Seeking Simplicity: my business ethos

Welcome back to everyone who has returned to my blog and thanks for all the encouraging words and messages.  Also, just a hello to any new followers, it’s so good to have you here.  

We're now entering September, the time of year when the big jumpers are broken out, along with winter boots, and the hats and scarves which were hastily stuffed away in drawers and cupboards at the first whiff of spring.  At this time, Instagram is filled with beautiful, seasonal pictures of crisp, autumnal leaves and steaming mugs of tea. Autumn is a time of reflection, the summer is winding down, the harvest is complete and the nights are drawing in as people begin to reflect on the year that's been and think forward to the year ahead.

Autumn vibes

Having recently launched this blog, I've done a lot of research into the kind of business I’d like to grow. It has also raised many questions about how others will perceive this and ultimately, me. This soul-searching, for want of a better word, has been an invaluable process. It has given me a clear purpose and  has helped highlight the direction I'd like to take and the message I want to send out, and why.

In a world filled with mass-marketing, her approach is soulful, honest and real. This is what I aspire towards. I want Shetland with Laurie to be authentic, to be real, rather than batch-processed and impersonal.

Finding simplicity in nature

In today’s fast paced society, we are bombarded with information, news, opinions, gossip and mindless nonsense. It’s a constant attack on the body’s emotional response system and it can leave us feeling jaded and frustrated with the world around us. Recently I've been trying to re-evaluate my own life and knock out what doesn't work or makes me unhappy and focus on the aspects which are true and bring joy. I should add that, everyone should do this! It should be mandatory, think on it as a spring clean of the mind.

The title of this blog post - seeking simplicity - sounds like a tragic self-help book but I promise, it’s not. Well, in part it is. You could say that it is all of that, and none of it. It’s actually about self-healing and discovery, of opening your eyes, and ears to the world on your doorstep and learning how to tune out all the rest – all the white noise. It's about seeing the beauty around us.  It's about making the most of every moment and remembering that your everyday life, is your life so make the most of it. If the things you do everyday make you unhappy, change them.

'Pebbles on a beach' always make me hum Paul Weller in my head.

Mackerel skies over Fitful Head.

I’m not sure what happened when I turned 30 (I’m 31 now by the way) but something inside me changed (perhaps I turned old, or maybe the bairns brought clarity of sorts), I no longer cared about how I was perceived or whether or not I was conforming with what society expected me to be. There is far too much pressure on people to act in a certain way, or to fit within certain stereotypes, and frankly, it's outwearing.

To avoid becoming totally caught up in the guff of everyday life I decided to make changes so I could appreciate what was around me, to see clearly, to view the world through the eyes of a child again (or try to) and yes, I still spend 90 per cent of my free time scrolling through Instagram but it’s creative, right?

For me it’s about taking a moment to stop, and appreciate the now. It’s the bird call in summer, the seasonal changes in spring and autumn, the mackerel skies and most importantly, it's watching your children grow. It's about enjoying all of those things without work pressures playing on the mind and the mundane 9-5 invading your private thoughts, those things don't matter in the grand scheme of things. They shouldn't dictate our lives or govern how we live.

Taking a moment to enjoy the moment!

People live busy lives and this year has been particularly hectic and at times, hard to juggle.  That old mantra of work and life balance has often felt heavily tipped in the former’s favour as that maternal guilt crept in. Instead of letting it sink me, I decided to roll with it and make it work – who says you can’t burn the candle at both ends anyway?

A picnic spot on the doorstep.

So we did, we had picnics, and they didn't have to take all day or involve much planning. A perfectly good picnic can be enjoyed in most places, even in your own back garden. All that matters is that you've made the time for the adventure, you don't have to trek for miles to find something amazing, it can be on your doorstep all along. 

And for parents, who face the nightly witching hour (that dreaded hour before bed) this is the perfect time to set off on an adventure because if they fall asleep on the way home then you've saved yourself another job as you lift them straight to bed.

Other than a few boxsets and the odd 24 hours in A&E (yup, I'm a sucker for a medical documentary), watched in the last hour before bed, we don't watch much tv, meaning that I get a good three hours extra time to work in the evening, when the house is (usually) quiet.This helps get a lot more work done. Oh, and I gave up Facebook in January which is something I haven't for one moment regretted (sorry Zuckerberg), in some ways that was the most positive change I made.

All these things have been really useful in making time management more manageable and in helping ensure that the work-life balance feels more, balanced.  The most important thing I've learnt in seeking simplicity is that no matter how daunting, you have to be true to yourself always and just take a moment to stop, and let your senses guide you.

Finding beauty in nature.

And it's in this vein that I want to run my business. I have no interest in growing a large company, I want this business to work for me and all the lovely people who I meet along the waty will just be an extra special bonus...

You can find out more about my tours here.

Psssst ... about a month after I wrote this blog, I quit my 9-5 day job and went solo. I can say that, two years later,  I have no regrets in following my heart.

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