Like many people towards the end of any year I become very reflective. The instant boxing day is over I look to the year ahead and back at the glowing embers of the one passing. I was thinking about how my life has changed this year and I visited Rachel's blog and she made me realise that we are not just looking back over a year but over a decade.
My first decade as an adult has been incredible. Ten years ago I was in the final year of my A-levels, eight months away from university, I hated school and couldn't wait to escape. A summer job and several weeks of nervous anticipation of exam results were all that stood between an excited 18 year old and the rest of her life. University was all I hoped it would be, although I still lived at home with my parents I had a great time.
Six months after graduating I met James two days before my 22nd birthday, three months after that we moved in together four years later after buying our first home we married on the 25th May 2008.
Somewhere in and amongst all that I met a lady who worked for a cosmetics company - you know the party planning kind. She wanted to recruit me and I was genuinely considering it until James said, If you're going to do parties why not sell your jewellery? Why not work for yourself? That's two years ago now and whilst I may not have had the meteoric rise to success I had initially hoped for I can see that I am well on my way.
The first of January 2010 is the launch date of my newest venture Aprilis Events Management. The launch will be sadly lacking in Champagne and canopes as it only exists in my head and on my blog but it exits none the less. I have sold my wares at good and not so good fairs and I have learnt a lot from each one. I have realised that a sellers perspective is absolutely intrinsic to the success of a fair. Many organisers see the selling of all stalls as the ultimate goal at a fair which of course is their wage for the day. I however will only see my fairs as a success once I have provided my sellers with customers. I wish to cultivate a successful and loyal band of sellers by helping them to make a profit.
I realise that this is a challenge, especially so due to the financial climate. Lets face it, huge retailers throughout the world are collapsing before our eyes. I still believe though that as big business falls small business can rise. This all sounds very grand when in fact I'm a little nervous of my new venture but I'm confident that the only way I'm going to make my life my own is with the stubbornness that comes naturally, the confidence that does not and working my arse off.
Ten years ago in 1999 a 17 year old looked up and the fireworks filled with nervous excitement at the years ahead, tonight she does the same.
Here's to making this decade worth writing about.
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