Facing a Crossroads

Ever found yourself at a crossroads? At those key times when you know something needs to change but you’re unsure what, how or in which direction, a personal audit can provide the insights to set you on the right path.

In 2020 I found myself at a crossroads in my business. There I was, a self-employed virtual assistant since 2012. I'd brought a load of admin skills from my former corporate career at The Economist Group, so going into virtual assistance had been a logical rather than follow-the-heart choice.

By 2020 I could sense how stuck and uneasy I was feeling. Things just weren't right. Did I need to create yet more new packages for clients to get my joy and enthusiasm back, did I need to hone new skills, or was there something completely different calling me? I knew it was time to do an audit on myself to help figure things out. Self-auditing is such a simple tool that can be applied to pretty much any area of life. If you’re at some kind of crossroads, it can be a life changing start point. Here’s how I did it:

• Grab a big blank notepad, pen and some refreshments and get yourself into a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. This is a time to focus on YOU.

• Make a line down the centre of the page/s so you have 2 columns. On the left side jot down everything you can think of that is working well or you like about the life area under audit. In the right column jot down everything that comes to mind that’s not going well for you or you don’t like. There are no rights or wrongs, all that matters is being fully honest with yourself.

• Next step is to list ideas about what you’d rather be doing if there were no limitations or constraints, financial or otherwise. Go into as much detail as you can, really imagine how things could look, where you would be and with who, what you’d be doing, how you would be feeling. No holding back or hesitating to write something down with thoughts of “that’s crazy” or “that wouldn't work” either, get it all down.

• Ask yourself and jot down what you enjoyed most as a child or what things/people you were drawn to. Childhood often offers clues as to what’s still meaningful to us to this day.

• Now go back over your notes and lists and see what’s there for you - what’s important to you, what needs to change, what spark has been ignited in you.

The beauty of an exercise like this is its effectiveness at weeding out of you things you may never have considered before or were reluctant to admit to yourself. It helped me:

• Own up to myself that I secretly loathed admin. 

• Get clear on the specific admin tasks I did actually enjoy, and more importantly, why I enjoyed them. 

• Get clear on precisely what needed to change. 

• Create and launch Friendship Calls, the listening ear and companionship service that now underpins YouLiberated.

Try it out - one thing I know for sure is that within us we have the answers we seek.

Much love,

Hannah x

P.S. Ready to do an audit in some area/s of your life but need help getting started? Book the FREE Friendship Connection Call with me here and let's chat about how I could help you.