Disruption sucks

There I’ve said it. Disruption fucking sucks.

I have written before, and spoken on stage, on how much I hate the word ‘disruption’.

I hate it because it is a buzzword.

I hate it because it is used by people who seem a tad too giddy and eager to see something they dislike taken down a peg or two.

I hate it because it is used as part of the startup myth. You are not a founder – unless you disrupt. You will never be that billionaire unicorn – unless you destroy. You do not engage in true innovation – unless something new rises from the ashes of the old.

I lost my job last Friday. Not just me, but plenty of others in our little London office. We were asked to clear our desks and leave – that day.

I wasn’t fired you see. Neither was anyone else. The job just ceased to exist. The money was not there. The road had come to an end.

Right at that moment, my life became ‘disrupted’.

Let me just say – even if you are prepared for it, even if you are 45 years old, with 20 + years of experience, even if you did see the end of the road coming – disruption still fucking sucks.

When you get to the end of any road – whether you ran there or had the stop sign shoved in front of you – you have two choices.

1. Look back – at all the potholes and gravel and twists and turns that marked that road – and feel weary and angry and scared.
2. Look forward – feel all your new muscles and sharper instincts, gained from navigating those potholes and twists and turns – and start a new journey.

After a few days, and a few bottles of wine, I chose option 2. It is time to start a new road – one I am walking on with clearer vision and stronger strides.

I lost a job on Friday – not my career or my life. No matter how the next chapter of my journey through FinTech, innovation, media etc. pans out – I will be in control of my vision, my message and my identity.

That is what this blog is about. I will write about my past, present and future – lessons I have learned, stories I will tell, humor I will share.

From a very early age – I think I have always been a Girl, Disrupted. This is where I start owning my story.