COMING OF AGE - The 21st issue!
What you can look forward to now we're all grown up :)
Hello there, dear readers
Happy 2022!
I hope you are all well and enjoyed a safe and restful Christmas and New Year break. Although, with life getting back to normal last week, that can seem an age ago?
So, with that in mind, let’s look forward to what 2022 can bring us and, more importantly what I’m planning for the 45 Not Out Newsletter.
When I started the newsletter last April-which was very much a toe in the water thing- I didn’t really have a clue where I was taking it. To tell you the truth, I was gobsmacked when I got my first few subscribers - who would be interested in what I had to say.
But by continuing to work on each issue, I learnt that there is a whole army of women out there who found that on turning 45 and over, they become “invisible”. Both professionally and socially. And, it’s these wonderful women who have become my very much cherished subscribers who continue to subscribe and travel along the journey with me. And I’m totally grateful.
WHY I STARTED THE NEWSLETTER
The main driver for me starting the newsletter was because I got so p****d off with trying to establish myself as a credible business owner at age 50, when I returned to self-employment after years of “family-friendly” jobs. I’d been self employed before and had thoroughly enjoyed it, but domestic circumstances meant that it was better for me to take low-paid local jobs that meant I was around for child care etc.
So I had my epiphany in 2014 when my eldest daughter went off to university, I relaunched myself as a freelancer and small business owner. Plunging headlong into a digital and media heavy business circuit in Manchester City centre, it was obvious I was older than most of the other business owners in this network, and it was bloody hard work to be taken seriously. But I bit my lip and persevered but all the while being more than annoyed that this was the status quo!
So, with the new year, I’ve been making plans for this amazing community of women. Covid permitting, I’d love a meet-up in some form - be that actually in person or by online - but it would be good to actually see these amazing subscribers and chat to them in real time.
In addition, I’d like to curate a group where we could chat using a platform such as a Facebook group or something else that is suitable for everyone. Somewhere we can offer support to each other and get things off our chest. And, the best bit, learn from each other, which is often a given in these community groups.
So bear with me for now, whilst I research how feasible these things will be and I’ll report back in later issues to let you know what you can look forward to
DOLLOP OF POSITIVITY
Bringing back this popular feature, I’m continuing to include any poignant and meaningful images or messages I see online. This one struck a chord with me late last year when I saw it on Pinterest, and leaving it until now, I think it’s totally suitable for the first issue of a new year.
No doubt, there will be things we all want to achieve during 2022, possibly more so given that we’ve been so restricted over the previous two years. But I love how this graphic points out that we’ll probably be more successful if we break the process down into manageable chunks. It’s like the old saying of “how do you eat an elephant? A mouthful at a time”.
How small you make them is down to you - whether you want to stretch yourself a bit or “break off” just enough to allow yourself to complete a task regularly to help you accomplish your goal.
Talking about regularly, that’s another crucial aspect. You’ll be far more successful if you establish a schedule where you can undertake a bit at a time a few times per day/week/month - whatever works for you.
But whatever schedule you set up, it’s the consistency that will get you there. So make sure your schedule is realistic to fit around your existing commitments.
I wish you well with whatever you’re wanting to achieve this year :)
So there you have it - the first issue of 2022. I hope you found something in it that resonates with you.
May the fact that, at the time of writing, we seem to be winning just the tiniest bit over Covid that has affected so much of our lives for the past two years, mean that gradually we can get back to something like we know as “normal”.
Stay safe, well & strong
Till a fortnight’s time
Una x