They say (I don’t know who “they” are) … But they say that when you need something done, ask a busy person. I know quite a few busy people, and somehow it's true.
My friend Debra was always the first person to volunteer for a task, yet she worked as an air-hostess on shifts, maintained a gorgeous home and brought up a lovely family. Debra had extremely high standards, so everything she did was of exceptional quality and she always delivered on time. Debra would make the perfect project manager.
Jacqui is another friend who is astronomically busy! She has a family with 4 children, a beautiful home, AND she manages to run a very successful PR company, study, do yoga everyday and travels to amazing destinations - regularly! All with a beautiful smile and a great sense of humour.
I drew on these busy women (amongst others) and decided to get busy.
I tried sitting at home while looking for a job. The kids were at school and my husband was at work, so my day would consist of making breakfast, sitting at the table on my laptop searching for the dream job, and being too easily distracted by silly things.
Lunch with friends was great for a while until I realised that a bottle of rosé everyday before 3pm was not healthy. The calories were also adding up and my tummy was resembling that of a pregnant woman, with triplets.
Housework gave me a sense of pride and achievement, but after a week I realised I am not a very good housewife. Vacuuming just doesn’t do it for me.
Shopping for Akira dresses was fast becoming an addiction and was too easily justified through my stylist experience. The dresses are truly pieces of art, but they are also a strain on the bank balance that was heading south very fast!
Wallowing in self pity was taking up too much time and that’s when I knew I had to really get busy. Two days of feeling sorry for myself was enough thank you very much!
There were important and practical tasks I could have taken on - like finalising our tax returns for the past 4 years, sorting out the kids wardrobes, renovating my daughters bedroom into a guest bedroom and going to the gym. None of the above seemed too attractive.
My husbands business was going through yet another positive growth phase and I begged him for me to come in and help out. He is a man of strong integrity, and didn’t want to set an example with his staff of being a nepotist so he handed me over to his appointed General Manager who gave me a job!
It was an amazing change to the mindset. Suddenly I was able to get back into the routine of getting up everyday and out of my pyjamas! If my pyjamas were Akira, I may have had a problem with this, sadly he only does pyjamas for Qantas first class passengers, and I have never been in that category!
Another great benefit of working on a casual basis (until I find a full time job) is that I get to contribute my skills and add value. I enjoy being part of a team again and sharing my knowledge. It's heart warming to walk into an office every day and have people genuinely welcome you. The atmosphere of the office is upbeat, energetic and extremely positive. It's motivating and it's so enjoyable to wake up each day and go into such a space to add value.
Recently I was also asked to provide my formal skills of project management to a couple of large and exciting projects. I’ve always been a fan of flowcharts, getting my teeth into some amazing creative projects has boosted my soul even more.
There have been many “wins” so far by me going in and helping out - the company has benefited financially through efficient processes I was able to implement as well as identify some areas of revenue maximisation. For me the biggest win has been getting me “busy” and giving me back a sense of worth.
I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself anymore, but I do manage to find time to reflect on being eternally grateful for having a new purpose to my day and keeping myself motivated and busy.
Oh! And I also put my hand up to volunteer..... but that’s another blog!
My friend Debra was always the first person to volunteer for a task, yet she worked as an air-hostess on shifts, maintained a gorgeous home and brought up a lovely family. Debra had extremely high standards, so everything she did was of exceptional quality and she always delivered on time. Debra would make the perfect project manager.
Jacqui is another friend who is astronomically busy! She has a family with 4 children, a beautiful home, AND she manages to run a very successful PR company, study, do yoga everyday and travels to amazing destinations - regularly! All with a beautiful smile and a great sense of humour.
I drew on these busy women (amongst others) and decided to get busy.
I tried sitting at home while looking for a job. The kids were at school and my husband was at work, so my day would consist of making breakfast, sitting at the table on my laptop searching for the dream job, and being too easily distracted by silly things.
Lunch with friends was great for a while until I realised that a bottle of rosé everyday before 3pm was not healthy. The calories were also adding up and my tummy was resembling that of a pregnant woman, with triplets.
Housework gave me a sense of pride and achievement, but after a week I realised I am not a very good housewife. Vacuuming just doesn’t do it for me.
Shopping for Akira dresses was fast becoming an addiction and was too easily justified through my stylist experience. The dresses are truly pieces of art, but they are also a strain on the bank balance that was heading south very fast!
Wallowing in self pity was taking up too much time and that’s when I knew I had to really get busy. Two days of feeling sorry for myself was enough thank you very much!
There were important and practical tasks I could have taken on - like finalising our tax returns for the past 4 years, sorting out the kids wardrobes, renovating my daughters bedroom into a guest bedroom and going to the gym. None of the above seemed too attractive.
My husbands business was going through yet another positive growth phase and I begged him for me to come in and help out. He is a man of strong integrity, and didn’t want to set an example with his staff of being a nepotist so he handed me over to his appointed General Manager who gave me a job!
It was an amazing change to the mindset. Suddenly I was able to get back into the routine of getting up everyday and out of my pyjamas! If my pyjamas were Akira, I may have had a problem with this, sadly he only does pyjamas for Qantas first class passengers, and I have never been in that category!
Another great benefit of working on a casual basis (until I find a full time job) is that I get to contribute my skills and add value. I enjoy being part of a team again and sharing my knowledge. It's heart warming to walk into an office every day and have people genuinely welcome you. The atmosphere of the office is upbeat, energetic and extremely positive. It's motivating and it's so enjoyable to wake up each day and go into such a space to add value.
Recently I was also asked to provide my formal skills of project management to a couple of large and exciting projects. I’ve always been a fan of flowcharts, getting my teeth into some amazing creative projects has boosted my soul even more.
There have been many “wins” so far by me going in and helping out - the company has benefited financially through efficient processes I was able to implement as well as identify some areas of revenue maximisation. For me the biggest win has been getting me “busy” and giving me back a sense of worth.
I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself anymore, but I do manage to find time to reflect on being eternally grateful for having a new purpose to my day and keeping myself motivated and busy.
Oh! And I also put my hand up to volunteer..... but that’s another blog!
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