Not even a week into the new year; one that is starting just as challenging, if not more so, than the last ended and yet I’m smiling.
I haven’t won the lottery, well not literally, and it’s not gin induced so what’s it all about?
It’s about feeling like I’m at the start of something important. Something that can pave the way to make companies more successful. Something that will enable more people to simply be themselves and use their strengths, their skills and their education, to add value to their professional lives and their community. Something that will ultimately enable people to simply go about their business day to day.
In May 2020 I decided it was my time, my time to get out in the big wide world to make a difference for a wider audience. Although I’d spent the past 13 years in an organisation with more than 100,000 staff and contractors, one company still means a limited audience (although reaching the masses in a large organisation can be very challenging) and I am determined to do everything in my power to make disability inclusion and accessibility a reality.
Be #PeopleSmart was launched on 1 January 2021 and my real first day at work was on 4 January. I have had so many messages of encouragement and confidence, which have been very appreciated and have also reinforced my own confidence.
If I’m honest, I expected to have some feelings of doubt as 2020 drew to a close; however, I can honestly say those feelings never came. I feel so passionate about my new venture and everything Be #PeopleSmart stands for and therefore believe the future is bright.
Some people have told me it’s brave to start a new business in the middle of a pandemic, however one legacy of our non-friend COVID is that it has raised the bar for so many when it comes to awareness of exclusion and having a workplace that doesn’t meet their needs, resulting in more interest in disability inclusion and accessibility than I have ever previously witnessed. It’s nice to know something good can come out of these very trying (to say the least) times we’ve all been experiencing.
So, as I continue with my strategic planning and personally returning the calls of those who have already submitted their enquiries (for which I send thanks) I plan to keep hold of this smile.
Thank you for reading my update and I hope you also have plenty to smile about in 2021