Lift off

Looking backwards to go forwards

I found an old typewriter in an antique market last weekend, one of the sturdy black metal types from the 1930s, the ones that weigh a tonne! This one came in its original box and even has a history, having belonged to someone in the diplomatic core. It reminded me of the one my father used to tap away on. He’d occasionally let me use it, and what a treat that was. I felt so grown up, hitting those keys, getting the carbon paper carefully lined up, and forever having to adjust the ribbon to stop the ink going red.

I have taken the appearance of the typewriter (which now sits on its own desk by the window in my office) as a metaphor, a sign if you will, that now is the time to get going with this Substack. Just like the typist of the last century, I’ve been banging away. I've been telling people that I’ll be creating my own for a long time. I’ve been following a handful of my favourite Substack authors for a couple of years now, loving the echoes of the early days of blogging (remember blogger.com?) when writing was a craft and not merely something you had to do to push out your latest offering.

So, what will I write about?

Over the years I’ve moved from being a PR and marketing company owner to a business psychologist and psychotherapist, but always working with entrepreneurs in my heart.

I want to create something that speaks to you, my fellow business owners and freelancers, particularly around our emotional and mental health. Running a business is different to being an employee and it’s not for everyone. There's a certain level of resilience that’s needed to sustain motivation and focus when things get tough. Even if we have that team around us, they are looking to us for leadership, often at the time when we need the most support ourselves. Business can be a lonely place.

My aim is to create a space, even a few moments once a week, where you can ponder how your emotional needs are being met, and make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of getting them all met by your business. We need to have a rich and varied life and sometimes that’s difficult to do when you are focused on building and growing a business.

I want to look at the issues that can affect us as business owners: loneliness, the difficulties of decision making, difficult personalities and how to navigate them; people pleasing (especially around difficult clients) and the enduring need for rest and care for ourselves. Oh, I’ll also be talking about money too so that should get interesting.

I won’t be tapping this out on my typewriter, but I will be looking at it, literally for inspiration and a reminder to just keep going, one key at a time.

I would love for you to join me, and I look forward to hearing your take on the subjects I ponder. Please do subscribe and enjoy some Scarlet Thinking!

Paula x