Raising a glass to ‘the moment’
Over the past two years my priorities have definitely changed and although I continue to enjoy my ‘stage’ work I decided to add a slightly different niche to my portfolio. Age seems to have cleared some of the fog in my eclectic and busy brain resulting in some changes to my own life that I have planned and worked towards.
People often talk about a ‘career journey’ and when I look back over my working life I can see clear reasons I made the choices I did and developed my current working life into what it is now. That in itself is liberating. Working with a business mentor changed how I saw the working world as a whole and I realised that opportunities may often be disguised as set backs but I had a CHOICE how I responded to them. I also realised many of the things I didn’t want in my life rather than concentrating on the things I did want. This shift in focus took a few years to kick in but I credit this back to working with my mentor who, perhaps without knowing it, changed my life.
I first looked into retraining as a Civil Celebrant about five years ago, but it definitely wasn’t the right time. It was often there in the background of my thoughts and I drip fed my curiosity by regularly researching the industry, practices and developments online. I know now that I wasn’t ready to adopt this role five years ago and I am grateful for the insight offered to me by professionals within the industry. It means I enter into this with a clear head and a vision of what I would like to achieve.
When I delivered my Mum’s Eulogy in September 2019 after having written it totally from the heart and having captured the very essence of the wonderful lady she was, I KNEW it was time to take the leap officially. I cared for my Mum at home for eight and a half years. She was paralysed following a stroke in 2011 and during that time I started to understand just how precious time with those we love is. It’s easy to get caught up in our own busy lives and I remembered when I was in my 20’s when I had a recurring nightmare. I woke up in a cold sweat at the age of 53 screaming at myself asking ‘what the f**k have I done with my life’. This dream always pops into my head when I am making changes in my own life and as I’m currently 47, I will have it sorted in the next six years!
So now it’s back to basics. The website is being built, the Facebook page is being created and regularly populated with content ready to ‘launch’ and I am spending time with industry professionals with whom I will be working with in the very near future.
It was time to make changes and I wasn’t afraid to do so. This was made easier by the fact that I have a strong personal and professional support network around me which I believe, is key to my taking action towards the things I want.
Thanks for taking the time to read this…
Hilary x
