I have always liked to keep myself busy. Anyone that has known me from childhood will reliably tell you that I rarely walked anywhere. I ran and ran and ran. Everywhere. I was always told to ‘slow down’, ‘take [your] time’, ‘don’t rush’ and ‘take a breath’.
I can’t say that I have listened to those instructions. Even in my third trimester of pregnancy (years ago), my then boss told me to stop running!
It’s important to know your limits, yes, but no one else can do that for you. I go with my gut instinct mostly, and those times that I haven’t ‘gone with my gut’ I have, in the most part, learnt that I should have.
Some people need to take their time and walk through processes in their heads, I agree that some things need to be digested before an impulsive reaction is taken. But there are many instances in this unpredictable world that procrastination is unhelpful. What isn’t good is not making a decision. You let yourself and all the others around you down so it is important to work out a way of problem solving, after all nothing is perfect (to all people).
I make sure I am committed and do everything to 100% of my ability, I always have and always will. My ethos will never wane and I can’t accept second best from myself (and I confess that I have, in the past, had a lack of respect for others that didn’t try their best).
Passing it on
I always say to my daughter that she doesn’t need her to be the best but she has to try her best. I can safely say that I have always asked that of myself and by doing that I have achieved my ambitions at an early age in that I have represented England in their Lacrosse team, was chosen as Vice-Captain for the Yorkshire Lacrosse team and qualified as the youngest All England Women’s Lacrosse Association’s umpire (at the time) as well as running for the North of England and being a champion for that region.
The discipline of sport, coupled with attending a strict all girls’ boarding school for eight and a half years has instilled in me traditional values that can only be learnt to a certain extent but mainly, they come from within.
Values
I feel the values I have been taught in life are more important than ever. The work ethic that I see today is different from that 15 years ago. I am not one of those people that believe that the new generation are lazy or careless (although some I have come across do feel a sense of entitlement).
What I would say is that there are more people willing to provide younger people with ‘in-roads’. Help from parents or family friends often get them in front of the ‘right people at the right time’ rather than them learning important values through the experience of working from the bottom up.
The advantage of working through the ranks is that you get to understand a true sense of empathy and provided you don’t forget that, it will make you a much better leader when that time comes.
A True Understanding
To me, there is no point in doing something half-heartedly or dishonestly. I learnt a long time ago that it is okay to do things wrong and, better still, it makes you feel stronger to gain respect from others when you admit you have done wrong or made a mistake. The cliché of making mistakes being life lessons is so true. You rarely make a mistake and not learn from it, nor should you make the same mistake again.
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Anna