Take a deep breath. Tell myself “I can do this”.
This is what I find I need to do before attempting something that is outside my comfort zone. Where I am afraid I will fail. That I am not confident I can do. Where I am not sure where to start.
The latest example was the management of the yarn bombing, “Benalla Rugged Up” event. I had not planned on being the one to do this.
The easiest part of the project is the knitting. There are many people who are happy to contribute in this way. But the actual co-ordination and establishment of the process is the part that no-one wants to do.
People who had been involved with the co-ordination for the inaugural event in 2018 were not able to help this year. I had been away for most of the preparation time and the installation in 2018, so did not know what process should be followed.
The crunch point came at the end of May when we returned from a trip to Queensland. Very little progress has been made while we were away. Was I the only one who wanted the event to proceed?
I was afraid that I could not do this. I was also afraid that many people would be disappointed if it did not proceed. They had already worked hard to produce the decorations.
So, take a deep breath. Tell myself “I can do this”.
There was documentation from 2018. So taking one step at a time, I started the process. There were letters to write, funding to find, event approval from the council to obtain. And we needed somewhere to sort the materials donated.
“I can do this” ... one step at a time.
The Gliding Club provided accommodation for the sorting and preparation of the donations.
We needed volunteers for the installation. Last year we had assistance from the ANZ bank as part of their community support activities. Could they help again? The answer was yes. Another step completed.
We could apply to the Council for a Community Support Grant to cover installation costs. We needed to find an organisation to sponsor our application. This was not easy, but eventually we found an organisation.
We needed insurance – public liability and volunteer. Again this took some effort, but eventually we had this in place.
And we needed to apply to the Council for approval to run the event. This included things like a Risk Assessment and an Emergency Plan.
It was in talking with a Council Officer to work through the event application that I realised what I had been doing was managing a project. I had been a Project Manager during my professional life. I was doing was something that I had experienced previously as far as process was concerned. It was just in a very different context. So I relaxed. Everything was falling into place.
We achieved what we set out to do. And I followed the mantra “I can do this” … one step at a time.
Joy Shirley
August 2019
This is what I find I need to do before attempting something that is outside my comfort zone. Where I am afraid I will fail. That I am not confident I can do. Where I am not sure where to start.
The latest example was the management of the yarn bombing, “Benalla Rugged Up” event. I had not planned on being the one to do this.
The easiest part of the project is the knitting. There are many people who are happy to contribute in this way. But the actual co-ordination and establishment of the process is the part that no-one wants to do.
People who had been involved with the co-ordination for the inaugural event in 2018 were not able to help this year. I had been away for most of the preparation time and the installation in 2018, so did not know what process should be followed.
The crunch point came at the end of May when we returned from a trip to Queensland. Very little progress has been made while we were away. Was I the only one who wanted the event to proceed?
I was afraid that I could not do this. I was also afraid that many people would be disappointed if it did not proceed. They had already worked hard to produce the decorations.
So, take a deep breath. Tell myself “I can do this”.
There was documentation from 2018. So taking one step at a time, I started the process. There were letters to write, funding to find, event approval from the council to obtain. And we needed somewhere to sort the materials donated.
“I can do this” ... one step at a time.
The Gliding Club provided accommodation for the sorting and preparation of the donations.
We needed volunteers for the installation. Last year we had assistance from the ANZ bank as part of their community support activities. Could they help again? The answer was yes. Another step completed.
We could apply to the Council for a Community Support Grant to cover installation costs. We needed to find an organisation to sponsor our application. This was not easy, but eventually we found an organisation.
We needed insurance – public liability and volunteer. Again this took some effort, but eventually we had this in place.
And we needed to apply to the Council for approval to run the event. This included things like a Risk Assessment and an Emergency Plan.
It was in talking with a Council Officer to work through the event application that I realised what I had been doing was managing a project. I had been a Project Manager during my professional life. I was doing was something that I had experienced previously as far as process was concerned. It was just in a very different context. So I relaxed. Everything was falling into place.
We achieved what we set out to do. And I followed the mantra “I can do this” … one step at a time.
Joy Shirley
August 2019
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