Last week of November, and hello December! The countdown to Christmas is on! 🎄 It’s time for a reflection on the past week and look forward to the next one.
This week has been rich and busy, with our upcoming relocation to France, the exciting (and a tad stressful) journey of exporting my beloved British classic car, and my ongoing commitment to personal development. I am also giving more and more thoughts about my professional aspirations and exploring the impact of early morning routines on my overall well-being.
Personal
We are in the process of relocating from the UK to France (more on this to come!).
I spent a good part of the week looking for the most cost effective way to export my beloved 1975 MGB GT “Dragonfly”.
I first went via a platform called Shiply (very convenient, reactive, lots of answers and quotes to my request. Unfortunately there was a time constraint and I missed a good opportunity there).
I had another opportunity out of this platform for a very sensible price and close the deal! I will be using the service of Advatec UK.
And it is not only my MGB GT that will go, but also the 2 other cars I own in France: my 1980 Citroën 2CV6 Club and my 2006 Mazda RX-8 Performance Pack.
Dragonfly will start her trip on Tuesday. As a consequence, I took time over the weekend to get her ready for her trip! That was nice to refit the battery and found out that everything was working fine, seeing the lights on the dashboard and hearing the fuel pump ticking to pressure up.
After having checked all fluids were still of good quality and at the good levels, I tried to fire her up and nearly succeeded despite a weak battery and more than 4 years since I last used the car!😃
I am really looking forward to drive it again! There is a bit of work though. Can I do it in 2025? OK, let’s add this to my goals for next year.
Professional
Linked to our move to France is the question of my professional activity.
Being an Engineering & Lab Manager working for Safran, the large French aerospace group, there might be a possibility to stay within the group via internal mobility.
Despite I could see myself continuing the adventure with Safran, but with nothing in sight for now, I need to look for other opportunities, and I am updating my business profile, and finally decided to switch on the “Open to Work” flag on LinkedIn.
If you are interested in my profile, feel free to check here, or on LinkedIn.
Inner
I have been working on my self-mastery for about a year now, at least officially and consistently. Likely one of the best – if not the best – investment I have done so far.
This has all started with the discovery of “The 5am Club” from Robin S. Sharma, first as an audiobook, and then as a book. The book led me to challenge myself in installing a new habit over the course of 60 days.
This habit is about waking up early (at 5am) and use this extra hour, quiet hour, magic hour, when the world is still asleep, to meditate, exercise, journal (3 blocks of 20 minutes). This is just fantastic, life-changing,
After nearly a year of practice, I can say that I have fallen behind with the morning exercise, yet I am not feeling guilty as I cycle everyday to and from work anyway, whatever the weather. I have kept consistent with my meditation – relaxing my body and mind, and extended my journaling to 45 minutes, clearing my mind, putting on paper my thoughts, daily lesson learned, results achieved the day before and setting up new daily actions that will get me closer to my goals.
It’s a fantastic way to start the day in a constructive and positive way, confident and in control of the day and your life. I cannot recommend it enough. If you wish to self-develop, change, improve, evolve, this is a great way to begin the process.
What is on the plate for next week?
The agenda for next week is not fully defined, yet I want to progress on the following topics:
Personal: the MGB will be on her trip, and I will have some work to do on the flat here in the UK.
Professional: as expected, I will continue to update my profile, adding my latest training records. I will also add a dedicated section on this website.
Inner: I need to get better with my weekly scheduling, still not strategic enough. And more walks, enjoying nature!
A few final words
As the year slowly comes to an end, I’m really excited about the possibilities that 2025 holds. From settling into our new life in France to embarking on new professional adventures, there’s much to look forward to.
In a few weeks time, I will review 2024’s achievements and I’m already committed to continuing my personal growth journey, fostering mindfulness, and pursuing my passions.
I invite you to join me on this exciting journey. Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in the comments below. Let’s connect, inspire, and grow together.
Until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and keep shining!
Bonus
For a glimpse into “The 5am Club” by Robin S. Sharma