What lessons have you learnt?

Have you ever completed a sporting challenge and realised afterwards that there are so many lessons you can carry into your personal or professional life?

Back in July, I wrote about the 97mile cycling challenge I was undertaking around Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland and the focus it required. I successfully completed it on Sunday 26th August on the wettest and windiest day of the whole summer ! Preparing for it and actually doing it required an enormous amount of planning.  I had a training programme of how much time I should cycle every week, but I had to plan out for myself:

1)     When to fit training in around normal work and life commitments

2)     What to eat to make sure I was absorbing as much nutritious food as possible

3)     What to wear and when to wear it

Planning

Years of project management experience has taught me whether you are the organiser of an event or simply a participant in it there are always lessons to be learnt and to document them right away.

These are the 5 main Lessons I learnt that can apply to any situation. If you set your mind to it, you can achieve anything you can you want as long as you:

  1. Follow the advice from your peers (in my case my local bike shop owner and other cyclists who had completed it) and you listen to it!
  2. Make yourself small achievable goals
  3. Build yourself up physically slowly
  4. Get yourself the right resources and tools
  5. Don’t do it alone, join a group

Bitter Lessons

It took me all day to complete the course but I did it. As one of my clients commented I  succeeded because I had strong legs and an even stronger mind! However, I stupidly ignored points 4 and 5 above.

I didn’t heed the advice of shopkeeper who told me to buy cycling shoes when I was buying my cycling gear. Then I left it too late to get some and get comfortable in them. I cycled all summer in my trainers which was fine until the Monsoon type conditions on the day. I learnt very quickly that if you are cycling in the relentless rain with only your standard trainers on , all the water runs down your legs into your shoes and then they begin to squeak which is very uncomfortable and very distracting for you and your fellow cyclists!

Picture of Virtuali on bicycle

Alison at a very wet banana stop at Gawleys Gate 20 miles in

Growth

I also didn’t join a cycling group. I made excuses to myself why not to join a cycling club such as 1)  you are used to cycling about in Europe so you don’t need one 2) you wo’nt be fast enough to go out with a group 3) they’ll go out at times that don’t suit etc.  On the day, I was very jealous of the groups who were flying along ahead of me , chatting to each other and spurring each other on.

The Lap of the Lough made me realise that in life just as in business you need the support of others to challenge and support you. You can only grow and push yourself so far as a lone wolf. So, in September this year I signed up to Louise Brogan’s 12-week online Mastermind challenge with 5 other women at a similiar stage of business development. The difference that it makes for others to question your business logic, to hold you accountable for actions you promised to take and to challenge you is remarkable.

Quote by Aristotle

The Roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet

I’ve been out the grand total of 2 times on my bike since the Lap of Lough challenge because for weeks afterwards I couldn’t bear to even look at the bike. I also had an extremely sore left knee and Achilles tendon which I probably wouldn’t have had if I had adhered to points 4 & 5 above! but as Aristotle said ‘The Roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet’

Since early October I’ve been ‘dunking’ with the Lough Neagh Monster Dunkers and I really enjoy the social bonding of throwing yourself into the cold waters of Lough Neagh and trying to revive yourself afterwards with copious amount of tea, buns and chat! I wouldn’t proscrinate about asking for group support again. Next challenge to do an Ice KM where you swim in temperatures of 5 oc or below for 40 lengths? I’m not saying yes but I’m not saying no either so watch this space!

Throughout this month, I will be publishing posts on planning so please keep out my website LinkedIn or sign up via my email list

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 4, 2018 / No Comments /  

CEO of your own life?

This week I’ve researched venues for Christmas dinner, put together course materials, made travel arrangements for a business trip, taken the minutes at an HR investigation case and make lots of diary appointments. Does this sound like pretty much your average day too as a PA? The big difference for me is that I’m self-employed; I completed these tasks for several different clients and I didn’t have to beat terrible traffic to go to work because I’m a Virtual (Personal) Assistant, a “VA”.

There are 4 questions that people already in administrative industry invariably ask me when I tell them I’m a VA:

Q1: How does being a Virtual Assistant work in practice?

A1: Well, I use all of the skills that I’ve gained over last 17yrs of my career as PA and as a Project/Export/Sales /Travel -Administrator but I work virtually i.e. I use latest cloud-based technology to share tasks/documents/calendars with my clients from my own office and note I say clients rather than boss! I work for several different clients who are all small business owners (mostly sole traders) with very diverse occupations and I work from my own office.

Q2: How do I find clients?

A2: Through lots and lots of hard work! Joking aside it means building up a strong brand and trust, targeted quality networking (face-to-face and on social networks) and lots good word of mouth referrals.

Q3: How does it work in reality re. pricing ?

A3: I agree on tasks based on my client’s needs (on an ongoing or ad-hoc basis), we draw up a contract and I charge per hour or at an agreed project rate if applicable.

Q4: Have you had any special training?

A4: I did a 1day workshop called from ‘PA to VA’ and referred to a wealth of online courses and resources. (I have a modern language degree and a post-graduate diploma in business administration). In the past, I have completed several PA courses but it is experience and common sense that is the most important ingredient (most VA’s are aged 35yrs+ and have 8yrs+ admin experience in senior roles)

Advantages for me of being a VA:

  • I get to choose the type of work I want to do
  • I get to choose the type of people I work with
  • I get to choose (within reason) the time of day I work

If you are an early bird like me-you can get up as early as you want and as  a night-owl vice versa!

  • I get to choose what time of day I take my lunch and how many days and when I take my holidays
  • I get to choose where I want to work from –my office, one of many co-working spaces in NI,  a hotel in Rio! (anywhere reasonably quiet with good WiFi connection)

Advantages for my clients:

  • They get to choose how much work /what type of tasks they give me
  • They get to have flexibility as to when they need work done for them
  • They pay me only for hours they need me –so no additional costs pension, sickness, maternity etc.

 

The term Virtual Assistant first appeared back in 1995 in Australia and western states of the USA primarily due to the large geographical distance to travel to work. The industry began to grow with the creation of the Internet, search engines, the cloud and smartphones which meant that people were no longer restricted to one fixed abode to work in. 1,300 Virtual Assistants were recorded in UK helping 7,700 clients in 2014 and VA Industry is continuously on the rise here in NI with the ever-growing number of self-employed business owners needing flexible but professional administrative support.

 

I became a Virtual Assistant in April 2014 after 9yrs abroad working as PA to a Director in a European institution, I wanted to move back to N. Ireland and I wanted a role that was flexible, interesting, creative and not restricted to one industry/sector but I just couldn’t see a job that  particularly interested me. Then I saw a workshop for Virtual Assistants advertised and had a light bulb moment as it let me put all my skills to use (co-ordinating others, diplomacy, maintaining confidential data, IT skills) but with the added advantage that I’m also my own boss and that of course brings its own set of particular challenges!

Challenges:

I could paint a very rosy picture of good points of being a VA but in reality being self- employed and being responsible for every aspect of running your business is Very Very hard work. You are the Finance, IT, HR, Marketing department all rolled into one! And I tell you there are days I sadly miss having those people at end of the phone. Though saying that, these days PA roles are often very demanding and many of us are already used to such multi-jobbing.

The biggest challenge for me has been learning to switch off and ‘allowing’ myself to relax. Even though as a freelancer you have the flexibility to work when you want, it’s hard to get into that mindset after so many years ‘working 9 to 5’ as Dolly sings.

There is also the isolation which is a big factor. As a bit of an introvert working by myself doesn’t bother me but it’s important to get out from behind 4 walls of your own office from time to time (for business and sanity purposes). I’m a member of several networking events but I particularly enjoy coming to  Personal Best NI PA Forum. A forum event for the banter and to see what new developments are happening PA world.

Monday past I worked 8 am to 8 pm but then it meant that on Tuesday when the sun was shining I was able to go out on my bike for a few hours. On other occasions, I’ve shifted my working patterns around to take my mum to hospital appointments or pick up errands for my sister (who works 9-6pm).

I love being a Virtual Assistant as no 2 days are the same and as I’m working with people from lots of different industries, I’m constantly learning. It’s also very interesting to connect with Virtual Assistants all over the world but most of all I love the flexibility and challenge of being my own boss. When I left my former employment, a colleague commented ‘ah you want to be CEO of your own life’ and I couldn’t have put it any better! If you are at the stage in your life that you need flexibility that your current employer can’t or won’t give or you just want to find out more about being a Virtual Assistant don’t hesitate to drop me an email at alison@virtuali.uk

 

Alison Matthews

VirtuAli Admin Solutions

www.virtuali.uk

 

http://CEO of your own life ? PA’s looking for a change? Published LinkedIn 19th August 2016

August 23, 2016 / No Comments /