A couple of people have asked me how the whole Amsterdam Adventure is going.  Well, it’s been interesting.  This makes for a somewhat self-involved post, but today’s my Birthday and if I can’t be self-indulgent on my Birthday then when can I?  (I’m hoping there’ll be cake later)

The office is pretty chaotic and they need a load more great people – people who “get it”.  I’ve had to make fast decisions and step on a couple of toes in order to get things on track or at least get them away from the perilous cliff edge that they were petering over when I arrived.  But the job is the job; all I have to do is remember how to do a great job and keep on doing it.  As chaotic and difficult as it might be, that’s the easy bit.

The trickier part has been finding my feet and keeping hold of my confidence outside of the office.  I’m finally in an apartment, and while it wouldn’t have been my first choice there’s nothing really wrong with it.  The mattress and bedding were, how can I put it, nasty in a way that makes you turn your face away while making an “yeurghh” noise, and I put up a fight when they wanted me to move in without replacing them.

I had to check out of the hotel as my time there had run out, the bedding situation hadn’t been fixed and so I was effectively homeless.  I was close to jumping on a plane and heading back home.  It wasn’t impressed, but I stuck to my guns and got the bedding replaced; that felt like quite a win, let me tell you.

I met some folks in a hotel bar (hi Danielle, hi Sophie) who I had a couple of drinks with and we got on like a house on fire.  A friend of Sophie’s turns up, and it turns out that he’s in town for a big MBA reunion weekend with his classmates.  I get invited along to their big MBA dinner along with Danielle and Sophie, which was awesome and made me feel lucky to have met them.  Number’s exchanged, Danielle’s invited me over for a meal with her fab family, and I’m hoping to meet up with Sophie in London this week for a glass of wine.  Good people.

I’ve figured out where the good food markets are, and I’m even beginning to decipher the Dutch food packaging.  I’ve found a couple of great writing spots for my weekend mornings, and I’ve found a couple of nice bars for a relaxing glass of something nice.  I’m engaging with the work and my colleagues, and am regularly laughing around the office – a sure sign that things are working.

2 things have struck me.

1. I forgot how easy it is for me to connect with people.
2. Confidence is about engaging with problems, not avoiding them.

Perhaps my biggest weakness (there are many) is wanting to avoid problems to maintain a smooth course, even if that course is heading right for the ravine.

I’ve learned that being confident in applying my strengths (particularly my ability to connect with and instill trust in people) is more than a match for that.  I’ve learned that I can trust myself to make decisions and solve the problems that present themselves, no matter how much I might want to hide.

Confidence really does make a world of difference when you’re somewhere new in life.