Two steps forward and one step back. Or maybe even one forward, two back.

Having made the decision to get a coach, and having met with three, I am in a position to commit. In fact, it is an easy decision, as there is one obvious choice. 

So what’s the hold-up? Why do I pretend I am still having exploratory meetings and not in a position to start? Surface answer: Life got busy: kids, holidays, stuff-that-somehow-fills-all-the-available-time-even-though-I-can’t-describe-it. Real answer: Shit’s getting real. Quick, hide under the duvet.

It’s all well and good to say ‘I want to get back to work’, like it’s a crossword you started last week and now come to finish. But the realities of re-entering the labour market are beyond daunting. Having been out of paid employment for *cough* firixventeen years, there are so many reasons to dread the prospect:

• What about all the other things I currently do? How can I possibly fit an actual, real-life job around the school runs, the volunteering, the community stuff, the domestic to-do’s, the endless admin? 
• What do I even want to do and can I do it?
• Should I spend years training in something new? Are any of my legacy skills still relevant?
• What can I really hope for in terms of professional position? I will be entry level along pimple-faced graduates who are eminently more flexible than me!
• What do I have to show for all the years I’ve been out of the loop that is CV-worthy?

Daunting indeed. The metaphorical duvet beckons.