How to Avoid Becoming as Tiresome as a Benny Hill Sketch.

Simple changes to existing models can have dramatic result.

Last week when the boys were away, I embarked on one of my periodical tidying and cleaning ‘rampages.’ This naturally involved a bit of furniture shifting and I set to it with all the intent of an enraged Incredible Hulk.

In the living room I had part of a plastic shelf, the type that comes apart, easy to assemble, that I was using as a base to put my hifi on (even my spell checker doesn’t remember what that is).

But I needed another bookcase in my home office (corner of my bedroom) to house my work files. The hifi needed a new spot so I pushed the coffee table to the side and set it on top of that.

When I got the coffee table a couple of years ago I thought it would be great for the kids: to draw, craft, play board games etc etc. In reality it’s main use is as a hot spot for dumping stuff day to day until it is just covered with abandoned Lego projects, Beanos, apple cores, etc. My youngest son also uses it as a barrier to get behind and avoid me.

You know that game where you say ‘brush your teeth’ or ‘get your clothes on’ and your kid just runs away from you, giggling?

In our case, if I fall for the classic trap of chasing the little monkey, we end up running around the table ‘Benny Hill’ style. If you remember Benny Hill, he was a comedian of the old school who ‘cheekily’ liked to chase sexy women in a similar futile game, accompanied by the jaunty theme tune.

That’s what we are like, except I am flustered and red faced for a different reason.

Anyway, that show is long gone and mostly forgotten.

I remember laughing along as a kid, but the blatant sexism has gone the way of the Sony Walkman, so there you go.

Now where the coffee table was there is a big space in the middle of the room. And since the boys came home the youngest has re-purposed it as a dance space.

My little pocket rocket with boundless energy puts on ‘Soul Woman Disc 4’ (a charity shop find) and dances to the pumping beat of ‘Girlfriend’ by Pebbles. He is able to release that boundless energy in a constructive, not destructive way. No gritted teeth as I chase him round the obstacle. Just unalloyed joy as he spins and stomps and grooves to the music.

I realised something in all this: sometimes you have everything you need for a successful outcome; you simply need to rearrange the things you already have.

Know what ‘old-school’ things to keep, to change, to throw out.

My wild child needed space to dance, which only required a shift in furniture.

As it relates to your business, it could be you just need to rearrange some stuff to become even better and more profitable. Don’t be afraid to change what you do or how you operate. Maybe all you need is something as simple as a shift in perspective.

There’s no doubt that through the Covid-19 crisis you will have to change. But never fear: you have everything you need right now. Rearrange some stuff and who knows?

See if you can get a party going.

For bold Ideas for your business, get in touch. rachel@rachelhunterwriting.co.uk. I can take who you are and what you do and transform it into content that engages with your audience.