In just a few weeks, a new chapter will become my reality. It’s been a tough year for many South Africans, and I was no exception.
I have been in business for almost two decades, and for a moment there, I really thought I had seen it all! I was at the top of my mountain and very cosy up there. However, I have been humbled these last few months. I have been through trying times before, but this was like an earthquake. Not that I have ever been in one, but I would imagine it feels something like this. Around every corner, there have been problems to solve. Significant changes were calling for agility.
I have resisted moving my office closer to home for many reasons, amongst others, having to “start again’. Moreover, the thought of having to reinvent my now much older self than the previous time I did it. Not just that, but a change of mindset and a complete overhaul of how we do things. I was taking it apart and putting it back together in a new way. Now, that must sound extremely exciting, and it is, but it is also profoundly unsettling and downright exhausting.
As I write this, it keeps pouring rain. It is freezing, and in some areas, people have become homeless as a result of the rain and flooding. That is both humbling and sombre. In many ways, the rain resonates with me today because, in my heart, there have been many days in 2024 when all I wanted to do was cry. With the rain comes washing away so much muck, and when it lifts, even when it is cold, it is poetic in how clear everything is. So, for me, the rain means hardcore cleansing, and the prospect of clear skies and, at last, 2024 is becoming clear.
I am starting to feel like someone who just renovated a house (physically by myself), imagining sitting on a chair and looking at how awesome I look. I feel like that lately. I am starting to see it! I am excited, exhausted, and, most of all, challenged in a way I have not been in a long time.
Sometimes, on our business journey – we need to undo and redo our businesses and ourselves. It is a lot of work and effort, but sitting back and looking at the finished picture, well, that is exhilarating. So, if this sounds familiar, hang in there; it will be worth it!