Week 10, 2024 - Diary of a Revenue Engineer
What I thought…
This weeks quote from Confucius really struck home and helped me a great deal and, as it transpired, actually helped me get more money this week too… so big thanks to the Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period.
At last, my challenge and ongoing struggles between both searching for my next career move and handling a rather unpleasant redundancy process have come to an end, and the quote couldn’t have come at a better time.
I learned so much this week, over the past six weeks really, but this one carried a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that tied a neat little bow around it all and gave me some satisfying closure. Once more, it all happened within the space of two hours. After all that, the final step really was a small one.
So, I’ll raise a glass to momentum tonight, and to anyone who is also struggling against the tar-like substance called adversity.
If you’re one of those people, I know sometimes it feels like such small steps that you just don’t know how you’ll cross the finish line. But don’t stop, don’t quit and keep going - after all… the step that gets you over the finish line is a small one too.
What I learned…
I learned a lot about legal entities within the UK, especially “no win, no fee” organisations which (I totally geeked out on this by the way) are run almost exactly like good sales structures. I also learned the importance of both knowing when you are willing to quit and when you aren’t and how important it is to turn to specialists you can trust when you need them.
No Win, No Fee - It’s the ultimate “no risk” sales line and I found working with these organisations really interesting. I actually didn’t take any on in the end, for various reasons, but you have to remember that, even in the legal profession, they are qualifying out the "hard to win" to make business sense - not the "have to win" from a personal one.
If you have a legal dispute, do a LOT of work yourself.
Lean on GAI and good old fashioned reading to get you as far as you can.
Bring in someone you can trust at the end to help strike the hammer in exactly the right place to help shatter that seemingly bullet-proof glass.
When are you willing to quit? - A friend of mine once said “you are the only person you have to spend your whole life with” and it’s really stuck with me. I find it a really useful internal temperature check on when I’m trying to guess if it’s right to walk away from something or not. In short, just check “can I live with the reasoning that’s leading me to make this decision” and run with the answer. After all, you can feel bad about gut decisions or make the wrong ones but you rarely regret them.
“You have to remember that, even in the legal profession, they are qualifying out the “hard to win” to make business sense - not the “have to win” from a personal one.”
What I built…
I’m having to do a lot of internal consultation as well as with clients, so this week saw the re-use of my Custom-GPT coach and some deep work on mapping out my next steps and my logistics as I move to the next big thing.
Compelled to Commute - Hardly any jobs in my sector are fully remote any more, something I both totally agree with and have a hard time dealing with. I agree with it as, in five years of being fully remote, I have yet to find that same opportunity to scale the in-person benefits of team work in a virtual setting. I struggle with it because… well because commuting is just really shitty.
Having to switch from WFH to hopping on a train once more does fill me with excitement, but there’s also nothing exciting about the hour-long journey in a cramped train car, standing room only whilst I try to do some of my own projects and work from my phone. There’s also nothing fun at all about the exorbitant ticket costs. Here’s a few things that my newest employer did to help take the sting out of it:
Travel costs - They’re hiring me remote, and paying the travel costs. That’s no small thing at all and, as well as being the right thing to do, it’s also very tax efficient which we like.
Total transparency - there was not obfuscation, no colourful language or selling of the dream. They were upfront and direct about their expectations, but also open to listening to what mattered to me in work-life balance and how they could help support it.
Freedom - I’m also empowered to take ownership of my own timeline and schedule. I love this too as, what really is the harm if I leave early one day so I can hug my daughter and tell her I love her. I’ll get that email sent when she’s in bed with no difference to the work impact, but a huge impact on my quality of life and my daughter’s happiness.
How I lived longer…
I spent the whole day on Thursday looking after two headstrong toddlers by myself. Everyone looked at me with one of those “um… are you sure?” kind of faces when I offered.
I totally appreciate why they did, but the whole day was actually one of the best I've had in a while. Yes they both had their moments, and no it wasn't fun when that was happening, but it really was a massive net gain for me as a day.
It all really came together when I got them outside. Here's some info on how this all helped me live longer:-
Gentle cardio - the whole time we were out I was other carrying a 10kg weight (read: toddler) or running to chase them / stop them jumping into a lake / hit a sheep with a stick etc. My heart was well and truly in zone 2 cardio which, according to Men's Health, “…is optimal for the health and efficiency of your mitochondria, the factories that burn fat and glucose to power your muscles and that decline as you age.”
Air and Pine - there are a lot of trees and outdoor space where I live, especially pine. Now, “pretty much all of the pine tree from the needles to the bark to the oils and the nuts, have shown to elicit some amazing health boosting benefits” which is great, but even breathing the air around pine is being proven to have huge health benefits too. (Link: )
Playing with kids - can be so draining and taxing, but lost parents will talk more of how rewarding it is. Well not just that, but parents have been shown to live longer, mainly as a byproduct of play. And my little makes me feel like I want to live forever.
So, that day with the toddlers may have helped me bank a few more for the future!
How I stayed happier…
I have a couple of close buddies from way back which I keep in touch with and make time to see on certain weekends.
I joke that it's “walking therapy” as we've tried to move on from just hitting the boozer and getting blind drunk like we used too… none of us can do it these days, we can't handle the hang-xiety nor the force multiplier of pain that is parenting hungover. So we meet up, and we walk.
This weekend past we spent the day and the night in Bourton-on-the-water in the Cotswolds.
It's called “little venice” and I can see why for sure. The weather had made a few extra rivers in the immediate vicinity but we had a great time.
Just spending time with friends, unloading and sharing our trials, tribulations and celebrations is a great way to secure some happiness.
I know is geeky, but I scheduled out all my regular meetups using my AI Coach at the start of the year and we never finish one without also knowing when the next one is booked in.
Final Thoughts…
Confucius had it right - it really doesn't matter if life has slowed you down, just keep moving.
I am proud of what I've achieved in the last six weeks, against the odds in multiple fronts, and I've been able to achieve my goals and move forward whilst battling on new fronts.
Things will never get easy, but you can learn enjoy the graft and glean a great deal from the hustle.
And remember… keep those little steps going… one of them will bring you over the finish line.
