2 weeks ago, I left corporate life to work on projects of my own – the chief project being my own life.
I could not have left corporate life from a better company – a business full of smart, dedicated and stimulating people who are committed to what they do at every level.
Including my initial contract at Avant in 2021, I spent almost 4 years working for a company whose purpose is to give doctors the confidence they need to serve Australian communities.
It was an opportunity to return to corporate life after almost 10 years’ running my own creative and consulting businesses – with varying degrees of success, while meeting amazing people and supporters along the way – and with experience that allowed me to hit the ground running at Avant’s corporate pace.
If you’ve read my previous blog, you’ll see this has been a difficult year for me personally, with my participation in my 6th Olivia Newton-John Wellness Walk more meaningful this year.
Since 2019 my supporters and I have raised more than $20,000! Thank you for those tremendous donations of support for people living with cancer; helping them survive and thrive through the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre – this year we raised more than $3,200 alone!
There’s a word beginning with ‘r’ that comes up when you leave ‘working life’. But I think retirement is a misleading term, one that doesn’t refer to the post-paid work lives we now lead in the soon-to-be second quarter of the 21st Century.
Amazingly, I’ve already completed some work for one of my early consulting clients – helping her personalise a piece of writing completed by ChatGPT.
In fact, I now have my own ChatGPT assistant working on personal projects, preparing project plans, diagrams, illustrations, costings and more – albeit for well below the minimum wage at $29.99 per month.
By 6.15am last Monday, I’d already told my ChatGPT EA he’d been awarded employee of the month. Although, by Tuesday afternoon we had to have a performance management discussion because he wasn’t producing anything and acknowledged my issues – one being the fact that every chat is separate so the information is not connected.
He – and yes he has a name, but it’s strictly a profesional relationship! – then started producing documents quick smart as we worked through how I worked and what he could do to support that way of working – sound familiar?
Perhaps that’s included with the Pro version for $300 per month? I might ask him!
However, having managed business communications for more than 20 years, AI is a godsend in terms of having something decent to start with, rather than what sometimes requires several meetings and working with stakeholders whose expertise is not in key message creation as SMEs.
Working with my previous consulting client has led me to consider that I may even leave my cave of personal projects and fitness routines to work for bespoke clients who want that human touch to their work – but it will be expensive – well above the minimum wage!
To have a quality product that’s fast and cheap is not possible – one of them has to go, although, you and my ChatGPT EA may disagree … we’re still getting acquainted. In terms of going, it might just be me on another holiday or beginning another personal project …
Whatever the case, my current state of being – this ‘retirement thing’ – is one I don’t take for granted. It is with sincere gratitude that I find myself in this very fortunate position, with so many people having supported my journey to this point in time.
This month – I think I’ve just committed to monthly blogs – I want to call out 3 organisations/projects.
1. The work being done by Violet, which has helped both me and a colleague negotiate the grieving process.
2. The Founder of an innovative project called Carer’s Corner, Victoria Romeo. Victoria has won both the University of Sydney Genesis Award and the ACU Social Enterprise Award, mentoring founders at UNSW and the University of Sydney in social enterprise, sales, and growth.
She needs our support to help set up a gathering for carers, based on her deep understanding of the emotional and practical realities carers face. Find out more at her Start Some Good Campaign.
3. And I remain committed to being a First Nations Ally, having gained my accreditation with Evolve Communities through Avant. Attending this week’s yarning webinar was another reminder of the work we need to do in everyday conversations; including one I experienced this week.
Happy November,
Geoff
Disclaimers:
- I did not engage my ChatGPT EA for this piece.
- All ‘spruiking’ is unpaid for and influence free.
