WHY DID I WANT TO BE A VA?

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

We’re all asked that when we are younger aren’t we?

Did you really know what you wanted to be when you left school?

I did. A PA! I remember going into school for the ‘What-do-you-want-to-be-when-you’re-older?’ day and dressing up as a secretary! I just loved the thought of helping someone with their day-to-day tasks, being their ‘go-to’ person for jobs, and managing their diary!

Isn’t it funny where life takes you? I’ve been in a variety of roles, some not even related to admin/office at all. But the tips and tricks you learn on your journey can aid you later in life. I finally arrived at a place in my life where I could do this; my circumstances were ideal, my girls were at an age where they were more independent, and my husband’s business was financially stable.

I’ve been super excited for my venture ever since!

excited

With Age Comes Experience

I think it’s amazing for someone to know exactly what they want to be when they are 16/17 years old and they choose a path that will help them get to where they want to be or do with their life. My sister wanted to be a beautician from about the age of 10 and you know what happened? She followed her dream. She never lost sight of it. She went to college and qualified within 2 years of leaving school, started working and boom! 20 years later she is still at it and loving it!

Wish it was like that for me! When it came to the crunch, there was part of me that wanted to explore the world a bit.

My Journey

So, since leaving school I’ve worked in a variety of roles, including:

— Recruitment agent
— Health Care Assistant (in homes and nursing)
— Receptionist
— Delivery driver

And in-between all that I became a wife and mum — the best thing ever!

Life Lessons and Work

Life can send you in all sorts of directions if you let it and I’ve always been amazed at what I can learn along the way. Tricks of a trade, basic life skills — dealing with that challenging customer or colleague. You learn how to be patient, persistent, and resilient.

You could even use opportunities wherever you work to sharpen your existing skill set like maths — totting up money at the end of the day at a shop, giving the right change to a customer (the till would work this one out for you but sometimes you just need to use your head!), working out discounts, forecasting in a business. Wow, the list is endless really.

I still look back fondly at my younger years. It’s all about the people you meet in your life and the experiences you have. They all make you the person you are now!

What did you want to be when you were older? Is it something completely different to what you are doing today? If it is different, how different and why did you change?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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