Back in January when I embarked on my journey as a Young Advisor, the spectacle of the FF Festival was overwhelming and I felt such immense pressure to be a success that I saw no way I could ever live up to the expectations of the people who stood to applaud the start of an ‘amazing’ journey. Put simply, I panicked. I was very much like a racehorse with my blinkers on; all I could see was one road to success and if couldn’t follow that path to the letter, I would fail. I thought that I needed Future Foundations to help me reach the finish line with as little detouring as possible.
I didn’t know it at the time but what I really needed from this programme was a little encouragement to take the blinkers off and consider the breadth of opportunity that is open to me if I allow myself to take a risk once in a while. I have finally realised that the pressure I felt came only from myself and freeing myself from that has been a difficult but rewarding task.
My mentor Will is brimming with life experiences that have given him a wide perspective; his path to get where he is now has taught me that being successful is not about getting from A to B (B being ‘success’) as quickly as possible, it’s about finding a way to enjoy every bit of the journey and stepping up to defeat the challenges along the way. All of this makes arriving at B all the more satisfying and I think it makes the version of you who reaches B a whole lot more interesting. So from now on, given the choice, I think I’ll opt for the scenic route.
By Imogen Hobby