The importance of perspective and positivity amidst change
Over the last few days, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and recording people living with MND as part of a filming project for one of my clients. I’ll admit that, even though I’m naturally a talker and usually find it easy to connect with people, I approached this task with some apprehension.
These people are facing a terminal illness with no cure. I found myself wondering—how sensitive would they be to my questions? what should I ask, and what should I avoid? If I’m honest, I was nervous about finding the right balance.
The interviews were humbling. What struck me most was their positivity as well as openness and willingness to share. You might expect people in their position to feel defeated, but instead, they radiated resilience.
One of the women I filmed is a similar age to me. We both grew up in Scotland and, by chance, shared a surprising number of connections. She was an avid horse rider who often visited my hometown for horse trials, and I went to university with people from her town. The impact of our conversation on me was unexpected – not so much upsetting but deeply motivating. She is using her time to give back, finding hope where there is barely a flicker. She told me: “My cup is half full at the moment.”
That perspective is something I keep coming back to this week. As a freelancer, you get used to the ebb and flow of contracts—sometimes they end unexpectedly, even when you’ve done a great job. Organisations change, priorities shift, and nothing stays the same for long. Lately, I’ve felt those fluctuations more keenly and now, I find myself facing the prospect of more time on my hands as projects wrap up.
But where am I going with this? Change brings opportunities. It offers the chance to pivot, to step back and reassess. And perhaps, most importantly, to look up from the desk, smell the roses, take that extended holiday, write the book (I have been mulling over this one for years) but mostly live life to the fullest. Work is only one aspect of your life, do more things that make you happy, tomorrow is never promised.