Out with the old and in with the new
What do I mean when I say “Out with the old and in with the new”? you may ask. Last month’s blog month was about us sometimes having to take uncomfortable action. I wrote about how I had had to do this myself in relation to my business. Following this, a few things have been happening that have made me appreciate more, how often new things emerge as old things end. Hence the title of this month’s blog is “Out with the old and in with the new.
Taking control
I help clients to take control over the things that they can control. I also help them to accept the things that they cannot control. Additionally, I help them to recognise that something that they are able to control (at least much of the time) is their response to the things that they face. This helps to give them a greater feeling of empowerment. It is no good to dwell on the things that we cannot change. That won’t make us feel empowered. What we need to do is address what things we can control, which includes our reactions and responses to life’s challenges. Check out other posts from my website that mention empowerment here.
Embracing new opportunities
Opportunity One – supporting a worthy cause (in with the new)
Following recent business changes, I feel that I am in a better position to embrace new opportunities. After the closure of the Meetup groups that I ran, I felt a little sad. This was especially so in the case of the ‘Ladies who Lunch and Learn group’. This had been my first group and I really related well to the regular attendees. I was so pleased when they told me that they wished to stay in touch. A WhatsApp group was duly created!
What I did not know at the time was that I was going to become involved in something similar. In supporting a local community interest company called ‘Infinite Women’ I am going to be a regular host for one of their monthly events in Preston. This opportunity arose following me attending a ‘Roots Connections’ networking meeting and expressing my interest in getting involved.
How I got involved in supporting ‘Infinite Women’
My initial expression of interest led to subsequent conversations and an arranged meeting with the lovely Karen Martyniuk. Karen runs the community interest company and arranges the events. It is an exciting time for “Infinite women”. Karen is in a position where she is able to extend the reach of the groups to other geographical areas. She has been running them in Chorley for a while now with the intention of helping local women connect with the community and be empowered. Check out ‘Infinite Women’ on Facebook.
Following the above discussions, I am hosting my first meeting in Preston on 27th April and the subject is Aromatherapy. A presenter attends each meeting and delivers a presentation on their specialist subject area. In that respect, it is very similar to the ‘Ladies who Lunch and Learn’ group. My former ‘regulars’ were the first to hear about my involvement in hosting these events. I am, therefore, hoping to see some familiar faces at the first one in April!
Opportunity Two – free up more time (out with the old)
This opportunity actually is in relation to cutting back on something, but one that I have embraced.
One area of my business (relating to a freelance role) was too busy! This was leaving me feeling that I did not have enough times to do what I really love. I was starting to feel a little powerless over this and was considering giving up the role. The work was taking longer to do than I had originally expected it to. I queried the amount of time I was spending on this work and, consequently, was able to reduce my workload. This sounds like a fairly obvious thing but when I applied for the freelance role it was for a set number of hours. I hadn’t realised that I was able to change the number of hours if I wished to continue doing this work.
Reducing the amount of time I spend on this work means that I am able to spend more time on other things. These things relate both to my business and my personal life. Work/life balance is so important to me and it should be to you. I am including this information in this blog to help you. I mentioned at the start that we have to learn what we can control and what we can’t. In this circumstance, I was unaware that I could control the number of hours that I worked. It is worth questioning exactly what you can control if you are unsure as sometimes we feel we don’t have control, but we do.
Opportunity Three – charity work (in with the new)
The third opportunity is actually two opportunities! I have applied for two small (as in terms of the time it will take me) opportunities to make a difference to people by supporting two charities. As these applications are still going through, I don’t want to say too much about them here today, but watch this space!
Learning points I wish to share with you
I want to share the following learning points with you. I embrace lifelong learning and like to share my own experiences to help others.
- Sometimes you have to stop doing things, if they are not serving you well in some way.
- Sometimes you have to stop doing things to make way for other opportunities to come into your life. This is what I mean when I say “Out with the old and in with the new”.
- Sometimes you have to look at what things you are able to change to feel more in control.
- Sometimes you need to take uncomfortable action to move forward.
Until next month, don’t be afraid to embrace change. This is especially important if you are not truly happy with some area of your life. Please let me know how you get on.