The hardest part is starting

Here we are January 2021, and my first blog post of the year. This is a big birthday year for me, and one that I am determined to embrace change. I am a great believer that to help us move forward it’s good to reflect on the past. Note I say reflect, not dwell, there is a difference.

2020 was tough. When people talk about what is happening around them, they often refer to the weather and sea state. Being a sailor, this really resonates with me. The phrase that was commonly used last year was, ‘We are not all in the boat, but we are all in the same storm’. The pandemic has affected everyone, but it has treated us all very differently.

Here’s my story.

In April Box PR went from being two Directors to one, clients tightened their purse strings, and it was time to batten down the hatches and do what I could to ride out this storm. It is, however, the storm that keeps on giving, and it’s that very reason that I wanted to take time to think about things I learned, things that helped me, things that set me back, and how I overcame them. In this blog, I’m going to focus on what I needed to start because personally, I find the hardest part is starting something new.

My tools for the job.

Essential:

• Pencil
• Paper

Optional:

• Sharpener
• Rubber

For Christmas every year, my Mum gives me a calendar for my desk, on this, I write everything from business meetings and deadlines to appointments, birthdays and holidays. January 2020 was no different, I wrote lots of things on my calendar, just as I have done for the many preceding years.

But what evolved quickly, was that we were on an ever-changing platform, and things were taken out of our control. Plans that were in our diary, were being cancelled. It felt like life was being put on hold. At that time, I really thought about – why didn’t I write in pencil! When you write something in pencil it’s easy to it rub out, and when so much is being cancelled, rubbing out somehow seemed a little bit easier than putting a line through it. You don’t have the memories left behind, of what could have been. Plus, I personally felt that it made for something more positive.

My advice to you if you are struggling to start is to get a blank sheet of paper and a pencil (rubber and sharpener optional), and just simply write. Know that it’s okay to start things over, it’s okay for change to happen.

I am learning to adapt and rather than crossing things out, rubbing them out has helped me. Not to forget, but I don’t always need reminding of what could have been.

I hate clutter. To me, writing in pencil and rubbing it out makes for a cleaner page. It makes for more space. And that’s my starting point, January 2021 with a piece of paper, and my trusty calendar (thanks Mum!). I’m planning and I’ve got my pencil and my rubber to hand.

January 17th is ‘Quitters Day’ the day of the year that it is thought people tend to quit their New Year’s Resolutions – you can’t quit what you haven’t started! So, get yourself a pencil and a piece of paper. Start today.

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