I came home from a trip to the Isles of Scilly a month or so ago, a gorgeous archipelago of habited and uninhabited islands 25 miles off the coast of Lands End.

The winds of up to 60 miles per hour were a challenge! … but it was lovely to experience small island life for a while. And when the sun puts in an appearance, the islands sparkle and glimmer, showing off turquoise sea and white sand beaches to rival the Caribbean.

I first went for a day trip to St Mary’s aged seven (uneven fringe picture attached) during one of our family holidays in Sennen Cove and the Scillonian ferry still has an old fashioned charm that I remembered the first time. Cornwall got under my skin back then and has never left me. To this day, a trip away doesn’t feel like a proper holiday to me unless it involves the seaside in some way.

Fast forward to 2024 and reflecting back to being there as a child got me thinking about the magic of the place. The stunning cliffs, beaches, cream teas, pasties and cider are all lovely things about being in Cornwall. But looking back also made me realise how automatically at home I felt there, even from a young age. I’m told I was a timid and shy youngster, nervous about trying anything out of my comfort zone. But I remember feeling an automatic confidence there to face the rough Atlantic waves and walk the rugged cliff paths, as my mum put it, ‘like a mountain goat.’

Reflecting on the intervening years was interesting too as I face a milestone birthday in the coming months. I took the opportunity to look at how far I’ve come, how I’ve navigated and survived challenges, the amazing people I’ve met, and the different jobs and career opportunities I’ve had.

Coaching is mostly about looking through the windscreen rather than the rearview mirror. It’s one of the many things I love about it; I use coaching techniques to help clients to move forward rather than feeling stuck or as though they’re going backwards.

One of the exercises I use is a looking back one, for example at a client’s career. It’s a powerful way to highlight achievements that need celebrating and explore how they’ve dealt with challenges in the past; we literally look back to move forwards. What do their experiences tell them? What have they learned and how could that help their current situation? What do they want to repeat or do more – or less – of?

Looking back in this way is a fantastic window for recognising and celebrating achievements too, which often get overlooked in our busy lives; an instant confidence boost!

As I did when I was seven, I felt at home in Cornwall/the Isles of Scilly this time round and found the reflective time there really useful.