The Not So Silly Season

This year we have got our fingers crossed that the silly season won’t lead to a COVID Christmas. Hopefully, most of us are not relying on good luck and good fortune but are instead actively using our COVID trackers and taking sensible precautions, like wearing masks, practising good hygiene and maintaining social distancing where and when required. There is no doubt that COVID has changed our expectations. We cannot take things for granted. We must adapt and make the most of what we have.

This year, most of us will be having a home vacation - either home as in the house we live in, or home as in somewhere in New Zealand. Some of us will feel taking a vacation at this time is a luxury we cannot afford, especially if we are worried about our job security. This scenario isn’t all bad news though. If you do have time off work over the silly season, it could be a great opportunity to spend some of it reinventing yourself or reinventing your business. Daring to dream and visualising a different but positive future is the first step in making it happen.

I have had to make a couple of career changes due to circumstances beyond my control. The first was having to find alternative work when a decision was made that overseas-trained teachers were no longer eligible for teaching positions in NZ schools. I had to quickly reinvent myself so I could put food on the table and worked a variety of jobs until I got myself retrained and started teaching again.

It was also a change in circumstances that led to me becoming a technical writer. Although initially I saw it as an opportunity for a career change, once I had trained and got some experience, I decided to start a business. That was 22 years ago and the beginning of WritersInc.

Life is not static, people, businesses and opportunities evolve. I try to keep myself relevant to stay ahead of the game. For me this means actively looking at what is new in the technical writing scene, as well as keeping myself up-to-date and informed as well as focussing on our core business – technical writing and training.

One major focus for WritersInc this year was getting our technical writing course accredited with CPDUK. My latest news article for them, Safety in Numbers, is now published on their website. When I did my research for this article, I noted there had been 111 workplace fatalities in the UK, whereas in New Zealand we have had 47 workplace fatalities this year. So, while our COVID response has been world-leading, we still have some way to go with workplace safety.

Now, while I am looking forward to some sun, sea and relaxation, I am also looking forward to spending some time getting prepared for 2021 and making the most of what we have and adapting to anything we don’t have.

So, dare to dream and start visualising. Make this Christmas a not so silly season for you.

All of us at WritersInc wish you a happy Christmas and a successful and enjoyable 2021.