How almost losing my eyesight ultimately improved my vision
I cannot tell you how excited I was about entering 2019. As a family we had some great things to look forward to, my business had found its battle rhythm and I was loving the freedom and challenge that comes with being your own boss. It was therefore something of a surprise when 2019 turned up and dished out quite a lot of rubbish for family, friends and colleagues. Despite all the horribleness, our little family unit was continuing to thrive. My company was approaching its first full year in business and my husband had successfully managed to navigate his way through a particularly challenging project at work.
And then Monday 25th March happened. I woke up, took the children to school, returned to my office and realised that I could not see through a portion of my eye. Fast forward 12 hours and I was home following emergency surgery for a detached retina. All hail the amazing NHS for saving the sight in my right eye. My two-week planned recovery took a backward step when a lovely Doctor confirmed I had developed (with amazing speed) a post op (probably in-op) cataract. I swiftly took the decision that I was not in a position to deliver my consultancy projects to the standard that my clients deserved and made alternative arrangements for them. Big thanks to Stuart Sherriff at New Charities and the team at Money Tree Fundraising for stepping into my shoes.
In between numerous medical appointments, I found myself with time to really think and reflect on my first year in business. The thing that puzzled me most was how I made some decisions. As a consultant you find, or are presented with, opportunities for client work and there were times when I found the decision-making process really difficult. I am a true believer in gut instinct however when your gut is sitting on the fence it can be difficult to know what to do for the best.
Enter Simon Sinek and ‘Start With Why’. For anyone who does not already know Sinek’s work this will give you a flavour:
“Every single one of us is entitled to feel fulfilled by the work that we do, to wake up feeling inspired to go to work, to feel safe when we’re there and to return home with a sense that we contributed to something larger than ourselves.”
My enforced break enabled me to complete the ‘Find Your Why’ process using Sinek's straight forward steps of story-telling with a partner who then helps you make sense of your stories. Ultimately the aim is to better understand your contribution and your impact on the world. Together, with your partner, you draft a ‘why’ statement and then use a ‘friends’ exercise to sense check. It really helped shine a light on those first-year decisions (or indecisions as some turned out to be). I now understand that ‘who’ I am working with is more important than ‘what’ I am raising funds for. Don’t get me wrong the cause is incredibly important but there has to be a spark with the ‘who’. More than a spark; I have to be able to see where I can add value, ease their workload and help them achieve.
For those who are curious, my previous mission statement was: helping charities to meet need and exceed expectations. My new draft 'why' statement is as follows:
Supporting charity leaders and fundraisers to achieve success so that their organisations can do amazing things
I am really grateful for having the opportunity to pause, reflect and define my 'why'. I have refocused my website and I am clearer on my role as a consultant. It is daunting to be faced with the prospect of building my business back up and 'winning' new clients but I am also excited and energised by my 'why'.
In the current trend for take aways here are some final thoughts:
If you are keen to understand your purpose and vision for your business take a look at Sinek's TED Talk or check out his book ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek and the accompanying workbook ‘Find Your Why’ by David Mead and Peter Docker.
Think about critical illness cover – I was, and still am, very healthy but I do have a problem that needs fixing which is preventing me from working at full capacity. With hindsight putting some financial cover in place would have helped when work stopped so abruptly.
Watch out for times when there is lots going on for your friends, family and colleagues. You may not be feeling stress or pressure in the traditional sense but your body may just tell you otherwise! John Edgington at the Professional Edge project has a great video on Red Flags that talks about this.
In less than a fortnight I will have my cataract operation and, if all goes to plan, I will have 20:20 eyesight in my right eye (for the first time in my life) which will be the most incredible silver lining. Better vision all round!
If you would like to find out more about my work and how I plan to implement my new 'why' please visit www.breathefundraising.co.uk or email hello@breathefundraising.co.uk