Fiona Simpson is a music loving, film making, photography fan with a passion for communications. She works in the sports sector and always has a story up her sleeve and a smile on her face. Let me introduce you.....
Growing up in sunny Falkirk I dreamed of being an interior designer, a DJ, a vet, a singer in
a band, a hairdresser, a film-maker, a superhero, Michael J Fox’s girlfriend
(after ‘Back to the Future’), a dog walker, a dancer and an astronaut.
My first proper job was working in a video shop when I was
16. I thought it was so awesome to be able to watch films at work. I also had
the pleasure of doing the lights in Fubar Nightclub when I was at university. I got a real buzz out of the interaction with the music,
the crowd and the DJ. I was the first female
‘light-jock’ to be allowed in Castle Leisure Group. They weren't keen at first
but I worked hard and I changed their views on women’s ability to do that job -
girl power!
The best advice I ever got was from my mum. She is a wise and
lovely human being who has said many clever things over the years but I
believe the most life-changing advice she’s given me was to ‘listen to your
heart’. She said that we know what’s right and wrong for us in life but
sometimes we don’t listen to the voice inside. In looking back at it, I can
confidently say that my life changed for the better the day that I began to
actually follow this advice.
The achievement I am most proud of is getting through orthognathic
(double-jaw) surgery in April this year. Making the decision to go forward with
the operation to correct my under bite and then coping with the massive changes
it then forced upon me is something that I feel very proud of. I have a brand
new outlook on life because of the way the experience changed me and how I feel
about myself as a result. I can honestly say that my confidence is at an all
time high but I had to go through an all-time low to get here. It involved
therapy, love, time, support and above all sheer determination to get through
the operation. Writing a blog on my experiences definitely helped me get
through the tough times and I would hope that it might help other people who
have to have a similar operation in the future.
My biggest challenge has been accepting my ‘new face’ after the
operation. Looking different was simply a side-effect of the realignment of my
jaw and getting used to it was a lot more tricky than I had would have
imagined. I got through it with a LOT of help from some very special people in
my life - I feel lucky to have come out the other side and the journey has been
truly incredible.
Other people think that I am much more confident than I feel. I
think through the years I have learned to disguise my inner shyness as uber
confidence and it works on most people, excluding those who know me well! People often mistake my humour and opinionated ramblings for confidence but confidence
is something I work hard to project every day. Working in sport
has taught me that ‘If you do what you've always done, you’ll get what you've always got’ - in order to be successful, top athletes have to work on their
weaknesses as often as their strengths in order to become top of their game.
For me, that means never letting my weaknesses hold me back.
Change is difficult, powerful, fulfilling,
terrifying and inspiring all at the same time. In my experience you can’t hide
from it. I've never been one who naturally enjoys change. Some people claim to
love it but I would argue that these people are big fat liars. Yet when change
is thrust upon me, I am almost always unwilling. I follow the 'Fiona-Simpson-7-steps-to-accept-change-programme'
which goes something like this:
(1) ANGER at the bare faced cheek of change
insinuating it is required. Then lashings of...
(2) DENIAL and ignoring of any aforementioned
requirement. Followed wholeheartedly with copious amounts of…
(3) RESENTMENT and gratuitous grumbling about said change.
Next we almost certainly have...
(4) (RELUCTANT) ACCEPTANCE of changing things.
Then eventual...
(5) ADAPTATION to new circumstance, moving
swiftly onto...
(6) EMBRACING of the change in question. Finally we
arrive at enjoyment and
(7) FULFILMENT at new circumstance (and let's face
it, I’ll probably say it was my idea in the first place)
If I could be someone else for the
day I would be DJ
Annie Mac. She’s got my dream job on BBC Radio 1 and she’s an uber-cool DJ by
night - travelling the world and making people happy with her musical magic… what
a tremendous lady!
In the public eye I believe that Katherine Grainger is a great role model for women because her dogged determination and grit
ensured her gold medal in London 2012 - as well as her other Olympic and World
medals. She is highly intelligent, humble, funny, kind and just generally a
lovely person to be around. I'm inspired by her story and by her talent as an
athlete. Plus, I still think highly of her despite the fact that she once stole
my pyjamas at a conference but then, that’s another story…
Got a question for Fiona? You'll find her on twitter @ScottishFoof and can follow her personal 'ramblings', including the story of her surgery and recovery on her blog.
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