No two days are ever the same in life and comms

Sunday: Resilience

I was recently the sixth woman to sign up for ladies tennis singles at the gym. It wasn't about winning or losing, it was about giving it a go. So I've given it a go. And subsequently been annihilated by two of the best players in the club. That was tough. Both matches took quite a bit of soul searching, point reviewing and boring poor Mr Houghton to death with what I should have done differently, afterwards. The score didn't reflect the play. True. But that didn't make losing comprehensively any easier.

The third match was brutal. The first set took 90 minutes but I scraped a win 7:5 in the tie-break after coming back from 4:1 down. The second was another 90 minutes. By 5:4 up I was thinking I can't face another tie-break, but still managed to lose five match points at deuce before finally closing the set at 6:4. Nothing like cutting it fine.

Two days later and I was immobile. All the muscles in the left side of my back rock solid in protest at having been put through the wringer. The pain was indescribable, sleep impossible. I've been rotating Ibuprofen and Paracetamol on a two-hourly cycle.

So. The body is ruined, but the ego a little less so.

Monday: Impact

At the start of the week The Conduit Hotel in London hosted Senior Leaders from Virgin Media O2 , as well as mentors and candidates from the SWITCH Black Leadership Accelerator programme, to discuss their experiences, celebrate the cohort's achievements and discuss the challenges that still remain.

I thought The Conduit was 'just another hotel', but far from it. In fact, it's a space dedicated to change and impact. When you read the information on its web site, this is what it says...

Guided by the philosophy of Ubuntu – meaning ‘I am because you are’ its purpose to bring people together in-person, eye-to-eye, to share ideas and make meaningful connections. A diverse community, unified by humanity. Optimistic in the face of all obstacles. 

As Nelson Mandela said: ‘If we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others.’        

That sense of change and possibility thrummed through the room like electricity on Monday. The SWITCH candidates were quite simply inspiring. So articulate. We put aside all the stresses and strains of BAU and took this chance to put ourselves in different shoes. It was powerful and humbling, and a reminder that while we've come a long way, we still have a long way to go.

Tuesday: Community

On Tuesday I took my first 'Take Five' day to volunteer as a Scrub Basher at Snelsmore Common. It's a place I walk Dolly almost every day and a safe space where she can run free While it may be small, it is beautiful. Home to a diverse range of wildlife and habitats, so that every walk we do brings with it something new to see or learn.

What is Scrub Bashing you may be asking. Good question and mine too as I turned up for my first day. Essentially you're armed up with a large pair of clippers and a saw to go out and cut down as many saplings as you can, which sprout out of the heather. This is to help ground nesting birds like nightjars raise their young, because they won't nest if the heather is broken up by trees. Who knew?

Luckily the day was a fine one, and I chopped away for all I was worth, dragging my felled trees behind me and onto a fire we'd lit at the start of the morning. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but it felt great to look at the work we'd done and the space we'd cleared. And to know I'd put my time and energy towards conservation, which is something I care deeply about.

It felt like a reset. Having that time away from everything, just being outside in nature.

I came home with a clear head and a tired body and slept like a log.

Wednesday: Care

On Wednesday lunchtime you'd have found me in the small park next to our office. I go there when I can to sit on a bench and eat my lunch. Parakeets scream in the branches above me and I watch people walking their dogs. There's usually a brave soul working out with a Personal Trainer. I try not to look at my phone and take that time to decompress and breathe in the tranquil, green space.

When I walk back through the revolving doors into the hubbub of work, I feel much more ready to take on the afternoon for having had a bit of a breather.

Thursday: Reflections

No two days are ever the same in life and communications that's for sure. All I can do is take it in my stride and find time to decompress when opportunities present themselves.

Today I'm having a quiet day at home. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

#storytelling #culture #communication #employeeengagement #resilience #volunteering #events

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Louisa Houghton is a storyteller and employee engagement specialist. She's also many other things, including bee keeper, guitar player and German Shepherd despairer (if that wasn't a thing, it is now). Louisa is all about keeping it real, dispensing with the fluff and having some fun. She is a firm believer in the extraordinary everywhere. Magic can always be found if you look for it.

Contact Louisa:

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