This story was inspired, as so many are, by a journey.

Following a successful meeting out of town, we had some important decisions make about the future of our business and as ever, news of a new professional partnership often comes with operational considerations.

Usually this oft-travelled journey would’ve been a flurry of activity, with the mood swaying wildly between excitement and apprehension at the task ahead. However thanks to the now expected issues that come with train travel in the UK, the usual distractions for a celebratory journey home – beer, sandwiches and complimentary WiFi – were denied us.

Our plans were scuppered, but the carriage was unusually calm.

This lack of distraction pulled me onto a reflective track. My mind was overtaken with thoughts on, not only the journey I had taken to reach this point I began to consider the personal journey I had taken to get to this point, but the people who had helped me along the way.

We are all under pressure from different elements of our lives, and I believe it’s critical to find a professional outlet outside of your organisation to be able to bounce ideas off and air your thoughts. The outcome of this will be the self-enablement of growth from a skills, personality and goal setting perspective. Identify people within your network who you respect, perceive as achieving professional success and most of all, who are on your wavelength personally.

Too often we can not see the wood for the trees, too often we work with a blinkered approach for the wrong reasons. I have fallen into this trap many times in the past as I’m sure we all have at one point or another.

The remedy? Don’t be afraid to be under pressure, just be aware that you don’t have to go it alone, there are people within your network who will actively enjoy adding value to your growth and sharing best practice actually give them a break from their own daily routines.

I wouldn’t be here today without the help of people I respected within my network and the advice they bring. Be open, be inquisitive, be ambitious, and let others in to help you on your journey.