Opening Doors

By Angela Preston

In May 2014, I decided to quit the job that had run through my veins for so long and I loved so much. Up until a few months before, I still woke up every day thankful I had landed the role I wanted more than anything.

I had worked my way up from grassroots level and knew the ins and outs of the job. This was necessary if I was to be successful.

I felt I had to be effective not just for myself, but also for the divisional manager, who had believed in me and given me my chance.

My work ethic had been instilled in me from a little girl, coming from a family of six girls, four of which were older than me. They along with our parents had shown me what you can achieve from working hard, but my hunger to succeed started at an early age. From as far back as I can remember, I didnt take losing very well, so more often than not, I studied and practiced every game we played, giving me that edge all the time, ensuring I won most of the time, and this still continues today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jul 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504945721

Angela Preston

Angela Preston, also the author of Opening Doors, is known for her zest and passion for empowering individuals through her workshops and talks. She is a recognized influence on confidence and personal development. She is a regular guest on both radio and TV and recently shared her expertise in a TV interview and book launch with C-Suite Network as part of Best Seller TV in New York. Angela also delivers impact workshops based on the content of this book. With her authentic and welcoming personality, Angela leaves the clients believing there is no limit to what can be achieved. She trained with the Public Speaking Academy and the Coaching Academy when embarking on her new career as a speaker/coach. Angela has twenty years experience in sales and leadership as a top-performing strategic manager prior to becoming a speaker/author. Angela believes we all have it within us to achieve the ultimate and become great at being us. She inspires her clients to make the impossible become the possible and never give up on their dreams. For more information and contact details about Angela and her work, please visit www.angelaprestoncoaching.com.

Book preview

Opening Doors

Angela Preston

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AuthorHouse™ UK

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Phone: [phone]

© 2015 Angela Preston. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  10/05/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4570-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4571-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4572-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge my wonderful parents for giving me life and a life I truly cherish, for the upbringing they provided. What we missed out on in luxuries, they more than made up for in other ways: my mum’s passion for life, the laughter, joy, and love for her girls that she carried right throughout her life, and my dad’s determination, loyalty, pride, and strength he instilled in his six girls. I took so much from these two people who made me what I am today.

My sisters are my five best friends. They made me laugh and cry, both sad and happy tears, growing up. The bond that our mum had woven so tightly, it would never be broken. Even to this day, we may not always agree, as we are all opinionated, independent individuals, but we are still best friends.

My beautiful nieces and nephews, as well as our precious great-grandchildren, are like my own children and have brought me so much joy over the years. My beautiful goddaughter Mollie for being the daughter I never had.

My wonderful aunty Mary, who always had her door open when we needed her. I loved her so much. My uncle Michael, who I also adored so much; he was like God to me: there when we needed him, along with my uncle John and uncle Joe.

Tracey Birch, for being my first friend and still my friend forty-two years later; her aunty Debbie, who I had my first drink and my first date with Barry along with her mum Ellen, who also played a big part in my childhood; Joan and Tony Birch for showing me empathy and treating me like one of their own.

Maxine, Lorraine, Debbie, Marie, Paula, Sandra, Mandy, Shelley, and Lynn are my friends who have had a huge impact on my life.

Colleagues and managers who have inspired me so much throughout my career.

My first manager when I was an agent, his words inspired me to become an area manager.

The human resources manager who guided me throughout my journey as an area manager.

The regional manager who believed in me and put me as interim in South Liverpool. I also have to thank him for teaching me the importance of being professional and how to become business minded.

The divisional manager who gave me the chance to shine and be successful; he gave me my very first branch. He was the one divisional manager I had aspired to be. I will always be so grateful to him.

The motivational speaker I had the pleasure of meeting, he helped me realise what my vocation was

My mentor and friend, who taught me what being a great mentor stood for.

Most importantly, my husband and sons, who are the reason my world goes around every day. Barry has never once gone against a decision I have made; his support and guidance, even what to write in my book, has been so important throughout our twenty-eight years together. His intelligence amazes me every day, as well as the love he displays for me at any opportunity. Thanks, Ba, I love you so much.

My Christopher, my Leighton, and my Joseph, my most treasured possessions. I want to thank them for making my life complete and helping me become a mum I could only have dreamt of becoming, as well as a friend.

I thank God every day I get to spend with you three, making me proud of the men you have all become. The love and respect you all show not just your dad and me as well as each other, anyone you meet, makes my heart swell with pride. You really are my everything.

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Introduction

In May 2014, I quit the job that had run through my veins for so long and that I loved so much. Up until a few months before, I still woke up every day thankful I had landed this role, which I had wanted more than anything.

I had worked my way up from the grass roots and knew the ins and outs of the job. This knowledge is what led to my success.

I wanted to succeed and be effective not just for myself but also for the divisional manager, who had believed in me and given me my chance.

My work ethic was instilled in me when I was a little girl. I came from a family of six girls, four of whom were older than me. They along with our parents had shown me the importance of working hard and what you can achieve from doing this, but my hunger to succeed also started at an early age. From as far back as I can remember, I didn’t take losing very well, so more often than not I studied and practiced every game we played, giving me that edge all the time, ensuring I won most of the time, and this still continues today.

I have this habit of when I do something for a second time, it has to be quicker than the first time, constantly improving.

I had been thinking about leaving my job for a long time. The year before, I had been off ill (looking back now, it was probably from sheer exhaustion). Senior management need not have put pressure on me to succeed. I did this quite well myself.

I was so ill at one point, my doctor wanted to admit me to hospital. He relented only after I promised that I would rest as well as take time off work. This was now a wakeup call for me. I had to think of my own health and my future.

Some days, I was working up to fifteen hours just to ensure results were coming in. These hours were necessary if I was to be the best I could be. If I left the office early, I felt in my mind I would fail. I continually looked for ways to improve; that’s when I realised it was time to move on, plus my passion for the job was now waning.

If I got four hours of sleep a night, I was lucky, as my mind was unable to rest. I worried about taking my location to the top, so sleep deprivation played a major part in my time off.

As well as it affecting my health, it was also having a big effect on my family; first and foremost before my job, I was a mum and a wife. As much as my job was important to me, my family meant more, and wanting to be part of my boys’ future was the deciding factor in my decision to leave.

It was September 2012 when my health started to deteriorate, and that is when I stopped enjoying my job. It had played such a big part in my life and had given me a good lifestyle. The job enabled me to afford luxuries for my children, and I almost couldn’t believe I was contemplating leaving.

My personality began to change. I had always been known for my vivacious personality, and humour was a big part of my life. A smile was forever painted on my face, even in tough times, but right now I couldn’t find anything to smile about. I was starting to become quite a negative person, which didn’t suit me. When I was a little girl, my sister Marie used to say that my smile lit up my face; well, it didn’t right now.

When my territory included Blackburn and Manchester, my day started at 7.30 a.m. and I often did not finish until 10.00 p.m. I missed family times and meals. I also missed talking as a family about our day. This was something I had always looked forward to before I started working such silly hours.

I have always been a hands-on mum, so missing these special moments took a toll on me.

When I got home, the boys were either in their rooms or out with friends, and I would be so tired that I didn’t even bother having dinner. I would just go straight to bed after getting a quick shower. My weekends were also affected; if I wasn’t on the laptop, I was sleeping. My social time was becoming part of my work life; you know the saying, ‘Work to live’. I was actually living to work. I knew it was only a matter time before I made the decision.

The guilt I was feeling had overtaken what my salary afforded. It also affected my marriage. My husband, Barry, could see how tired I was. We had always spent Sundays together. They had always been our day, but that was now a thing of the past. I had always prided myself on my job as a mum and enjoyed my relationship with my sons. I learnt from my own beautiful mum that no matter what you achieve in life, your role as a mum is the most important one. This was now being compromised, so it was time to take action. The effect this would have on me personally was nothing compared to what was happening to my health and my family.

It wasn’t a decision I was taking lightly. I still couldn’t believe I had been given this job. I still woke up every day thanking God for my blessings. As a child, I didn’t think I would achieve much, so to be doing a job I loved meant the world to me.

I worked under a lot of fantastic leaders and learned so much from them, and I led some of the most hard-working, driven, and honest managers and agents. These were the ones I would miss along with the customers. I was not only a hands-on mum, I was also a hands-on leader and manager. My greatest pleasure was to help nurture and coach others to exceed their own expectations.

I loved to watch someone grow on a daily basis; it was quite hard to now be thinking of leaving all this behind, but life goes on for everyone. I also knew that these same individuals would carry on regardless. It was time to put me first. I had also made great friends with the other area managers. Again, it would be a great wrench to leave them behind. Over the years, I had learned so much from just watching them. When I first became an area manager, I had the best mentor; he not only taught me the job but also became a great friend.

I have always been grateful to the company for my salary. This was another reason I worked so hard. I believe you should always give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, and I always made sure I went over and beyond in my role to show my appreciation. This is what benefitted my boys and gave them the opportunities that most kids can only dream of. All three of my boys were lucky enough to work in America in summer camps in between studying. This opened doors for them that otherwise wouldn’t have happened without my salary.

My husband and I made sure everything we earned went into our boys’ futures; we wanted to give them the best start in life. That was what I worked so hard for: to give my boys the opportunity I promised myself I would do all those years ago.

I saw my mum and dad struggle because they couldn’t provide much for us. Even though we hadn’t grown up with material things, we had the best foundation of love that we would all build on throughout life. We had a bond that was woven so tightly by our mum and is still as strong today as it was all those years ago. So as much as I wanted them to experience all of the finer things in life, I also wanted them to be part of a loving, compassionate family who would always be there for each other, just like I have with my sisters, which could have been damaged if I had carried on doing my job.

I knew I was making the biggest decision of my life and that could either make or break me. I also knew my time at the company was done. I had to put both my health and my family first.

As I am sitting here writing the start of this book, my resignation has gone in, and not once have I regretted my decision. When I was twenty-eight, I had applied and been accepted to complete a course in journalism. I had to turn it down, as I couldn’t afford to give up my job, having a young family at the time. So here I was in a very different place: My children, now men, and my husband supporting my decision. He told me that I can’t put a price on my health as well as peace of mind.

Even the economic climate at the time didn’t put me off. I know my capabilities and will always succeed, whether I am a cleaner or director of a company. I will always apply that same work ethic I have always displayed. There is a fire inside me that keeps growing and pushes me on.

Others thought I was having a midlife crisis, leaving my job to write a book and take my career in a completely different direction. I have always believed you will never know how good you are unless you leave your comfort zone.

I was excited at the thought of starting a brand-new chapter in my life. My husband and I had