THE last year has been tough.

We have all faced different issues and dealt with them in different ways.

As the saying goes, we are all in the same storm, but in different boats.

I, like many, have been lucky. But then I realise it isn’t just luck; my team and I have worked hard.

We have worked long hours for our clients and gone the extra mile, we have succeeded in growing the business where some financial planning companies have gone under.

As a company we have come out of the pandemic stronger than we went in. This makes me want to help others who are not so fortunate.

If the region’s economy is to survive and thrive, we need to help each other.

It happened a lot at the start of the pandemic, with individuals signing up to be volunteers and businesses helping others for free.

We walked dogs, fetched prescriptions and shopped for vulnerable clients; we sent our friends cake and we mentored business owners.

I was explaining to someone recently about how Future Life had come through Covid stronger than before, when I realised I had been here already.

I have been through a major world event and it made me determined to succeed, rather than being cowered by the experience. That was the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.

It was the worst day of my life.

We survived because luckily, we were in a hotel high enough up. It was so traumatic I can hardly think about it.

But one thing I realised it did for me was give me determination to survive, help others and thrive.

We have made a point of being out there throughout the pandemic.

I thought if we can stand tall with strong shoulders, we can support others; we can keep on listening, talking and encouraging.

We issued our newsletters more often, we wrote blogs, recorded videos and podcasts, made phone calls and Zoom calls to our clients to keep them informed of what was going on in the turbulent world markets.

It’s been tough for so many businesses, but we are coming out the other end and as we do, we need to help each other.

We need to reach out to others who may be in boats that have got battered by the storm and emerge from the rough waters together and keep that spirit of solidarity.

This article first appeared in UnLTD magazine.