Tash and Mitch by the cake made by the lovely Tracey at Creating Cakes Lindisfarne, to celebrate Stay ChatTY turning 11
Today, July 19, SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY celebrates its birthday. We are now 11.
For lots of people, even for some of us in the team, after the major celebrations of turning 10 last year, this one feels less exciting.
However, there’s no denying the gratitude we feel for our organisation reaching 11 – something I remind myself of a lot lately, as to how lucky we are to continue to grow.
As we approach milestones, I always find myself going back to the roots of why we started. And I am never afraid to take myself back to the deep sadness I feel when I’m reminded of why we were created.
As I have said many times before, I feel that taking myself back to the loss of my little brother helps my grieving journey.
I know I am in a position where I can go there to let out what sadness and emotions I need to, to then bring myself back to the present and allow myself to focus on the job at hand – which is doing my best at life for me and those around me.
One thing I was reminded of recently is the positive difference a positive comment can make.
To combat the added sadness I may feel, I find myself on the lookout for stories of impact we might have had in the community. In a strange way, my mind seeks confirmation that all the vulnerability I’ve shown for over a decade has been worth it.
Is all the effort our team put in on the daily investing in sharing our work with Tasmanians? Have we done enough since losing Ty? Are we still changing the mental health landscape as significantly as we aim to?
In the work we do, as I have also said many times before, we don’t always hear about the positive impact of our work.
Yes, we have formal ways to capture data and feedback from our session attendees, but it’s only a snippet of the connection we have with the Tasmanian community that can be captured in this way.
Over the journey it’s been the stories of life changing and even lifesaving moments that have left the deepest mark – usually coming to us in more organic ways.
I thought I wasn’t going to find that moment this year until a recent conversation with a former neighbour from 15 years ago.
We chatted briefly and at the end with a hand shake he said: “I will never forget the little fella, keep fighting the good fight, mate.”
A small, but significant nod towards recognition of our fight towards positive change around mental health. I walked away and felt grateful to hear those positive words, but the real learning was reminding myself of the power we all hold to lift others up around us.
We all see others in life, whether they be excelling and achieving, coasting and struggling. Either way we see them and we watch them.
We must never forget how easily we can show support, show gratitude, show love, or simply, show that we care.
For me hearing a comment that we are “fighting the good fight” was wonderful. I am fortunate that for me it wasn’t a situation of where I needed to hear that message to keep fighting on.
However, the reality is there are people in that boat, with that mind frame, that if nothing positive comes, they are running out of options.
As Stay ChatTY turns 11, it’s an important reminder to take 11 seconds out of your day to remind someone that they matter, that you care, or that they are simply doing a good job.
Not every conversation we invest in has to be lifesaving. But within every supportive conversation there is so much power to put a smile on someone’s face and remind them they are seen and valued.
Thank you for supporting Stay ChatTY for 11 years, may we have many more to come.
Mitch McPherson, SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY Founder
