“When you change the way you look at things; the things you look at change......”

......a couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of another day of Service Delivery Management for my now 'usual' set of clients (after being in this post for 4+ years). As a contractor, I am always aware that as you approach a contract renewal, it is never secure until you have the signed contract in hand. However, this was a 'dead cert' given the longevity of the position, great client relationships and verbal confirmations I had received.

 However, on the penultimate day of my then, current contract, issues emerged which meant my 'dead cert' contract was in doubt. More annoying, at the time, was the fact that this was all out of my control. By Friday morning  it gradually became clear this was my last day. With that realisation, came a mixture of emotions; annoyance that other people had been able to influence my short term working future, sadness that I was not able to tell all my clients in person and complete a quality handover and a sense of 'this shouldn't be happening now!’.

 Anyway, Friday came to a close, I said my goodbyes and decided to have a 'normal' weekend and not think too much about the preceding working week. Through other experiences, I've learned enough to know that sometimes, by not consciously thinking about something, especially when there are negative thoughts and emotions involved, the unconscious works through this for you with a positive outcome.

 By Monday morning I was again thinking about work, my next role etc. but no sooner had I started to think of this, than my attention moved to the fact that over the past 4 years, I have had less than 4 weeks’ holiday. So, why not see this as a pay back for all my accrued holiday which would mean that even 3 months 'off' wouldn't be excessive.

 The second part of my negative thinking was around how the role ended and how other people took control in the final decision making process. Again, by Monday I was of the thinking of the fact that we all have different perspectives and agendas and in many cases that's ok. So, if my agenda is slightly different, I can either fight, argue and use up energy to try and make mine 'right' or just accept that sometimes things don't go my way. I chose the latter!

 So, a week and a half in to my 'holiday' and all is well. In fact, I am now starting to realise just how much I needed a break and hoping for at least a month off before another role begins.

 “When you change the way you look at things; the things you look at change...........”  

......and the best thing is, this decision is totally in your control!