Wow what a year indeed! We’re a few weeks into 2019 and it’s taken a while for me to process and appreciate what happened in 2018. It has been a bit of whirlwind and so much has changed. I still don’t think I really give myself credit for the work I’ve done and what I’ve achieved. Hopefully writing it out for you to read will help.
2018…
The year started with me working full-time as a Personal Assistant (PA) in a private hospital. I hated it, I felt like my soul was being sucked out of me every day.
That’s probably a bit dramatic but being a PA didn’t bring me any joy. I’d already qualified as a Sports Massage Practitioner so was eager to start my new business.
I have to be honest, my confidence wasn’t in a great place so the idea of launching a new business was a little bit daunting.
Asking For Help…
I’m not someone who will easily ask for help. I knew I needed someone who didn’t know me. Who would be completely honest with me. Also someone who would give me a kick up the *** when I was allowing fear to stop me from progressing.
I made the call and arranged counselling. He was amazing and encouraged me to put myself and my health before everyone else. He taught me that I had to prioritise my feelings over other people’s. I used to go along with what other people wanted even if it was detrimental to my happiness.
My counsellor explained that I needed to focus on pushing myself out of my comfort zone. This will help to increase my confidence little by little. Not the big ‘jump out of a plane’ stuff but the smaller stuff, the ‘go to the cinema by myself’ stuff. This is something I never had the courage to do for fear of other people judging me for being on my own.
Lessons Learnt…
Another thing I’ve learnt is who cares if someone sees me doing something on my own. Who cares if they make a negative judgement about it. That’s their problem and is definitely an opinion that I don’t need in my life.
I’ve made a lot of changing to my life since 1st January 2018 and here are just some of them. I have:
- Started meditation
- Restarted doing yoga a few times a week. I’ve added my strength training onto the end of each session so I have no excuse.
- Started swimming and cycling again after over 25 years of refusing to do both due to lack of self-esteem and confidence.
- Completed the Bournemouth marathon and got a PB!
- Hurt my back and had to cancel clients. I actually took my own advice about healing and let my body recover properly.
- Decluttered my house and given a lot of items to charity. I’ve also sold some on Facebook Marketplace which is so easy and convenient.
- Turned my spare room into a proper office where I enjoy spending time.
- Met with other small business owners regarding future collaboration
- Turned down a massage job at the Def Leopard concert as it would’ve meant rearranging or cancelling my own clients and they are my priority.
- Spent a lot of quality time with my dog, Winston, who is getting on a bit and turned into a little old man.
Being Brave…
The biggest change of 2018 was when I made the decision to leave the safety of my full-time job with a guaranteed income. I decided to go it alone and become a full-time self-employed Sports Massage Practitioner.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all rainbows and lollipops. It was probably one of the hardest years of my life so far. I’ve had a lot of moments when things didn’t go the way I wanted them to and I didn’t think I was going to make it.
I’ve learnt from each and every one of them and, after a lot of tears and stress, turned them all into a positive step forward. I did it. I’m living my dream career and helping my clients to fulfil their potential as well. Winner winner!
I have an amazing group of friends who have been there for me every step of the way and supported me. We’ve eaten a lot of cake together and I’ve run a lot of miles with some of them. They’ve helped me see how strong I am and that I’m capable of doing anything I put my mind to. They are my biggest cheerleaders and I am so grateful for them.
What are my dreams for 2019? Well that’s a new blog post in itself!
