You think I've failed? Well, just watch me get up and try again!

So, your boss has set you the task of delivering a sales pitch for a new software product you and your team have come up with to present to your board of directors in a couple days time. You're excited and determined, although a little nervous, but wholeheartedly down for the challenge. You think to yourself; this could be my chance for that promotion I've been wishing for! So you set to work, drafting out everything from the Excel cost spreadsheet to how you'll be marketing your new product to your expanding client base.

After a productive but semi-stressful 24 hours perfecting your pitch, you meet your boss on the way to the meeting confirming that you feel prepared and ready for the challenge!
Having smoothly executed the first half of your pitch you press the button for the next powerpoint slide but, unfortunately, the wifi's shut off and in your panic to try and get everything working again you completely forget the rest of your pitch. After a few minutes scrambling to continue, you realize the board of directors have lost interest and (being the busy people they are) excuse themselves to leave, saying they are needed at another meeting across town. You put on your brightest smile as you say your goodbyes but inside you feel like such a failure. 
For the rest of the day, trying your best to forget (in your opinion, that mornings catastrophe) you keep hearing that little voice in your head saying; 'God you're such a failure, you should have planned for the wifi to go off, you should have had a back-up option, you could've been on your way to that promotion by now!' 
Well let me tell you, we've all been there, we all wish we'd done things differently in high pressure situations, planned better, practiced more, but the truth is Friend, you're not a failure. it's ok to make mistakes, it's ok to think to yourself, I will do something different next time. 
You need to remember that you are a strong, smart human being who may fall down, but who will get up, brush yourself off and in doing so, be stronger than you were before!

I like to think of life as a continual growth process. I have made mistake after mistake as we all have - it's part of developing! But life has a funny way of stepping in and saying, 'here, I'm gonna give you a chance to learn/do something differently and you will become a wiser, better version of yourself in acting on this chance. I also believe that when you're disappointed or feel you've failed it's vital that you take action and do something that you are passionate about! That could be playing football, working on your drawing, reading a steamy novel, playing in the park with your kids. 

As I've mentioned previously, my passion has and will always be music. I remember in my last job which was in high profile corporate sales, I had dealt with an extremely stubborn and rude client one day, which in turn had me feeling really low and unsure if I could even carry on my career in sales. I remember getting on the train home, turning on one of my favorite songs by my favorite artist, Beyonce 'Don't Hurt Yourself' and even though the song is a behavioural check on her husband, the lyrics of empowerment and self worth shifted my whole perspective on my abilities as a sales manager. I bounced in to work the next day, having forgotten that stubborn client's words, ready to take on the world! 

I know that we all have hard days in our personal and professional life. Believe me, there's a whole heap of stories that I could tell you about mine! That being said, I want you to remember that the challenges are a lot easier to face when you take a step back, consider if there's anything that you could've done differently, forget the person who made you feel that way and remember that your opinion of yourself is the only one that matters. Pick up that basketball, get those colored pencils out or sing along to one of your favorite artists. I promise you'll feel better when you do something you're passionate about! 

** Please let me know how this post made you feel and if there's something concerning you that you think I could help with. I'd be happy to!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  Winston Churchill

The Positives of Coronavirus? Who Knew?!

Welcome Readers for my first blog post of 2020 and thanks for reading!



I want to start by saying how ironic it feels to be starting a new blogging business in the current Coronavirus situation considering how many people are unfortunately out of work at the moment. 
That being said, I am confident that things are slowly shifting in a positive way and we will all be back to some form of normalcy soon!

I know that a successful blog should be set up as having a problem that lots of people can relate to accompanied by a solution... Don't worry, I'll get to those! But first I wanted to write a post explaining how Coronavirus and especially quarantine has inspired me to make this step in creating a new blogging business. 

Let me lay down my past a bit so you have all the facts 😊 I grew up in both the UK and west coast of America with parents who I like to refer to as modern nomads, being that we moved back and forth across the Atlantic more than most families do in a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it for the world but it has been intense! 

I'd studied classical piano and singing since I was little and in high school decided that I would pursue a degree in vocal performance in Glasgow, Scotland. I was thrilled at the prospect of moving somewhere new (albeit rainy) and pursuing my musical passion. The first two years were incredible. I learned so much and felt so inspired to become a professional singer. This being said, as my degree got closer and closer to completion I couldn't knock the feeling of feeling slightly inadequate and incapable, considering the amount of incredible talent I had surrounded myself with. I graduated from my course with flying colors, but with all the insecurities and doubt that I'd built up over the previous couple years I wasn't sure I really wanted to pursue singing at all. 

After a couple months enjoying being a free, independent women, reality hit and I thought I better start figuring out my life (believe me, I knew I wasn't the only university grad feeling this way!) I packed my bags and moved to the US where I got a couple minimum wage jobs, convinced that my life would figure itself out. I was wrong. After a couple months of floundering round in the big wide world, I decided to move back to the UK where my parents were and start a new life in Liverpool. It was a definite culture shock but I found the locals warm and friendly and I thought I'd made it! 



The thing about being young and starting out is that you think you've got everything figured out... but boy, do you soon realize life is there for learning! Because of my insecurities that had developed at the end of my degree I tried to push my passion for music to the back of my mind and focused on jobs that I thought would keep me occupied with a steady income. I have always always been an optimistic and happy person but making this decision was ultimately, not what I should have done, bringing with it feelings of depression and self doubt. I know now that I would have been a lot happier if I'd accepted I wasn't going to be a famous classical singer at the beginning but still got involved with music at a more casual level... I have now done this in the form of Zoom choirs! (definitely try it if you feel like doing something super fun and musical... see link!) https://www.thesofasingers.com/

After quitting my high profile, corporate job in January and discovering hobbies like drawing, playing chess and being active outdoors I began thinking 'hmmm, wouldn't it be nice if I could do all the things I enjoy if I had a job that allowed me to be flexible?' 
I have, like so many other women and men, had issues with self doubt, confidence, fear of failure and feeling like you are being judged and I just want to say, screw that!  There will always be that little voice in your head or people telling you you can't do something. Well you can! You are a strong, independent, talented person capable of whatever you set your mind to! 
I want you to believe in your passions and the things you're good at and use them as the determination that will help you achieve whatever you want to in life. 

Thanks for reading, Friends, and hope to see you on here again soon!

Chelsea 
xxx