Edition 300 – 300
Six years ago, when I started writing “Growth”, I never expected I’d reach Edition 300. Yet, here we are.
Part of the reason for writing was to release some creative energy I’d built up over the years. Part of it was to indulge in something that almost took me down a career path into journalism many years ago. I toyed with the idea of journalism in High School, only to make the decision to pursue Accounting as a career, primarily on the basis that, in my opinion, an Accountant was a better grounding than Journalism for what was then the ultimate ideal – pursuing a career in Politics.
Briefly, in the late ‘80s, I was a Breakfast Radio Newsreader, albeit at a community radio station in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. My uncle’s friend, Bob Taylor, hosted a breakfast radio programme three days per week, where he was able to indulge in playing some of his 4000 strong album collection of jazz and blues music. He had a loyal following and I learned a lot from a guy whose voice on radio was as delicious as honey. After six months, I had to move it on so I could concentrate on my university studies and continue working full time.
Whether there remains another 300 editions in front of me, only time will tell. However, I don’t mind admitting that, this year in particular, the writing has not come as easily and I place part of that at the feet of the long lockdown that Sydney endured.
To be truthfully honest, I found Sydney’s 2021 lockdown incredibly challenging. It was a busy time as we worked with our clients to help them through the uncertainty that seemingly presented itself on an almost daily basis. More than anything however, it was the lack of physical contact with people that made me realise just how much we all, as humans, crave the company of others. The first few meetings I conducted after we exited lockdown were a combination of exhilaration and emotion. It was like welcoming home a friend at the airport after an extended period away.
My writing takes place almost always away from my desk. Whether it is on an airline flight or whilst grabbing a coffee in the middle of the day, I’ve found the writing comes best when the environment is different to my everyday. Lockdown was clearly not conducive to either of those alternate surroundings, so my work desk would have to suffice.
The other element at play is that each of us needs to evolve. Be it personally, professionally or in some other walk of life, we can’t keep doing the same thing forever. Evolution is actually one of the reasons I made the decision in 2016 to leave the security blanket of my former business and break out on my own. Eventually, we become stale and fail to realise our fullest potential.
So this week, more a note of reflection than necessarily any imparting of wisdom or an observation of what is happening in the world of small and family business. Thanks for taking the few moments that so many of you do each week to read and, occasionally, respond
This Week’s Tip
“Do something whilst you enjoy it. When you no longer enjoy it, it’s time to move on.”