Everything is going to be OK!

I know everyone has a personal story through COVID so here is mine to share with you all. Can you believe I resigned from my last role after 4 and half years at the one company. I joined genesis IT Recruitment in Feb 2020. I was off to a flying a start, out at meetings, bringing on some new business and loving life. 5 weeks later, bam, COVID hit us like a tonne of bricks and life wasn’t so good.  

WTF had I done, great timing Soph. I left a company I was doing well in, with people who knew me and my capabilities as a recruiter. All of a sudden, I was working from home alone in my 2-bed apartment with nothing but a plant as company. Besides zooming my new colleagues, who very quickly got a front-row seat to my personal life I was totally alone.

The added impact of not being able to hit the gym in this time meant I had to dig deep to keep functioning. Anyone who knows me, knows that training is a massive part of my life. For both my physical and mental health. I was meant to a powerlifting comp but that got canceled too, anyway that’s another story. This is where panic set in and the daily meltdowns began for me.

 Truth is guys it’s been REALLY HARD.

However, I am very happy to say that I still have a job and I’m so lucky to have a company that believes in me and my talent.

 So, what did I do to turn it around?

 I had many, many phone calls with the old man, I was so close to chucking it all in. One day mid cry he asked me two questions. 

What my values are?      Easy, they are determination, honesty, loyalty, responsibility, and respect.  

What are my strengths?   My network and being able to empathise with people.

I realised that my network was what I had to use to my advantage. I’ve spent years building my network and my brand on LinkedIn (What is personal branding and why is it so important ? ) I needed to speak with as many people as possible. Not to get jobs off them, not to pitch to them or pester people, but to ask how they were. Take a genuine interest in them, their live and families. How were they doing? What was going on in their world?  

I had to be vulnerable and give my network the opportunity to do so. If honesty was one of my core values, then I had to live by it. I had identified that I could easily empathise with people. So really, I actually just started operating authentically and found my way a little more.

My manager always says to me as long as you can walk out the office in the evening knowing you have done everything you can and you’ve put a graft in that’s all you can do; the rewards will eventually follow. I know with my determination (some may call it stubbornness) I will get where I need to be.

 So, I guess I just wanted to remind you, be kind to yourself lovelies. Try to define your personal values then stick by them, you can’t go to wrong!

 Things don’t happen overnight. Keep digging deep!!

 ST x

 PS. Thanks, Dad for reminding me who I was!