I used to be Brown Owl. And before that a Rainbow leader and a Guide leader. (Those who know me well are NOT surprised when they hear that!)
My favourite bit by miles has always been the campfire. And it turns out that I have managed to get myself a bit of a reputation in that area!
I am “The Campfire Lady”!
I love fires and I love showing off and lighting them with one match and no firelighters (that would be cheating!).
Consequently I was recently asked to run a campfire for the local Brownie group.
I still have all the songbooks and songsheets from my time in the Guides, so I whipped those out, lit the fire and got the girls singing.
It was amazing to see the enthusiasm on their faces, getting even the girls who are pretending to be cool to stick out their tongues and sing “Little Green Frog”.
It is such a change after sitting in front of a computer, solving problems, to suddenly be needing to keep 7-10 year olds engaged, as well as avoiding smoke inhalation when the wind changes.
I came home exhausted, but with none of the normal strain in my shoulders. Perfect – the best way to relieve stress and keep my clothes on!
The biggest surprise for me this time was that I turned up at the meeting to be greeting by the refrain: “We know you, you’re the Campfire Lady!”
Which was lovely, but led me to think – that is not normally a hat I would crown myself with.
How many of us are doing our jobs, leading our lives, thinking “I am a golf club manager” or “I am an employment law expert” when actually the people around us see us in totally different terms?
I’ve learnt a big lesson from this, that how we define ourselves is not how we’re necessarily perceived. The more we can understand the impact we have, as opposed to how we think of ourselves, the more we can give people what they want and need; both in life and in business.
Speak soon
P.S. Oh, and if you need a campfire lead, I am the Campfire Lady!