By luck…. (Now that is a short story)…

Not sure which side of the good/bad coin it fell on as some/most days it feels like both, sometimes even at the same time.

It all started with a girl, well it all started with a boy (me) that had just left University with really no idea what they wanted to do, so they followed all their friends and moved down to London and become a graduate trainee (sounds impressive right!!).

It was a lot of fun, partying in London for 2 years, living paycheck to paycheck.

blah, blah, blah, it’s not an original story.

There was a point though when I decided that I didn’t want this path that I was building and wanted to see the world, so I did. After a few months of planning (and moving back home) I packed my bags and went to Asia.

I know it sounds like a cliché but in the early 2000’s it wasn’t as travelled a path. So this was very much an unknown adventure for a 20-something guy from Rotherham. I have lots of stories but that would be for a different type of blog. Anyway, it was an amazing experience and I met a girl.

We travelled together and when it was time for us to go back to normality I decided I didn’t want to return to the UK. So I followed her to Austria and a small town near the border with Hungary.

In reality, it was a crazy decision, I didn’t speak German to be with someone that I had only met during a holiday. Spoiler alert we have been together 18 years so maybe the crazy worked.

At the start, we had to face a lot of challenges and the main one was what can I do for a job. I didn’t speak German (although after 3 years of torture I did finally manage to get somewhere).

After a crazy year doing some random jobs such as selling land to the British, working as a floorer and teaching English (poorly). I finally managed to land a “proper” job working as an Airfreight Importer Coordinator for a Korean Freight Forwarder.

This is where the luck came in, I had very little experience and the only real value is that I spoke English. Yet it seemed that I was quite good at “moving stuff”.

This piece of luck is what allowed me to stay in Austria, build my life, and see the rest of the world. Doing something that I found that I am passionate about and quite good at (even if I do say so myself)

For me, the searching that made me leave a good job in London (where I was doing well). Venture out on my own is probably one of my best characteristics that makes me a good fit for the world of Logistics. The ability to plan, and deliver change. Managing the challenges that come every day with the complexity of moving items physically over massive distances through harsh environments.

Allowing the uncertainty to be part of the journey. Having the skill and the teams around you to create something that wasn’t done before. Every time you move goods even when it’s classed as “regular” freight is a unique moment in time that have unique conditions.