Dare to dream

There are some weeks that will remain with you for a long, long time. In the lockdown world that we currently inhabit small things and small moments of joy make a big difference. Sitting out in the sun yesterday to celebrate and remember VE Day with my neighbours who have become good friends through this time facing Covid-19 was joyous.

We are all finding living with uncertainty a challenge. I was lucky enough to speak on a webinar alongside the inspirational Lauren Currie about leading a communication team through a crisis. One of the important points was keeping positive and my tip was something I do a lot which is find things each day that you are grateful for. It starts to focus you away from the negative and onto the positive. Time with my neighbours yesterday was definitely on my list.

As I was planning to set up my crisis communication consultancy I could never have envisaged the strange world we now live in or that I would have had a week like the one I have just had. The leadership webinar was followed by speaking at a virtual crisis communication bootcamp alongside the amazing Donald Steel. There were lots of discussions about business opportunities and I managed to put together a Recovery Communication Readiness Assessment Guide.

There were plenty of words that I wrote, including a number of blogs, and that I spoke taking part in a PR Moment podcast assessing the Covid-19 crisis communication from those in charge.

Most importantly for me, I finally held my book Crisis Communication Strategies. After two years of planning, developing, researching, writing and rewriting the book was finally published on 3 May, with publication in the USA and Canada later this month. It is the accomplishment of a life-long ambition. Some years ago I start with a blog a day in May to see if I could be disciplined enough to do it, and I followed it in 2016 with a blog a day throughout the year. It was then that I realised I could do it.

I am so grateful for all the kind words and support that people have given me about the book and I hope that people get something from it. After sitting on my own and writing it, knowing that people are reading it is makes me quite nervous.  It has been my baby for so long that waiting for the verdict from other people leaves me biting my nails.

There are a lot of people that I have to thank for helping me in writing the book, and particularly those who provided endorsements – Francis Ingham, Rachel Miller, Sarah Waddington nee Hall, Oana Lungescu, Donald Steel, Emma Leech, Maxim Behar and Wendy Moran.

If there is one thing I hope you can take from this blog it is never to give up. For me, after almost 12 months nursing my horse who at 23 has struggled with serious illness, today he was well enough for me to sit on and go for a walk round. I never gave up on him and he never gave up on life. Dare to dream and never give up on those dreams.

Have a good weekend.