A Life in A Day

Is it too late to say ‘Happy New Year’? I ask because I’m seeing a couple of clients this lunch time and some friends tonight, and not sure if it’s appropriate!

Whilst I cogitate on that challenge, the day unfolds; it’s Friday so it’s our shopping delivery,  and our cleaner’s day.  Coffee and catch up with the lovely Cheryl, who makes the house sparkle every other Friday, then the satisfying vision of our groceries being unloaded by Sergio! Good discussion about holidays and, he wished us Happy New Year, so clearly it’s not too late!

It’s been interesting that, since Covid, we’ve radically changed our work model. When I say ‘we’ I need to explain that Paul and I have been married for forty seven years this year and, for the last thirty three, have been running our leadership development business, The Training Spa.   Prior to the lockdown, we travelled to all our clients, resulting in long days, lots of time away from home and from each other.  Once everyone got used to Zoom, it became the go-to model for us, so now, instead of early starts and long days, we get up later, have a relaxing breakfast together and then start our calls around 10.30 or 11.00! Our last call finishes by 15.00 so we have a relaxing end to the day! Four hours or so with clients can be four separate clients or small groups; there was absolutely no way we could have seen four clients before Covid, unless they were all local and we met in a suitable public venue! In other words, quality of life is better, income has become much more realistic (less spend on travel and hotels) and we have time to relax. 

On this Friday, my 11.00 coaching client had asked to change to another day, so I’ve had time to do some work on my master’s-level qualification in ‘Strategic Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’.  This is very close to my heart as everything I do with our clients is about building great organisations where everyone is given the chance to shine.  We also work with a lot of clients on their EDI culture and, as a student in the late 1960s, I spent many a Saturday, marching for equality for women!  I love research and am keen to use this to create a template enabling small or medium organisations to embed EDI as actions, behaviours, and not just words!

My early afternoon clients were two lovely partners from a well-known accountancy firm. We spent three interesting hours sharing views on organisational culture and how to use coaching skills to help their people grow.  Zoom is a wonderful medium for debate, interaction and having fun!

It’s 16.00 on a Friday and, it has to be admitted, ‘gin o’clock’🍸! Let’s switch off; cuddle our two tuxedo cats for an hour, and toast the end of the week!

Now, time for a shower and ready ourselves to meet two dear friends for dinner at ‘Benoli’, a local Italian restaurant! These friends are twenty-five years younger than us, but that doesn’t get in the way of a true relationship built on mutual love, respect and fun times.  We. used this particular dinner to celebrate the imminent launch of their business, stemming from an invention that, it is forecast, will add immense value to the construction industry.  Funding from a government source and support from an innovation agency has set them up and we spend the first part of the evening sharing thoughts on their marketing launch and feeling very excited for their future success! Yes, it might be downtime but helping new enterprises and sharing their passion is vital!

A great evening with lots of fun, food and wine! Our taxi delivered us home before the witching hour, so we relaxed before bed and reflected on our good fortune that we work with amazing clients; have great friends and love our life! Carpe diem has always been our slogan – I believe it’s more important than ever!

When I was in junior school, I remember almost every essay about ‘what I did at the weekend’ ended with the phrase, ‘I went to bed, tired but happy!’  Yes, I can still say that and this Friday, half way through, what seems like the longest month of the year, is definitely one of those occasions that I can say it!

Live each day, enjoy what you do, but more importantly appreciate the gift of life!