WELCOME CHANGE AS A FRESH START

WHEN ONE THING ENDS IT OFTEN MAKES ROOM FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ITS PLACE.

Nick and I realised this week that we have been renting our offices in Mackay for eight years this month, which has surprised both of us to be honest and is a reminder of just how quickly time flies.

Although it was a big decision and commitment for us at the time as we hadn’t had offices previously, we have really enjoyed welcoming clients into the space and working from there, even though it wasn’t full time.

So we were sad to hear a couple of weeks ago that our landlord wants to take back the space to use for his business, which means we have to look for new premises.

I admit I did also have a chuckle to myself remembering the article I wrote just a few weeks ago called about taking things for granted as that’s probably what we’d done with our space. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. He has been a great landlord.

After the initial shock, surprise and acknowledgment that both of us would be sad to move on, we decided to see it as an opportunity. An opportunity that will allow us to do things a little differently perhaps, and find an equally suitable space to enhance to create the welcoming, safe and calm environment we know works well for us and our clients.

But it turns out that was a little easier said than done and we looked at several places which were either outside our budget or just not suitable for various reasons.

Feeling disappointed but not deterred, we carried on and have now had an offer accepted on a building which has a similar feel to our existing one and needs a little tender loving care to make it suit us.

We are very fortunate that the search didn’t take too long.

What I have noticed in these past few weeks as this has all unfolded is a slight uneasiness. After sitting with it, I believe it’s partly because there was uncertainty about where we would move to, as well as a sense of urgency even though there was no pressure to move quickly.

The unease was also due to having little control over the change, and we hadn’t seen it coming. Life is often like that – it presents things that look and feel like challenges but are actually opportunities.

It may take the wisdom of hindsight to fully appreciate that at times.

Also playing out in the background was the decision about how long to lease the new office space for, which prompted conversation and consideration about how much longer we want to continue working as we are.

Much of that decision has to do with our age and, not that I’m in denial, but thinking about stopping work caused me to reflect and work out just how I felt about the idea.

Nick and I both dislike the word retirement and its connotations and have never lost ourselves in the what of our work as some people do.

We love our work, but it doesn’t define us and we have other interests that we are keen to pursue.

We prefer the word transition, which I see as a shift from one thing to another over time, applying small, gradual steps and planning to achieve a different way of being, whatever that looks like.

So, returning to moving premises, I am now seeing it not just as an opportunity but also as a shift, not a major change but one that will move us along to a different future, whatever we feel is right for us and whenever we decide to make that shift.

I know that for some people, leaping too far ahead in the future is overwhelming because it’s so unpredictable, while others love the buzz it brings.

If you are in the former group, then perhaps reframing your thinking from change, which can feel like a threat to the brain, to a shift may help reduce the overwhelm and encourage you to stay in the here and now while planning and taking steps towards your desired future.