Moving Forward in 2015

 

Hello 2015! I've kept a rather low profile over the New Year as I've been spending time with my family, but I hope that you had a great time whatever you were doing. Ours was pretty low key, we stayed in, had dinner, rather a lot of Prosecco and played games - just how we wanted it this year.

 

The academic in me always feels that September is my new year, a fresh start when the children return to school and new challenges to face before they finish the following July (for those who've been following for a while, forgive me I know I'm repeating myself!). However, this January I really do feel like I am getting a fresh start. Last year was rather forgettable for a number of reasons and although it was a huge learning curve and showed me exactly who my true friends are,  I am so glad that 2015 is here!

This time last year I wrote (here) that my word for 2014 was believing, particularly to believe in myself. So how did I get on? Well throughout the year my belief did waver quite a bit and as I said, I'd rather forget a lot of it, but I did two things that have a big impact that I never thought I would -

*  I started driving again - I had been too scared to after an accident and although it's not my favourite thing to do in the world, I'm back behind the wheel and it's making life so much easier.

*  I started working freelance - I found out last January that due to council budget cuts my job wasn't safe. I ended up losing a lot of hours and a zero hours contract where some weeks I was only working seven hours per week. I set up a social enterprise called Cherished Heritage and by the end of the year had lead a school and community First World War project in South Wales and provided  workshops in a primary school in Somerset. I was lucky enough to win a new business bursary from Chwarae Teg  (an organisation that works towards and promotes equality in the workplace for women) and with that the professional support and use of their office for six months.

 

So, just before Christmas I left my job at the museum. It was making life at home very stressful for potentially seven hours a week as I have to be flexible around my daughter (Autism Spectrum Disorder means I could be needed at any point during the school day and I suffer with fibromyalgia that also requires a lot of flexibility) and financially I couldn't live off what I was earning.  Today is my first day of fully working at home and it's benefits have already been proven. Anxiety levels were sky high for my daughter who returned to school after three weeks off and I was needed at the school this morning. Usually I would have been even more stressed as I would have been worried about being late for work (again), but I was able to spend the time at school until she had calmed down enough for me to leave.

 

 







I've decided to take the same path in 2015, instead of making resolutions I've decided that I will keep moving forward, with my work and personal life in general. Again things are going to be tough with people fighting against us in all walks of life but I need to keep pushing forward, now matter how slowly it seems at times, to get to where I want myself and my family to be. I have plans for this little blog aswell which I will be revealing soon and I'm hoping that you'll stick around on this journey.

 

 

I hope that you are having a good start to 2015, have you made any resolutions or decided on a path or word for this year? I'd love to hear them if you have!

 

Amy

xx

 

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