A small reflection on gratitude

As we embarked on 2022, we knew that change was coming but we didn’t know at that time how that would look.??In many ways returning to the UK was going to be familiar, returning to our old home, friends, and family.??In other ways it was going to be very different – Brexit had happened but the ramifications are still be worked through, the pandemic is still here but barely talked about, some friends left us, but new family arrived and for me the biggest change would be seeing if I had the capacity, capability and let’s be honest, courage for a new venture.

During 2022 I qualified as a yoga teacher, attended art school,??moved myself, husband and pets back to the UK and put our home back together. I reinitiated old contacts and started making new ones, established a consultancy and coaching business and everything that goes with that, attended conferences and meetings, wrote articles and blogs, participated in podcasts and joined advisory boards.??I trained to become an executive coach and before the end of 2022 I issued my first invoices – I’m loving what I’m contributing and can’t wait to see the business blossom in 2023.?

?I’m not going to paint an overly rosy picture here; I also got distracted and lost my way at times, there are days I wonder what on earth I’m doing, and I have woken up too many times at 2am as I learn to cope with the insecurity of this new life.??But I have also been overwhelmed at times by the encouragement, kindness and support colleagues and friends have shown and that is really what this post is about.??When things are not going the way I expect (or want) them to go I call to mind those who have supported me in the past few months or have demonstrated their faith in me and my capabilities.??Maybe one of the biggest lessons from my time in Australia is that if you really want to do something then you shouldn’t let you be the only thing that is holding you back.

?In no particular order (really in no particular order because of the vagaries of LinkedIn), and inevitably missing off people who should be on here,??I’d like to demonstrate my gratitude to the following who have encouraged, supported inspired or were just plain kind to me in the past year Peta O'Donnell Mandy Nelson Sladjana Rstic Rstic Rebecca Murray Delia Heneghan , Lakshmi Iyer Kristen Gallagher , Jane Chafer Christopher Cripps vanessa potter , Jonathan Morgan Tricia King Gill McKay Duncan Ivison Duncan Ross Phil Baty Patrick Hayes Pip Pattison Anna Reid Rosalind O. Stephen Garton Mark Scott , Mark Sudbury Gregory Whitwell John Gill , Johanna Lowe , Shane Griffin , Shehana Darda-Teixeira , Jocie Evison , Richard Miles , Shabina Nairn , Gabriel Metcalf , Ehssan Veiszadeh , April Palmerlee ???????? , Sam Maresh , Xing Jin , Shaun Horan Susie Hills Justin Shaw Michael Lavery FCIM , Mary Curnock Cook CBE Andrea Farquhar Eilis O'Brien Joe Avison Peter Devine Benjamin Eggleton Julie Cairney Evelyn Welch Katja Janus Michael Mauro Kevin McAlpine Sarah Brennan OBE Justin Standfield Grant Morley Kashmir C AnnaMarie Jagose, David Ellis, Stephen Phillips, Chris Husbands

There are a number of clients I’d like to thank for putting their trust in me – I haven’t listed you here because of confidentiality agreements but you know who you are.

Finally there is one person without whom I couldn’t do any of this and for those of you who know me relatively well this won’t come as a surprise but I’d also like to thank Brian Taylor ??You encourage me to take risks, have the faith to make the right decisions and ensure that I take the time to do the things, and make the memories,??that help me grow as a human. The image on this post is a reflection of that and a painting of a glorious high summer day in St. Ives in Cornwall this August past.??

Happy New Year everyone. Don’t forget to take the time to reflect on the things that go right, not just the ones that go wrong, to acknowledge that no success is possible without a little failure along the way and to do things that you love not because you’re good at them but just because you love them.