I'd intended to have a holiday for months, and just kept putting t off.  I told myself I was too busy. I was at first too busy to take a break, but when I had the time there wasn't anywhere I could think of I really wanted to  go.  After a couple of  long conversations with good friends to tease out some real excuses, I slowly admitted to myself that I didn't want to travel alone.

A work trip would have been no problem. I can travel with friends just fine. Travel to gigs, even better -getting paid to go places! However as much as I wanted to travel solo, which I've done plenty of, mostly to the USA;  free-time and unplanned 'nothing' was proving a lot harder.

At some point quite recently doubts had crept into my mind  about travelling to another country where I didn't know the language or culture, and the potential for loneliness. I'd instinctively try to pack as much into my  schedule as possible, for fear that if I ran out of things to do I'd be left to my own thoughts in a beautiful place with no one to share the experience.

Angloueme is a town in Southern France, about an hour East of Bordeaux by train. The self proclaimed 'capital of comics' with a dedicated museum. Streets and buildings pay homage to Herge (Tintin), Rene Goscinny (Asterix) and many other classic European comics characters. I'd wanted to go there since I was a student.

Getting Unstuck

Recalling this place during those conversations was key to getting unstuck. The desire to travel and visit outweighed the doubts that had crept in, and off I went to France. I had an amazing time. It was even fun getting lost in Bordeaux on the way back to the airport.

I don't want a big moral to this experience, but there's no harm in reminding myself and others to keep talking. It's more work life balance than mental health, but the two are related. When writing my personal journal as I do from time to time, the two mainly questions I try to answer are 'what are my goals?' and 'how do I feel about stuff?' - and they are always changing and developing.

Keep Moving.

Manchester Road Runners 'Run and Talk' Mental Health Champions

I recently joined 'run and talk' an incentive created by England Athletics and organised by one of the members of my local running club, Manchester Road Runners. Anyone attending the weekly run can speak to a 'Mental Health Ambassador'. We're not trained counsellors and we've can't advise, but we can listen and point people in the right direction.  The shirts are nice too.

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Late last year I took part in their 'Spark 2 Scale' programme -  to help grow my own business, and it's been a real boost for my networking and marketing. So it only made sense then for me to then approach them at the end  and offer the service they'd helped me develop in return.

The idea for 'Present Yourself!' was born out of the stand up comedy class I had been  teaching, and has slowly 'iterated' from there over the last 2 years. Slowly adding in 'bits' from other disciples such as personal development,  solo improvisation and side coaching, and clarifying what it is - and what it isn't.  It's great finally see growth myself, the help running the event the feedback on the day was incredibly rewarding.

Stand up comedy workshop for presenting and storytelling in business

Feedback from the event:

"I came away with more confidence, and an understanding that I can talk about topics that I'm passionate about in a way to engage the audience without losing them ... probably one of the most rewarding growth hub events and totally valuable use of my time."

"Brilliant – straight away comfortably out of my comfort zone!"

"Really enjoyable. Got a lot from it. Hope to implement in my workplace."

"It will push tour boundaries, but well worth it."

"Amazing use of 3 hours to develop confidence & presentation skills."

Links

• The Growth Company
• Workplace

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I'm at the halfway point and already seeing benefits. From practical networking to personal effectiveness and growth hacking.   Here are a handful of thoughts on what I've taken so it so far.

A timely kick in the pants.
Naturally, being self employed means I have to  be proactive, and speculative. With all the goodwill in the world, bad habits can creep into work patterns over time, my work patterns. The very nature of opting to go on a course to grow my business, creating a new 'business model canvas' is healthy. Being asked questions that poke at the corners of where I want to go with my niche ' stand up comedy techniques for presenting and public speaking'  training is a very welcome and invited kick in the pants.

Better networking.
Delivering training on presenting and public speaking skills using techniques from my experience in stand up comedy, is a bit niche and a bit of a mouthful to explain concisely. I've always found networking a challenge not because of a lack of confidence, actually the opposite. I'm happy to talk and listen, but always found follow ups quite low. Learning that potential clients are more likely to look online for the kind of training I provide took the impetus off attending live events where I wasn't speaking.
The advantage of the focused nature of the Spark 2 Scale programme is, I find,  that I'm in the room with other business minds eager to grow. That common goal really helps.  Like me they're looking to pick up skills, and of course the best business offers are made when you're not looking for them.

Thinking big.
The anticipation of having a growth strategist look over my new business plan with a fine tooth comb and a big red pen was a bit daunting. Despite recent successes, it was outside of my comfort zone, and some of my hidden worries (impostor syndrome or feeling like an amateur) were threatening t show themselves.
Wonderful then to sit down and have all that negative thinking evaporate as my adviser shared my enthusiasm for what I was doing and it's growth potential. Helping open doors, look at big goals and point out flaws in a way that was practical and constructive.

Prep for the next step.
I've three new projects lined up, and as I'm writing this blog. Both leads came from the preparation I put in before starting the programme. I don't want it to sound like bragging. ( I'm currently reading the book 'How to toot your own horn without blowing it' - Peggy Klaus). However once I'd signed up to the course I wanted to have clarity about my outcomes. Updating the website, re-writing  marketing content and polishing my elevator pitch, the little jobs that get pushed back received the extra attention they deserved and got results.

Supportive and sharing.
I'm aware through the many books I've read that business is people. Whatever the size. I'm influenced by my environment and the people I choose to work with. I shouldn't have been surprised when the second masterclass was on personal effectiveness.  Clapping my hands under the table when the handouts touched on the 'the map is not the territory' one of my favourite phrases about planning and adapting to change.
Spark 2 Scale has provided an inspiring environment for my business goals and I'm glad to be part of it.

Links:
The Business Growth Hub

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