Appreciating what we have

As this is the first blog of Service Dealer Ireland for 2024 I would like to wish you and your family a
healthy and prosperous New Year. I hope you have settled back into the routine of things and are looking
forward to the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.

I had a mixed festive season. I spent a lovely Christmas with my family down in West Cork, celebrating
with my wife’s parents. However, two days later, I ended up spending four days in two hospitals with
painful kidney stones. Thankfully, the stones were removed and I have now fully recovered. The
experience is now a distant memory.

The days in hospital made me appreciate my own health. Even though I was in some discomfort, there
were other patients in the wards that I stayed in who were worse off than me. I knew that, within a few
days, I would be discharged and back on the road to recovery. My days in hospital were a definite wake-
up call for me. It made me appreciate my own health and that, despite what I may think, some things are
not as bad as they seem.

Things may not be going well for you in your life or business. Perhaps you missed an important sales deal
or you are under pressure with staff shortages. It may be all getting you down. You should step outside of
your box and ask yourself are you in good physical and mental health. If the answer is yes to both of these
questions then the problems you are experiencing at work are relatively minor. Try and not let the
pressures of work get to you. Worrying about them won’t solve the problem. Look after yourself first, the
business will eventually take care of itself.

Keeping an eye out for your staff is just as important as your own well being. They may be worrying about
things as well, which might affect their work. Keep an eye out for signs of unusual character behaviour or
a change in mood. Support them in any way you can. Your staff are the lifeblood of your business.

Even though Service Dealer Ireland and Service Dealer UK reports on dealership issues relating to the
agricultural and horticultural machinery industry, we consider mental health as just an important topic to
report on.

At last November’s Service Dealer Conference and Awards, owner of Service Dealer magazine, Duncan
Murray-Clarke, touched on mental health in his opening speech. He said that we need to look after the
health of our business as well as our employees. One of the breakout sessions at the conference was also
dedicated to mental health.

You may be still holding on to your New Year’s resolutions. Well done to you if that is the case. Many of us
have already fallen by the wayside. One New Year resolution which would be worth doing is appreciating
what you already have, especially your physical and mental health. Put some time aside for yourself to be
outdoor active. Doing this will be of huge benefit to yourself and to your business.