Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back and evaluate your situation or surroundings. Having time off last week meant I had a chance to get some perspective on our current situation.

I have been able to take a hard look at some aspects of my life and really think about how I want to go forwards. The business is obviously a huge part of this right now. I have been thinking about who I want to work with, the sort of clients I think I can help and how best to connect with them. Creating this website and in particular this blog, has been a big part of me wanting to make a connection with people. I think that the way I see myself as a VA is probably different to what some people think of as a VA. So this is one reason why I wanted to get some perspective on my business and how I need to market myself to move forwards.

Gaining perspective on tricky situations can be helpful sometimes. I’m come to realise as I’ve gotten older that, more often than not, it is easier to take a step back from an awkward situation and try to look at it from another angle. You may then find that actually, there is an alternative way of doing the task at hand, or that person you were disagreeing with does have a valid point. It’s so easy to just think, no, I know I’m right and I’m doing it my way. Maybe sometimes you should take that chance to gain perspective and save yourself an awkward conversation.

Something that I’ve been trying really hard to get perspective on is my darling daughter. Looking at things from the angle a toddler sees them can be an eye opening experience. They don’t see things the way that adults do and because things are very basic for them, sometimes looking at something from her perspective can actually be helpful. It also helps when she’s having tantrums to think about why she’s doing it, sometimes! Sometimes she’s just tired and cranky. But other times there can actually be a logical explanation for the upset and it makes you realise how literally toddlers can take things. The simplicity of a toddlers perspective can be quite helpful and make you realise that actually, not all situations have to be complicated. Sometimes if you take a step back and break something down to a basic level, it’s nowhere need as bad as you think it is.

I was given some perspective today by a friend. She helped me to see that there is always opportunities out there to be had. Sometimes we can become too focused on a single goal and it can take another person’s perspective to help us see other ways. She made me realise that I do have other options open to me, to help me broaden my horizons. Sometimes the people you have known the longest are the ones you should turn to for the best advice. Getting that piece of perspective from someone who knows me nearly as well as my own mother, that made more sense than any article, blog or webinar that I have read or watched so far.

We’ve got some time off work this week, to spend some quality family time together. We’re staying in the UK and having a few days out to various places. It’s important for us to have quality family time with Maya and for us to take time out from the stresses of work.

Our time together this week will involve some treats and surprises for Maya. It is going to be so much fun watching her little face light up when she sees what we’re going to be doing. It also gives us the opportunity to watch her development as well. She has passed a huge milestone in the last week and is now wearing knickers! No more pull ups for our big girl. So not only will it be a week of fun and surprises for Maya, but it will be her first week of family fun days with a new dynamic to cope with.

Time outs can also be good for other life situations. Sometimes it can be necessary to take a time out from relationships. I am lucky enough not to have needed this in my current relationship, but I know people who have taken a time out from a relationship and then when they got back together, that time out had made them stronger as a couple.

Sometimes it can be the small time outs that are needed. Such as when I take a 5 minute coffee time out from the constant re-enactment of Paw Patrol scenes! Taking a time out from housework can be a good thing to. Going out for a walk instead of doing that next washing load or another batch of washing up, that can relieve stress in the short term. How you choose to spend your time outs is up to you; I find a coffee and cake break is perfect for a quick re-charge and it helps me to re-focus myself. Listening to music, watching a little TV, reading, taking a walk or doing a quick workout. All of these can be great for taking some time out from those stressful life moments.

Taking time out from work is important so that we can not only have quality family time, but so that we can both switch off that part of our brains for a few days. Any sort of work has it’s inherent stresses and can make you go a bit crazy at times. This is why it is important that we have holidays and time off to concentrate on other things. Time out from my job helps me to relax and allows my brain a break from a lot of stress. It is also important to me that I get to spend that quality time with my family and enjoy a few trips and treats together.

Whatever your reason is for needing a time out, be it a small or large time out, short term or long term, always remember that you need to take that time to allow yourself to relax. Getting overworked and over stressed can be so bad for your health.

One great reason for using me as a VA would be just this, so you as a business owner can have time out. Using a VA to take away some of those more time consuming, but necessary tasks, could mean that you in turn then have more time available to you to take a time out. Have that extra day off to spend time with your family. Have a few extra hours so you can finish work early one day and enjoy one of your favourite past times, instead of worrying about inputting orders etc. If I can help someone out by doing some of those time consuming tasks for them, so they can then have time out, that can only be a good thing. If you are finding you aren’t getting enough time to relax, as well as work, then please get in Contact with me and see if I can help you out.

My husband and I have just celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. We’ve been together for 13 years and in that time he has shown me, so many times over, how committed he is to me. It goes without saying that I am equally as committed to him. But the part I want to get across in this blog is how my husband has shown his commitment to me.

Our relationship has been tested several times over, particularly in the last 6 years. We’ve been through more life changing events in that time than some couples experience in a 20 year marriage. Finding out that we had very little chance of conceiving a child naturally was our first test as a couple. We both had to go through tests, attend various appointments and I had numerous invasive procedures before the doctors worked out which method of IVF we needed for our particular problems. Some men don’t like to talk about problems with conceiving as it makes them feel like “less of a man”, but my husband never once complained or asked to stop the testing. He knew how important it was, for both of us, to have a baby. He was there for all the important appointments. He was the one who had to do my very first hormone injection, because I just couldn’t bring myself to stab my own belly with that needle. He was there when that first positive pregnancy test was in my hand. He was there at St Barts when we saw that 5 week old heartbeat on the screen. Then he was there at Basildon hospital at what we thought was my 12 week scan, when the sonographer told us there was no longer any heartbeat.

We endured 2 more failed rounds of treatment and still he was there for everything. He stayed by my side for each lot of egg collection and egg implantation. Each time the pregnancy test came back negative he was there to support me. When we got to round 4 of treatment and they decided to implant 2 frozen embryos to increase my chance of conceiving, he was prepared for the possibility of us having twins. Thank the goddess, only 1 embryo took. As much as we love our daughter unconditionally, the thought of 2 at the same time scares me beyond belief!

Throughout my pregnancy with Maya there were complications. Carl spent a lot of time driving me to and from the hospital, sitting waiting for appointments and calling my parents to keep them up to date on the situation. His utter commitment to me throughout that 9 months was amazing. He suffered from lack of sleep and exhaustion, due to a lot of late nights and overnight stays at the hospital. That part didn’t stop once I had Maya and still continues to this day unfortunately. But I’m sure that is a pretty common parent problem.

Through all of that whole mess of doctors, procedures, appointments and late nights, he never faltered in his commitment to what we wanted; to have our own family. When I unexpectedly got pregnant for a third time, he was completely in shock. We both took a couple of weeks to get our heads around it. It was a very closely kept secret due to our previous history and we both agreed that was the best way. When we found out that our miracle baby had Downs Syndrome, again the commitment that he showed to me and our unborn baby amazed me. He shared my opinion that it didn’t matter that the baby had Downs, that baby was our miracle and we would love it no matter what. When we found out that our unborn baby had a major heart defect and would need surgery within the first 6 months of it’s life, he was there still supporting me whilst trying to come to terms with it himself. He showed the same level of commitment with that pregnancy as he had with Maya. He came to every appointment and every scan. He was there for every hard part of it. That last appointment we had at Southend hospital when the consultant informed us there was no heartbeat, he was there. He was the one who messaged my dad to tell him what had happened and that we needed them to have Maya overnight. He was the one who made the phone calls to our family and friends to tell them the terrible news. He was the one who took time off work to be with me and Maya whilst we recovered from the shock. Most importantly, he was the one who carried Theo’s coffin into the crematorium on the day of the funeral, because he wanted to do that, to show Theo his commitment to him.

The resilience, support and commitment that he has shown me over the last 13 years continues to amaze me every day. He is one of the most unselfish people I know and he will support people that he cares about unconditionally. His unwavering commitment to me through all of these incredibly difficult times has shown me that our marriage can withstand anything. It is this level of commitment that I find to be one of his most attractive qualities.

Commitment is very important to me and I value it highly as a quality. Which is why it is very important to me that I show a high level of commitment to others. This comes naturally to me when it comes to people that I love; my husband, my child, my family. It is also important to me that I show a high level of commitment to any clients who I may come to work with in the future.

I am currently experiencing progress in different aspects of my life, at different rates. My toddler is developing into a teenager prematurely! Her progress has been amazing. She is showing signs of being advanced for her age and her understanding of things is coming along at a very fast pace. Unfortunately with progress often comes frustration, as she is trying very hard to do things for herself that are way beyond her years. She tries so hard to be independent that she gets frustrated when she can’t do things, which then results in the inevitable toddler tantrum. So sometimes progress can be a bit of a problem as well.

The best example of progress in my life right now is my health and nutrition. Through careful regulation of the types of food that I eat, I have been able to control my cravings for junk food but still maintain a healthy lifestyle. I combine this with a once weekly fitness class and walking 2 or 3 times a week. This combination of changes in my nutrition and exercise has meant that I have been able to progress my fitness level and as a result I now feel so much healthier.

Up to this point in my life my career had been a progressional story. I started 13 years ago as a part time team member in my local branch. Opportunities were offered to me that meant I was able to progress upwards in the business, firstly to a PA position for an Area Manager, then to a trainee manager and then a department manager. Along the way I was able to add additional skills to my expertise, which I have honed over the years and still use now in my new business. My progress in my career peaked after I had my daughter. Upon returning to work after my maternity leave, I chose to step back my progress and downgraded from a department manager to a team leader. Whilst I have retained my skills, my progress within that business is done and I am now concentrating on progressing my own business.

My business in comparison has been quite slow to progress, but as I become more confident and people share my page and site, I’m sure that will change. My experience and skills will hopefully aid that progression. I have so much enthusiasm ready to help out people with small businesses, like my own. If you think that I could aid your business progression then please get in Contact with me so we can have a chat.

Change is something that I have always struggled with. I don’t like change because it can be scary. The unknown element in any changing situation can be quite daunting for me. I am about to experience quite a big change in my job and I’m not referring to my business, but to my day job. My store manager is leaving the business after 9 years. I have been working with him for the entirety of his 9 years with the business and have become good friends with him. So for a new manager to come in and replace him, that change is very scary to me. Will I be able to connect with this new manager like I did with my current manager? Will the new manager understand me and my situation? That element of change really scares me and makes me very apprehensive.

Another change that scares me is becoming my own boss, as and when this business takes off and I can leave my day job, that will be a huge change to take in. I know it is a change that I need to encounter though. So the apprehension that I feel for experiencing that change is something that I need to embrace and not be scared of.

Change can be a good thing. We all need change sometimes, just to keep life interesting. I am sure that the changes I know are coming in my work life will not be anywhere near as daunting as what I am thinking in my head. The anxiety I get when I think about change can be quite overwhelming, but the changes do need to happen.

The change coming this week for me with losing my boss is going to have a profound effect on me. It is a big change for me both professionally and personally. I’m not only losing my boss, but he is also my friend, my mentor and the closest thing I have to a big brother. It will be a hard change to embrace, but it is something that has to happen for me to move forward. He has been so supportive of my objective to start this business and knowing that I have his support has made me more determined to succeed. Change is scary but in this case, ultimately, I think it will be a good thing.