
Layne Beachley (left) and Marco Artini with Johanna Baker-Dowdell (right) at the Tasmanian Telstra Business Women’s Awards
“Choice, not chance, determines your future” ~ Layne Beachley
Hearing these words from Layne Beachley stopped the thoughts swirling in my head and forced me to really think about what they meant. I agree that we are the creators of our paths; indeed one of my favourite sayings is, “I am the mistress of my own destiny” (I often sign it for those who buy copies of Business & Baby on Board). But for some reason I needed to hear them again, and it was at exactly the right time.
2014 has heralded a huge change for me. After working for myself since 2006 this year I started studying for a PhD, which meant Strawberry Communications no longer had my full-time attention.
Instead of pouring my focus into what I needed to do for my clients or to market Strawberry Communications every day, I have been juggling those commitments with completing ethics applications and literature reviews. To say my life has changed is an understatement!
Then, at the end of July, disaster struck. My foot was injured very badly and three months later I’m still recovering. I couldn’t walk or drive and was a prisoner in our home (the one we moved into the day after my accident), relegated to sitting on the lounge with my foot elevated as it healed. My study has suffered; my work has suffered; my confidence has suffered.