It was spring, past midnight, in the 20th arrondissement in Paris.
I was crouched over my laptop in our little kitchen, clicking away on a client’s website. In the next room, my little boy was making the adorable noises of an infant asleep.
I had a question for my client and at the point of hitting “send” on the email, I realised the time.
“They’ll think I’m nuts if I send this now! It’s 2 AM!”
“Wait a minute, I am nuts! What am I doing?”
WHAT. AM. I. DOING?
This was the moment it all came into focus.
I had created a business…
- to be flexible and free as a parent
- to be there for my child when he needed me
- to travel whenever and wherever I wanted
- to do creative work for inspiring people
- to be an ex-pat in Paris, exploring exhibitions and events, being tuned in to the cultural scene
But this moment at the kitchen table was so far from that.
I was delighted to be busy with work, matching my former agency salary.
I was happy to be working from home and not in an office I had to spend an hour in transport to get to.
But I was always in work mode.
- When I was with my boy James, I was still logging in to email, dipping into work, even though he was pulling at my sleeve to come play.
- I was so caught up in projects that the laptop came on holiday with us.
- I was working for people who didn’t respect my time and constantly asked for ‘one more thing’ that was beyond our original project scope.
- I never socialised, never took time for my lovely husband, never went to exhibitions, and always felt exhausted.
Why bother living in Paris, if your life consists of 2 or 3 streets around your house?
I knew I needed to make a change, but I had no idea what to do about it.
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Fast forward to today, looking back, I recognise the important steps that I took and the thousands of decisions and micro-decisions I had to make:
- I focussed on MY version of success
- I stopped chasing shiny ideas, instead, focussed on my strengths and my most valuable contribution
- I started saying no to projects that were a bad fit for me and YES to so many other things!
- We left Paris and headed to the south of France for a better lifestyle
- My vision of success is something that I am committed to. And it is NON-NEGOCIABLE!
Success to me focuses on family, good food, and the headspace to appreciate all that I have. One of the best parts of living in France is the fresh produce. In Spring, when the asparagus starts appearing in the market, I think back to the time of being stressed out in Paris and I feel grateful for how much has changed.
The work that I do as a strategy coach helps others to do the same. To create a business that is kind to you, pays you what you need and fulfills your creative potential.
If this sounds like something you would like to do.
Let’s talk. Book a call with me here. FREE CONSULT
