Day 10: All Change Please

Posted by: Alison Chisnell on: December 10, 2011

• In: Advent | Blogs | Business
• 4 Comments

 

I am truly delighted and quite happily overwhelmed with the response to this Advent Calendar blogging experiment…when I initally suggested it, I had no idea that it would capture so many people’s imaginations and create so many fantastic posts from such a wide variety of people. Many of the guest bloggers are people who have become friends on Twitter and some others I have known far less well before their offer of writing a post. Today’s post though, is from someone very special who is part of my family – my sister-in-law, Liz. I am very proud and genuinely touched that she has taken the time to write a blog post for me…and an excellent one it is too :).

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This time of year brings mixed feelings for me.  As an accountant, when December starts and the decorations start going up, I have an impending feeling of dread.  Both 31 December and 31 January are huge deadlines in the accounting calendar, and the start of Advent always brings on a bit of a panic attack when I realise just how much there is to be done.

And of course, there are the other things which we have to find time for at this time of year.   Writing cards, putting up decorations, attending school plays, and of course Christmas shopping, all come within the ‘Mummy’ remit.  So December for me usually means stress and anxiety, at least until Christmas Day itself, when I finally allow myself to relax.

This year is slightly different though.  A number of things which have happened in 2011 have made me reflect on my life and my career, so I am in a rather more thoughtful mood than you would normally find me in at this time of year.  The main trigger for all of this reflection and ‘navel gazing’ is the sudden realisation that I am getting, well if not old, at least middle aged.

The festive season also marks my birthday, and this year it is a significant one.  I have drifted through my 20s and 30s without thinking too much about my age, but now I am uncomfortably aware of getting older.  The other major change this year has been my son starting at secondary school, which marks a new phase in all our lives as he and my daughter both get older and the household dynamics change.

All of this has made me stop and think about the direction my life is taking.  This has resulted in a change in my working hours which is allowing me more time with the children in the evenings, but making better use of the time when they are at school.  It has also resulted in re-examining my duties at work so that I can delegate more and make better use of my time and my skills.  Delegation is something that I am traditionally quite terrible at, but I am forcing myself to do it.  Hopefully the new year will bring more progress on this, but I am very aware that it will only happen if I make it.

So all in all, I think that 2011 has been a good year for me.  As my 30s draw to a close, I am pleased with what I have achieved so far, proud of my children, and looking forward to helping to drive my business forward in the future.

But enough of this self-indulgence, do you know how many tax returns I still have to do?!

Tags: Advent Calendar, Christmas, Reflection