We're all so busy racing around trying to get good at the latest 'next big thing' that sometimes we forget to take a step back...
by GUEST EDITOR Nic Davies Uley 
Working in communications, reading about communications, communicating about communications, it can all get a bit too much. If working for myself has taught me one thing, it’s to step back and look at the view.
But you can’t look at the view, unless you take the step back.
You’re either reading this post on your way to work, in work (instead of work) or on your way home from work. Your head is full to the brim of whatever the day has thrown at you. Whatever huge document you’ve had to digest and summarise in three simple tweets and a blog post. Whatever crisis you’ve had to solve with a call to an Editor and a reassuring smile to your Chief Exec.
You’re reading this looking for answers or clues as to how you can improve what you did today and do it all again, only better, tomorrow. You are desperately seeking something but you don’t know what it is. You are reading about others and (with a slap of the head) thinking DAMN, why didn’t I think of doing that? You are taking it all in - this wonderful creative goodness that is Comms2point0 - but wondering when you’ll have the time to spew it all back out.
If you’re anything like me and Homer Simpson, you’ve reached a one-in-one-out system when it comes to new information. Want to pick up that new skill? Better make space and dump some of the old experience first. And on it goes.
Then I stepped back. And looked at the view.
I can see that most people are working in the same way I am and thinking the same thoughts. Comms/PR/Digital is moving forward at one hell of a pace but we’re all largely managing to keep up. If you step back far enough, you’ll probably see that we’re driving it. Yes us, you and me. Just by reading these links and posts every day, we’re part of it, we’re sharing best practice and learning all the time.
Now I’m out of the in-house game I can look back at it and I’m loving the view. I’ve seen that most of localgov is way ahead in the way in communicates and can teach the rest of PR and comms a lot.
I see a talented bunch of people doing amazing things every day but in very different ways. We don’t all want to be the same, no would ever hear us.
So if you’ve got your head buried in your phone right now, or feeling claustrophobic in an office full of colleagues – lift your head up. Use those skills you give to others every day and look at your own story from a distance, then celebrate its success in 140 characters. You’re doing a great job.
(and Comms2point0 want to hear about it)
Nic Davies Uley is a comms and PR consultant and owner of Straight Bat PR
pic via Wikimedia Commons
