Musings on work, growing fruit and vegetables, stress, success and gratitude in - business, home, self, and the garden in uncertain times.

Around eight years ago my daughter Jemima decided that she did not want her trampoline and gave it to her nieces. This made a space in the garden that we decided to use for some raised vegetable beds. Since then a steady amount of effort has gone into harvesting each Summer several baskets of yummy, juicy fruit and vegetables. This process includes naturally managing attacks from insects, birds, pets and the uncertain British weather. This year we have had to grow the vegetables from seed as it was not possible to get seedling plants due to lockdown. Thankfully, I have the support of my wife, Kathy, and our gardener & friend Mike to manage the weeding, watering, planting, pruning and picking.

This is a similar process to the career change that I completed three and a half years ago from estate agent to surveyor. It took four years to gain a MSc with distinction and finally qualify as a professional Chartered Surveyor and RICS Property Valuer. It was a tough journey, which drove me almost mad many times, and is a career achievement that I am particularly proud of. 

Managing my business, and my well-being in the current extreme times in the pandemic is also a mix of tough and rewarding. I am constantly working on expanding the depth of my technical knowledge, service skills, physical and mental health well-being. I love working for myself although it is lonely at times, I am looking into ways to change this. Like the fruit and vegetables that need feeding, watering and pruning. It was particularly tough having no work for around six weeks whilst the property market was frozen due to the lockdown restrictions. But like gardening you have to cultivate before you can harvest the rewards.

It’s also been a time of gratitude. With big thanks going to the network of support from Kathy, Jemima, Goldie Ella, friends, family, RICS mentors at Property Elite and Blue Box, my therapist, BNI, colleagues, and loyal clients these last few months.

Much like vegetable growing, work through these times comes and goes in cycles. Tending the soil for planting can be a slow process. But in starting new projects and realizing dreams, we need to cultivate & give the right conditions. And then when everything is ready in its own time, we get to harvest a bumper crop. I was reflecting on this recently, as I was assisting clear some of the high street bank mortgage valuations backlog mountain after the lock down eased, wearing PPE gloves and a mask and guiding several property purchasers and their solicitors with RICS valuations and HomeBuyer survey reports on the value and condition of the property.  

If you would like to plan and chat about a residential survey or RICS property valuation call me on 07957606886 or email roo@rmsurveyors.co.uk