And Just Like That ...

I am retiring from LawLawLand ...

Was that a ‘groan’, or ‘hurrah’ I hear? *wink

I've thought long and hard about this. Well, being truthful, TheNakedLawyer has. She has nagged me to apply myself and come to a decision because I have dallied far too long already. So, it is safe, and honest, for me to say that this is not a snap decision. This is something I have been contemplating for a while ... I'm moving on ...

I can't give any better reason (albeit not the only reason) than how fictional character Carrie Bradshaw - a charismatic, confident, New York based sex columnist played by the fabulous actress Sarah Jessica Parker - succinctly phrased it in 'And Just Like That', the sequel to the hugely successful sitcom 'Sex In The City':

"You don’t move on because you’re ready to. You move on because you’ve outgrown who you used to be.”

I'm no longer the person I was when I started out in LawLawLand with TheNakedLawyer's capers. And who I am now is no longer suited to continue along that same path.

Both my personal and professional growth is leading me to begin a fresh journey, in life and business, and take that first step, pedal wheel cycle, or whiz bang whoosh on TheNakedLawyer’s new trusty bling e-bike in a completely newfangled direction; her rusty segway has long since been retired and discarded … you know what she’s like! ??

My LawLawLand retirement combined with reinvention epiphany has come about due to a somewhat shocking reality together with stark insight in relation to a handful of things:

1)?????? I have been a workaholic my entire life. My health, wellbeing and relationships (with family, friends and lovers) have all suffered because of this. This cannot continue. At this stage in my life my body and mind won’t allow me to continue with 14-hour days, 6-7 days a week, burning the midnight oil or beyond, getting up at sparrow fart o’clock etc. Burnout and (post)menopause symptoms are real. I need to wake up and accept this. Not only have I endured professional burnout,

2)?????? I have empathy burnout . Notwithstanding I may be perceived as the villain in some peoples’ lives (I still need to work on becoming okay with that) the reality is that if I am to continue supporting others in numerous ways, I really do need to devote some time to keeping myself in fine fettle by prioritising my health and wellbeing for their and my sake.

3)?????? Although I have managed to reach the grand ‘middle-age’(?) of 52 with my mind, body and spirit still somewhat intact (yes, I realise some of you may be thinking ‘really’?) with a high level of potential wellbeing to at least partake in and truly enjoy leisure pursuits (at a good standard, or so I think), tons of people are not so lucky.

Too many of my dear family and friends in their 50s/60s/70s are either long-term ill, dying (terminally ill) or have already croaked at far too young an age having not fully been able to give LIFE a really huge kick of the ball. Time has cheated them; whether by fate, bad luck or choice. Or simply, they left it too late to capitalise on their wellbeing …

I know one thing for certain. I do not want to live the rest of my adult life the way I have spent the last thirty-five years.

If I am to live another 35>40 years - assuming I will, and which I certainly plan to (God willing in every respect) - keeping in mind the mantra “life is what happens to you while you're busy making plans” *chucklestoself* - having sat down with my financial advisor who tactfully reminded me that I may need to continue working ad-hoc/part-time for a while if TheNakedLawyer aims to live to at least the age of 90 whilst continuing to live her globetrotting mischievous lifestyle for the foreseeable future, another thing is for certain …

I must change things …

4)?????? Steve Jobs - dead at 56 - the billionaire titan’s famously poignant last words : -

“I have reached the pinnacle of success in business. In other people's eyes my life is a success. However, aside from work, I’ve had little joy.

…. I hope you realize, when you have friends, brothers and sisters, with whom you discuss, laugh, talk, sing, talk about north-south-east or heaven and earth, ... this is the real happiness!! An indisputable fact of life: Don't raise your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. When they grow up, they will know the value of things and not the price.”

This resonates.

I am satisfied with my humble and modicum achievements in my career i.e. professional life which has at times brought me much joy…

Although, I now realise, even though I was never chasing material things or had a desire to be wealthy, unfortunately I know only too well the price of things; my personal life WAS the sacrifice and the price for learning the real value of even immaterial things if only to achieve a ‘comfortable’ standard of living. Maybe you feel this yourself too?

I’ve always been crap at achieving ‘work-life balance’. It’s a complete enigma to me. Or is it a misnomer? Hmmm, I will tackle this in a later post/article.

Nonetheless I see myself embarking on a new challenge… Reinvention time…

As Gandalf in Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring, 2001) aptly counselled Frodo:

“All you have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to you.”

Meaning, as?we do not live in the past or the future, decisions must be made one at a time, in the here-and-now, with what we know.

I know this … I’m flipping the Rubicon…

My epiphany has come at the ideal time; stage of life (post-menopause), relationship status (divorced and single), summer delights ahead (cycling and socialising), and my personal growth granting me (finally) the ability to overcome procrastination ??

And so, there you have it. No loquacious tome of a book explanation that you might expect from me or my loyal, naughty, energetic side-kick - yes, even TheNakedLawyer, in all her usually candid jibber-jabber glory has little to say on this subject, except, she’s not quite ready to fully retire. Nope, not a chance in hell …

For although my full-time LawLawLand professional life has come to an end (except for honouring two current (Tikal Tech ; Riverside Bikes ) and (hopefully) future exciting Non-executive Director roles ad-hoc and/or part-time), TheNakedLawyer has many adventures and new horizons ahead … She knows EXACTLY what she wants to do, naturally…

Travel. Cycle. Write … all three not at the same time, I hasten to add … or is that my being hopeful TheNakedLawyer has more sense than to attempt writing whilst on her e-bike zooming along cycle lanes or river/canal pathways here in the UK or overseas?! harrumph

Albeit I will miss engaging with all you fabulous colleagues, wonderful friends and cherished connections in LawLawLand - in particular those of you in LegalTech, LawTech, LegalAi etc - I won’t be missing the 100-hour weeks, stress and increasingly burdonsome and frustrating red-tape / regulatory environment in which you currently operate. I wish you the best of luck with all that gubbins.

And even though TheNakedLawyer has already begun to forgo sparring with y’all, no longer working in LawLawLand is already proving a blessing for us in freeing up time to spend with family and friends both within and beyond; and of course, for TheNakedLawyer … lovers too ?? Tsk Tsk she is a little minx ??…

All’s not too shabby for Chrissie or ‘Her Nakedness’ …?

We’ve already begun our travels. And cycling. And writing; more on this can be witnessed and experienced in future articles/posts; information and links to which you will find at the end of this article. But here’s a wee taste … ????

TRAVEL

Regarding travelling, we’ve managed several chunky time-frame escapades to visit the family ‘oldies’ in Spain and England ‘oop north’ thus far this year. Many more trips are on the horizon plus further into Europe and beyond in 2025.

CYCLE

Naturally, whilst visiting the folks in Puerto de Mazarron TheNakedLawyer and I felt it rude not to get out from under their feet (for the sake of all our wellbeing) and dust off the MTB (that’s Mountain Bike for the uninitiated) and road bike whilst there, pottering around the coastal beaches and trails with the former and beasting through the mountain roads to Cartagena on the latter. Hot Hot Hot … was the weather, and “oh-my” so too was TheNakedLawyer.

Albeit she was far less impressed on returning home to Leeds, Yorkshire, UK when she was met with torrential rain, somewhat cooler climate and pot-holed roads, she was tickled pink to discover a new bike shop (aptly named Riverside E-Bikes & Cycles ) in our vicinity on one of the infrequently dry, warm and barmy early summer days. She has since managed to wheedle her way into the owner’s affections, dragging me with her (naturally) which ended up in a remote part-time working Non-executive Director role for me contrasted with days out playing on a free e-bike hire for her. Typical …

WRITE

Still, this new role gives me the perfect opportunity to branch out along my newborn journey and begin writing (whether fact and/or fiction) about all the stuff that lights my fire, such as wellbeing, biking, travelling, AI, law, the future, and more, whilst engaging the portfolio of skills, knowledge and experience I have managed to accumulate during the rat race years for the benefit of a wide range of readers and contractors. “Jolly good!!” exclaims and then prrrrrrrrrrrrrrs TheNakedLawyer ??

Speaking of AI together with my new focus, I’ve followed Anand Sanwal and cbinsights here on LinkedIn and elsewhere for quite some time. They regularly share cutting edge compelling technology information (research and analysis). What has struck me over the past couple of years is watching where the big players in AiTech are placing their bets (aka investments) on AI disruption. ?OpenAi’s (the AI powerhouse) investment strategy includes backing areas of AI it believes will deliver the most impact, from humanoid robotics, personal health, to learning and more. Notably, “health & wellbeing ” is a key investment and acquisition area.?

Which is, co-incidentally, where my soul's interest and passion evidently lies. Well, it always has - health and wellbeing, pursued in a variety of active and passive leisure pursuits as hobbies / past-times throughout different stages of my life and career; the latter modifying my choice of sporting activity due to being time poor, the former now affected by my body’s ability to perform due to ‘wear and tear’. *sighs

I’ve been a keen (amateur) sportswoman since the age of six to present day dabbling in all kinds of fabulous wellbeing pursuits – swimming, running, biking, netball, football, (grass) hockey, tennis, rowing, gym sessions, golf, yoga, pilates, rambling and more. You can probably guess which ones my body allows me to do now compared with those earlier years, and may indeed also be able to empathise ladies and gents?

I consider myself truly blessed that cycling has been a constant, bringing me either much needed transport, joie de vie, business networking and social fun, laughs, fitness and overall wellbeing throughout the decades and phases of my life. Long may it continue.

Prior to my long serving stint in LawLawLand I started my career working in health/sports clubs and my first university degree education was at Beckett Park Campus, Leeds, Yorkshire, UK in Leisure Studies (a business, marketing, economics degree centred around the sports/fitness/wellness industry). I guess it should be no surprise that I am drawn back to my first love at this stage in my life; *cuebrainrecallaptquote* “true love never dies”.

Imho, with whatever time I envision I might have remaining on this beautiful planet, the decision to prioritise and focus on friends and family within the themes of Travel, Cycle and Write, is to date my smartest. It may have taken me 52 years to realise the value of things, as well as the price for the things of value, but I have at least arrived here; and hopefully in the knick of time with my health (body, mind and spirit) safe and sound. I have no doubt that this new journey shall be the ultimate triumph in the passage of one’s lifetime, for …

I’m not simply turning over a new chapter in my book of life. I look upon my past as the foreword. What I am about to write is an entire book filled with chapters bursting with experiences that truly portray and epitomise a life well lived knowing the value of things … ?

It’s not too late ... It should never be ...

I've simply come to the realisation and conclusion that I should not leave it too late to begin to pursue and experience other things of interest before it IS too late.

I don't want to end up like Mr Big (Carrie Bradshaw's husband in 'And Just Like That'); that is, having a heart-attack and croaking after a rigorous session on a treadmill (ironically) in his mid-fifties before he got to (semi) retire and truly enjoy more of his life with his beloved. And,

Tempus fugit...

At last, I have consciously decided what to do with whatever amount of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades etc remain of my life and TheNakedLawyer's. So, on that note...

One small step for man. One giant leap for NakedLawyerKind !!

We're off to enjoy adventuring and biking throughout the summer. Ta-ta for now … until the next instalment of our travels, cycling and writing ??

Hugs & love to all ?? xxx

?

Travel | Bike | Write:? Posts and Socials: -

·??????? Non-executive Director role announcement and details

·??????? Chef God(dess) Hunt! And a FREE coffee & ‘sweet treat’ when you visit Riverside Bikes bricks & mortar shop in person whether to browse, hire or buy a bike/ebike or merchandise/accessories, bike service or repair, when you quote this code: #thenakedlawyer

·??????? Follow and reach out to connect with TheNakedLawyer here on LinkedIn – Click the ‘bell’ at the top right of the page if you wish to be notified of future posts / articles / announcements / books etc about Travel, Cycling, Writing

·??????? Follow TheNakedLawyer here at Riverside Bikes LinkedIn Page – Click the ‘bell’ at the top right of the page if you wish to be notified of future posts / announcements / goodies / discounts / events etc

·??????? You’ll find TheNakedLawyer personally in other social media streams here: Facebook , Twitter , Instagram

·??????? You’ll find TheNakedLawyer at Riverside E-Bikes & Cycles here: Website , Rebac LinkedinPage , LinkTree , Facebook