a boxset so she'd applied the limit of her IT repair knowledge and pulled the router plug.

Naturally we've since divorced on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

Not really.

She's still the love of my life and has supported every painful step of reinventing New Tricks.

But she hasn't been the only one. I've been genuinely moved by the generosity of customers who have reached out and given me not just their support but often their expertise. They've taught and guided me. Not really customers. Friends. I won't embarrass them by naming them. I'm sure they know who they are. I'm very grateful.

I've been entrusted to create events and new ways of training that have kept me awake at night and yet they have all come to startling, exciting life and left me feeling like there's nothing that can't be done when you put your mind to it.

I've even been let loose on over 150 people as a keynote speaker at a virtual conference. That was unimaginably strange. I could hear my own breathing. A sea of faces, and yet, complete and absolute silence! 

I think it's because their mics were on mute.

I have to believe it's because their mics were on mute.

I've developed a deep admiration of so many people in so many occupations who have just got on with things. 

Workplaces have been alive with virtual quizzes, bake offs, regular catch ups. People have put real effort into supporting each other. Organisations have discovered more about teamwork through hardship than they'd ever find in a text book. 

As the light of a vaccine emerges from the dark I couldn't feel more exhilarated about what 2021 will bring. Challenges? Many. New opportunities? More than we can imagine.

Along the way I won't be forgetting to reach out and help others as so many have done for me this year.

And with that, it only leaves me to wish you and your loved ones a lovely, safe Christmas and an optimistic New Year!