My World: June 2021…
This is part of a series of articles where our contributors describe how they think things will look a year from now.
By the time Covid 19 arrived, my world had already changed. I had left the city and was busy trying to create a business out of a passion. Vespucci Adventures was set up to become a trusted source for self-guided walks. I was already working from home. Whilst I missed the camaraderie of the office, I doubly valued my renewed sense of purpose, the time spent researching and enjoying beautiful walks, reconnecting with nature and conversing with family and friends. Especially side by side.
Everyone is thinking about what their world will look like in 12 months’ time. Whatever social distancing rules remain in place, we will not be able to resist our most basic human need to socialise. Moreover, we will be looking for meaning in our lives. We are happiest when we have a sense of purpose. Zoom conference calls, live Instagram pub quizzes, amusing viral video clips will not fill this gap for ever. We are already being warned not to expect a return to cheap and easy flights of fancy to foreign cities. Nor can we expect pubs, clubs, cinemas and theatres to open any time soon. We are going to need to rediscover the meaning of connection and purpose if we are going to fill this huge void.
Let’s therefore start the search for shared purposeful experiences that will enrich our lives. We can learn from the past and rediscover the strong sense of connection and community rooted in tradition and an analogue world.
Walking is the perfect shared experience especially when infused with purpose. Conversation flows like never before. Enjoy the sense of adventure when you alight at a station that you have never visited before, embarking on a walk that you do not know. Experience beautiful views, historic buildings and unexpected local twists and turns. Stop and appreciate the gnarled old oak tree, witness to countless events beyond our imagination. Listen to the bird song and smell the wild garlic. Rediscover the joy of the Ordnance Survey map and the camaraderie of reading it together. Feel the frisson when you think you might be lost. Compare that to being a blue dot on a google map, never lost yet never connected.
I hope that my world in 2021 will see Vespucci Adventures being engaged by companies to offer their employees great ideas, guided or self-guided, for getting outside with friends, families or colleagues. I believe that CEO’s will need to reflect on this as remote working becomes the norm. Companies will have an important role to play in bringing purpose and connection back into the lives of colleagues.
Be the boss who brings real meaning to the well-being agenda. Invest in a shared experience that brings everyone together, reduces stress and anxiety, generates goodwill and (dare I whisper it) improves productivity.
My predictions for June 2021…
UK in recession: No
Sterling vs US$: Higher
Sterling vs Euro: Higher
UK base rate: Lower than 1%
UK RPI: Lower than 2%
Halifax UK house price Index: Lower
US President: Biden
UK/EU Trade Deal: Yes
UK/ USA Trade Deal: No
When this is all over I will put my walking boots on and head for the South Downs with friends.
