Impact Hub Birmingham changed my life!
I wrote in March of this year about my journey into Volunteering and how helping other people had changed my outlook, well it’s been 9 months since that post and not only has my outlook changed but so has my life, so let me tell you why i know the people behind Impact Hub Birmingham are the reason behind the change
A Building
So its a very big claim on my behalf to state that hub was responsible for such a big thing like changing my life, and im not going to disagree with anyone who would challenge this, as the building, or the idea or the movement isn’t the reason for my claim, it’s the people behind it.
I not only love the idea and ethos behind Impact Hub Birmingham and the global hub network, i truely believe in it and the difference it will make, but to me its soo much more than the space in Digbeth and global network available to members, the game changer for the city of Birmingham is the people behind the Hub coming to Brum.
The People
So back to my claim of life change, well 12 months ago I was pretty much mainly focused on my career, what i could do to progress with my employer and what did i need to add to my CV to help me reach my goals, then along came TEDxBrum and more importantly the people behind it, which was an incredible journey and the single most incredible event i have been involved in, but when i look back, my introduction to TEDxBrum opened a door that not only swung open but it sucked me into a whirlwind of excitement, challenge, new friends & re-focus.
The door opening i mention, was an introduction to the Hub Birmingham team, which at that time was the Co-Founders (Andy, Dan, Immy, Indi, Joy) and a couple of makers (Lorna & Jonathan), this was a group of people that i enjoyed spending time with, and little did I know these guys would have such an influence on the direction of my life and career because so much has changed for me since meeting them.
I will write a seperate blog about each person from Hub Birmingham and why they have had such an influence, but right now I will carry on with this blog.
The people behind the hub have not only invited me into their world, but they have accepted me for who I am, I come from a corporate background and for those who have spent any time in the social change sector, this isn’t always the case, that’s what makes these people so special, they dont care about what you do, or where you are from, they just care about you as a person and that is the single reason i love these people, I’ve met a lot of people in my 11 years in Birmingham, but none so caring, none so dedicated and none so challenging.
I was stuck in my ways, i knew what i wanted to do in my career, i knew who my friends were, as i write this blog I’m no longer the stuck in my ways person, i look for new opportunities, in 2 weeks time i start a new career which is all down to the Hub team and them introducing me to a world and mindset that just becuase thats how things are done doesnt mean it has to be that way, and i still have my old friends, but i now have a load of new friends who are just an amazing group working to change our city.
I urge you to spend time with every single person involved in Impact Hub Birmingham, because each one alone is an incredible person, but the collective, well they are WOW people, they will welcome you in and you will fall in love with their world.
My City
Ive been around Birmingham for 11 years, i did the typical thing in 2009 and moved to London knowing it was going to be my big break, it was going to be what i had seen on TV, it was going to be the answer to everything. Well it was an answer, 2 years of living in the big smoke made me realise i missed Birmingham, ok its transport system is better and 90% of my University friends live there, but that wasnt enough for me, i never felt at home, people never smiled, nobody really knew the city, i just felt lost.
I moved back to Birmingham in 2011 and got back on with my world, telling everyone how much i loved Birmingham, “the bars are amazing”, “i can get to my friends within 15 minutes”, “brindley place is a beautiful place to work”. These are all valid points, but the Birmingham I knew in 2011 and the Birmingham I know today are two different places, the change being, I’ve got to know the city properly, and the best thing is its constantly changing, and there is change just around the corner, I call it my city now because I really do love this city.
So in summary, I've changed, the people i have met are awesome, and Birmingham (our city) is changing for the better. So please support my friends who are working hard to build Impact Hub Birmingham and visit their Kickstarter to be part of the change.
Thanks for spending the time to read my ramblings.
