We are well into January. How is it going for you? Did you have a good Christmas holiday and new year? I hope so. I hope that it was filled with the people you wanted to be with, you did the things you wanted to do and that Santa brought you lots of nice things., Did you watch “Murder Most Fowl” and Gavin and Stacey’s Finale?

So now its January and we have had our first snow. What does 2025 hold for you? Do you have plans? Do you have aspirations? I am not speaking about new year resolutions – I don’t believe in those. They are usually just the transient things that the whole country dallies with and we go into a new year making ourselves miserable. My philosophy is to greet the new year happily and excitedly.

So if I am not thinking about resolutions what am I thinking about? Meccano!

It all started a few months ago when a charity for which I am a trustee asked each of us to do a skills audit which I did. Self-appraisal is always a strange experience. Measuring your skills against the norm is hard and having the self-belief to claim those things which are above average. So this made me acknowledge a list of interpersonal and management skills I have.

Then in November I wrote about culture and put a post on LinkedIn about the best culture in which I had ever worked. (It was the years I spent with the National Freight Company.) To my complete amazement lots of people I had known in those days came out of their lives and back into mine. Some reminded me about the management trainee scheme I was responsible for and how it had affected them. I was amazed. I had no idea that people would still be giving me credit for helping them acquire skills that became the foundation for their careers. They learnt and I had learnt. Apparently I did the important things. So this was where a set of professional skills began and I need to acknowledge them.

Then over Christmas I was talking with some young people about what they are good at. The answers that came back were things like playing rugby, cooking and getting people to do what I want (yes and he was 14). Then they asked me so I had to think of another list. In my case it was asking questions and really listening to the answers!

The conversation continued into what do we want to be good at? And this is where Meccano comes in. When I was a child I always wanted Meccano but never got it – I guess it was too expensive for my family to gift. Last year I was talking about this and ‘lo and behold one of my thoughtful friends remembered and gave me my first Meccano set for Christmas.

It is the best present ever! Now I am learning construction skills. Do you know kits come with levels of difficulty? And times? I am a debutant (beginner) and am not watching the clock! I am learning how to use the tools effectively and congratulate myself when I achieve a particularly tricky bit. I am learning to be patient with myself. Older hands are not quite so nimble.

Now I am asking myself why I never bought it for myself. Was it something to do with it being a childish activity? I think it may have been and yet I always say that if I had played with it I might have become an engineer. If that is true then it is a life skill I have missed out on until now.

And why is this important? The skills any of us have are hugely important and the CPD we do is vital but we also need to have broad interests and recognise however mature we need to develop into new areas, maybe some of which are untapped.

In our business are we focusing only on what we know? Does it hold us too much in our comfort zones? Alongside our CPD should we be consciously developing other abilities and interests which challenge us? What might it lead to? Would it cause us to meet different people who might turn out to be soulmates? Could it be a side hustle or something that will develop into a new stream of business? Could it be something we could do for ourselves instead of relying (and paying) for someone else?

Inside of focusing on resolutions which are about punishing ourselves or improving ourselves to fit in with how we think the world says we should be, is it time for something else? Staying broad, challenging yourself, having fun doing something different? Sometimes it is our hinterland that says so much more about who we are and why we should be the preferred provider of services or product. It differentiates us from other people. It could make 2025 a wonderful journey of discovery.

So how about dreaming a few dreams? What have you never tried or always wanted to try? What would help to balance your business or your life?

By fluke I started by doing a skills audit which made me realise I have developed my cerebral skills. That is all well and good but in 2025 I shall also develop my engineering skills. When I need help I am sure there are Meccano groups I can reach out to.

It can be really hard to stand back and assess these things. Sticking with what we know is so easy. Overcoming anxiety or even fear is about knowing we have support. You might want to develop your business skills but need some support so why not reach out to me? Let me help you. Please talk to me. We can talk about your business, where you are with it, what you want from it and your life. We can find a way of dealing with your caution. I love speaking with people, off the meter, to help them explore possibilities and whether/how to take them forward. I hope you will be one of them.

The next project is the helicopter (see above, my current progress)!