"TRY SOMETHING NEW"

TRY SOMETHING NEW

I think it’s safe to say, for anyone currently in their second or third week of isolation, the boredom is finally starting to set in!

We’ve all seen the posts, watched the news and heard from countless friends, family and colleagues… all encouraging us to TRY SOMETHING NEW.

Great idea – I thought. But in the back of my mind I knew I’d pick up the knitting needles, whip out the paint-by-numbers, finish a square, or all the green and yellow sections, then likely hang up my hat and watch some more ‘TIGER KING: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’ on Netflix.

Do you ever turn on the TV, watch hours of the first programme that comes on (whether you like it or not), just because it’s easy and it’s on - then sit back once it’s finished and wonder where your evening went?

Earlier today, a friend sent me a photo of 2 people in her village walking their labradoodle, both dressed in ‘blow up’ Dinosaur costumes. I don’t know whether they wore them as ‘protection’ from the dreaded COVID 19... because they felt like it (and why not!)...or… (I hope)… just to make their neighbours smile.

Any which way; it got me thinking!

I’ve been speaking to so many candidates and clients over the past couple of weeks, about ‘how best to ride out this pandemic’. I’ve heard triumphant stories of clients cycling over to candidates houses to deck them out with the newest ‘work from home’ tech equipment to continue their on-boarding process… candidates using their isolation time to learn a new language or renovate their garage…

My own team are running VIRTUAL:

·        Monday - Conference call BINGO

·        Tuesday – QUIZ hour

·        Wednesday – KEEP FIT with Frosty

·        Thursday – BOOK club and

·        Friday – BEERS

… And the list goes on and on!

But my job, like every job, has its’ highs and lows.

Although I love to hear the success stories and witness how mankind always seem to PULL TOGETHER during times of great need… a big part of my job… perhaps the biggest… involves listening to those who have not yet 'figured it all out'.

This week, 4 candidates I’ve spoken to have expressed concerns about TRYING SOMETHING NEW.

“I’ve got all this free time and everyone is telling me to try something new, but I just don’t know what!”

“There’s nothing I really need to learn at the moment. I’d rather just take a bit of time out for myself while I can catch a breath! Is that lazy?”

“I’m in isolation now, so I can’t go out and buy art equipment or take classes!”

Whilst it has been an absolute joy to watch how people have taken this TRY SOMETHING NEW concept to some hilarious extremes, I’m here to talk to you about the new things that I have decided to try…

1.      Every day I call my Grandma to ask her about her day. She tells me all about her Joe Wicks workout she’s done with GMTV, and the Blue Tit she’s spent 2 hours chasing out of her living room. I’ll call her tonight… nothing’s happened today… but she’ll love telling me about it anyway.

2.      My sister, my Dad and I will exchange regular pictures of mundane tasks in an attempt to make them seem interesting. The conversation nearly always ends in my Dad calling me a ‘Banana’.

3.      I miss my colleagues. We text and call each other on and off, all day, every day, about anything, everything and nothing at all. We laugh, with each other, at each other and at the wonderful stories, memes and GIFs we continue to share. We make plans for when we’ll see each other again… our first team night out, our first day back in the office and the group hug we’ll all share on that first morning we dump our stuff back on our desks and open the blinds to see the trains bustling in and out of Nottingham Station as though we never left.

I think what most people don’t realise is that we’re already trying something new! This is a new way of life and a new way of being… for now. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. TRYING SOMETHING NEW can be considering new career paths, doing some self-reflecting and learning more about YOURSELF and the wonderful people you have around you in your life.

Learning a language or a skill… Volunteering… Changing jobs… may be great ways to try something new.

But sometimes, taking the time to build on your relationships, with other people OR yourself, is the BEST way to see us through.