Happy Anniversary!
Thank you everyone for your happy work anniversary messages.
As at every good anniversary it brings a time to reflect on the highs and lows of the year gone by, and to contemplate the coming year. In my first year I had some notable losses, a few people who’ve been close to me for much of my life have left it, which has left holes hard to fill, we’re all human, make mistakes, but we also have agency and make our own paths, and credit to everyone who utilises this with awareness and responsibility. I have also met and worked alongside some of the greatest people in coaching and mental health this past year. I have discovered a wonderful community through Twitter (@findtic) sharing thoughts with a great many people with lived experiences and I follow their support groups on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram (@findtic). Inner Child Ltd continues to be a name of interest and I have written here on my website a couple of times about this and the personal journey I’ve been on. I am still debating within my self and with colleagues the ‘so what’ that we are trying to achieve in mental wellbeing at the moment and more broadly what it means to be human and how can we stem the ebbing tide towards disconnection and disposability.
Last year I reconnected with my two young boys, my wife and my broader family. I received potentially overwhelming levels of coaching and therapy from many diverse disciplines. I found my purpose and helped many in pursuit of theirs. I was a friend and support to people I’d never have met in my corporate life, people who I’ve learnt from in turn. I consider clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, energy healers, vision questers, psychotherapists, wellbeing experts, City lawyers, clinical directors, coaches of every persuasion, HRDs, talent leads, behavioural scientists, business owners and so many others as friends and I have many people in my life who I can call any time day or night should I need to.
Not a bad 12 months all told.
The next twelve months is equally exciting. I’m doing my own ten-day vision quest in the spring. I will be delivering a significant number of MHFA mental health first aid courses alongside shorter mental health awareness sessions to leaders and in the community, talking on panels, delivering leadership training, co-delivering a retreat focused on reconnecting, continuing to work as a coach to leaders, and I have received encouragement to write my story, warts and all so I will see if I can make a start on that this year too. I’m proud to have survived and been successful despite 4+ ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), and will continue to try and understand more about all this and what it was that helped me through them. I’m proud to be on the People’s List (inside-out.org/peoples-list).
I currently work outside of the corporate system and it is a potent and exciting place to be, but I also talk about going back into it as there’s also great potential for change being part of those systems too. So whatever happens Year 2 will be another big one and I will trust the process, be comfortable in discomfort, and see what emerges, as is coaching lore!