Taking the leap

I wrote an article last year about taking the leap & risk to start my own consultancy business and starting a new career adventure. In this article I’m going to carry on down that same path discussing risk & reward.

As with many people, I found the pandemic quite challenging personally with my mental health taking quite the blow. A lot of the things I used to love to do like read, go hiking & running and baking, lost some of their sparkle and I stopped doing them.

I had seen Tova Leigh posting on Instagram about body positivity and throwing off the shackles of diet culture. I was inspired by Tova and thought it was time to try something completely outside of my comfort zone. I signed up for a 6 week beginners pole fitness course at a local studio in Huddersfield.

I started the course with trepidation, heightened nerves and a concern of being judged for my age / size / lack of grace, and so on. However, all my concerns quickly vanished as I met some incredible people at the studio (instructors and fellow students) who were, and are, the best cheerleaders!

After a few months of attending pole classes, one of the people I had met suggested trying aerial hoop at the studio too. This is literally a metal hoop suspended from the ceiling where you perform a variety of aerial moves with pointy toes , moving with grace and flowing elegantly (not a natural skill of mine).

I said "Yes, why not?!" and signed up for a 6 weeks beginners course. You have to lift your body weight into the hoop to perform the moves and it's fair to say I have T-Rex arms with strength that lies elsewhere. I was very glad that there are crash mats on the floor as there was a significant risk & likelihood that I would fall out of the hoop!

Fast forward 23 months and I am continuing my aerial hoop and pole journey.

“What’s the risk now and how does that relate to your career?”

Let me share with you a milestone I achieved last week at hoop.

I am frightened of standing up in the hoop and any move that my safety relies on my upper body strength alone. Historically, each lesson which involved a move where I had to stand in the hoop usually resulted with me in tears and shaking from fear.

The lesson on Tuesday last week involved a move where you had to stand in the hoop and then hang from your elbows, with 3 levels of difficulty. I thought I’d stick with the easiest and not try the others because my heart started pounding & my palms were sweaty before even getting into the hoop. BUT after trying the easiest move I don’t know what took over but I took the biggest risk I’ve taken at hoop so far…

I skipped the mid-level difficulty move and went straight for the hardest move and I DID NOT FALL OR CRY! (Picture below shows the moment I took the leap)

I actually did it! I was frightened but I still took the leap and tried. The look of pride from the instructor & studio owner, SJ who had witnessed the previous crying episodes, and the sounds of my fellow students cheering me on when I succeeded was incredible.

Taking the leap in my career

I secured my first client in January 2022, which was an amazing experience and was lucky enough to be extended a few times. That contract ended in July and I have to be honest, it was nerve wracking looking for a new contract role. I didn’t know what expect. I applied for both contract and permanent roles because I hadn’t gone through the process of securing a new contract other than my very first one.

When I starting applying for roles I didn’t receive many call backs at first which resulted in the anxiety creeping up. I reworked my cv, stepping away from the formatting and style I’d previously had success with. I created 2 different CVs to cover the two main service offerings I provide, hoping that the new look & feel would get me noticed.

With hindsight I realise that I had probably started applying for roles too early based on the demand and pace of contracting.

I interviewed for a few roles and accepted a good length contract with a retail organisation and I’m having a blast. Sticking with contracting was definitely the right decision.

In December it will be 2 years since I registered by business with Companies House and opened the business bank account. I can hand on heart say that it is the best risk I’ve taken in my career. I have a job I love meeting lots of different people, getting involved in a variety of projects which is exciting and fulfilling.

There have been more leaps taken whilst working for myself too, stepping outside of my comfort zone by:

• Speaking at the SITS - The Service Desk & IT Support Show virtual summit last year and running at workshop about "Mentoring your way through your career" at this year's in person event in London
• I have been a guest on the #ITSMCrowd and a podcast which will be shared soon
• I'm running two workshops at the Service Desk Institute (SDI) 's Spark 23 about Change Enablement (Change Management) and Mentoring
• A friend and I are talking about starting a mini adventure but I will share more details later... watch this space

Perfection is an ideal, not a reality

Taking risks and learning what my risk appetite is, both professionally and whilst hanging about on a hoop, has been exciting but also terrifying. I’ve learnt a lot about myself, where my boundaries are and importantly that perfection isn't real so the best thing to do is put your best foot forward to be bold, be brave and be you!

My advice to you is to back yourself, take the leap and recognise that you are worth the investment. Try new things, push yourself and push your boundaries. Living in your comfort zone isn't always the most fruitful and it's often worth the risk to take the leap, not knowing what will happen. Learn from the experience regardless of whether it's a massive success or if it didn't go as planned..

And whether in your career or in hoop lesson, make sure there's a crash mat!