Written by: Hilary Rowland, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
‘I can’t wait to see the back of 2021!’ How often have you heard that? I’ve heard it a lot, but then I heard it at the end of 2020 too. What are we doing? Wishing our lives away? Has it all been that bad? I don’t want to dismiss the experience of those who have lost loved ones, but many of us haven’t been that badly affected by the pandemic and lockdowns.
I find it very easy to be constantly looking to the future and either being excited about the possibilities or anxious about how much still needs to be done. What I don’t do nearly enough is look back and reflect on all that’s gone well and been successful. We all need to do that after the last two years that have been tough on us all one way or another.
We’ve seen so many certainties swept away, whether of being able to plan holidays, seeing people who’re important to us, pressures on our families, our businesses either tanking or flying and now not knowing what on earth to do about our staff who seem to have developed minds of their own during lockdown!
When I look back, I’m amused at the confidence and optimism with which we started a business running retreats a few months before a pandemic. At the beginning of 2020 I blithely proclaimed on LinkedIn that I wanted to live boldly and courageously and to have adventures, big and small. Be careful what you wish for, you’re probably thinking.
Perhaps I was more prescient than I knew. It was an adventure all right, a big one. I remember being inspired by something I saw on social media encouraging us to come out of lockdown better than we went in. Well, that was the first lockdown – if only we knew there would be a second and a third or more, depending what part of the country you live in. The enthusiasm for Joe Wicks wore off and we probably just got fatter!
I certainly needed courage. Like so many other businesses we tried to pivot (that much overused word of 2020!) online, but how do you replicate a fabulous hotel, time, space, relaxation, switching off on a webinar with the kids running in and out in the background and the cat walking over the keyboard? We realised it was a non-starter.
However, there was plenty we could do. Build our brand, community, marketing assets and team, which all paid off once we could start in person retreats. Now we’re beginning to see the fruits of our labours – people are coming to us wanting to partner with us, interview us on their podcasts and even an approach from someone in the US wanting us to run a retreat for them – before Christmas! Yes, I think I can and should feel proud.
Another big question is, what have I learned when I look back? My biggest learning has been to have faith in myself, to realise that I have a lot of experience, knowledge and skills, that I have been successful in the past and that there is no reason not to be successful again in the future. In working with various business experts, I’ve found that I’ve looked up to them too much, accepted all their ‘wisdom’ without question and ended up feeling diminished. It may be that their unconscious motivation is to encourage me to be dependent on them, but I need to take responsibility for affirming myself and drawing on my intuition about what’s right for our business.
Many of us can look back at the last couple of years and see that they gave us something. The time to reflect, to wonder about our lives and how they might be different, to make some plans, to make some changes, time to spend more time with our families, the opportunity to be amazed at the wonderful staff who work in the NHS, to be profoundly grateful for the scientists who produced the vaccines in such a short space of time. Let’s not lose any of that in our rush for it to be over.
But before you get into all the busyness and froth of Christmas and gearing up for 2022, what about you? How are you feeling about it all and where has it left you? What are you grateful for? What have been the successes? How about a little celebration, or at the least, a modest patting yourself on the back?
Hilary Rowland, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Hilary Rowland founded Next Chapter Retreats with her business partner Peter Hyson following an accomplished career, with more than 30 years experience in business advice, professional speaking, coaching and HR. She has worked with senior executives across numerous companies including the BBC, PWC, Academy for Chief Executives, and a variety of SMEs.She's passionate about helping individuals find their sense of purpose and then live it.
They have had considerable success with their unique retreats over many years working with senior executives in groups, witnessing how effective the power of people working together can be on their personal development. This approach allows the creation of an environment for true reflection and exploration by taking participants ‘off-grid’, free from the distractions of their professional and personal lives, and with the time to work at real depth.
