What inspires people go to work every day? Money? Recognition? Making a difference?
I am an Information Officer at the MS Trust and I was reflecting today on what inspires me to go to work (it’s the time of year when people seem to get reflective….). One of the main inspirations is my friend with MS and the amazing way that she deals with everything that MS throws at her. But today was different – my day was turned around from gloomy to bright by some music. This is how it happened.
The MS Trust is lucky to have some brilliant fundraisers who do all manner of amazing things to support us from selling blue cakes to jumping out of a plane (with a parachute, I should add). Local to me, a band called Mr Speaker have recorded a Christmas single with all profits from sales going to the MS Trust. Having listened to the single and heard the band live, I was inspired to buy the album. This features a host of local musicians all playing Christmas tunes, many of them old favourites. It is such a great example of people coming together to raise money for MS.
Anyway, to get to the point, I was listening to the album as I got ready for work this morning. It was cheerful, I sang along (loudly and badly) and it turned my day around. Life is not always easy, including at Christmas as there are people out there still dealing with what MS brings them every day of the year. MS does not take a holiday!
So I came into work still singing (but quietly, fortunately for my colleagues) and feeling inspired by what our supporters do for us. Today looks like being a typical day for me as an Information Officer at the Trust. I will answer the phone for our Enquiries Service where I could get asked anything about MS (like symptoms and treatments) or about the consequences of MS (perhaps on how to adapt the workplace) or I might speak to a family member who has questions. I will write something about the latest research in MS for our website and then, if there’s time, begin on a piece for our newsletter that goes out four times a year.
The Information Team is always busy! We send out a huge number of our publications every year and everything we provide is free. All this is possible through the combined efforts of our fundraisers. So thanks to everyone who’s helped this year and a special thanks to Mr Speaker and their friends for inspiring me today.
Jane, Information Officer
You can listen to Mr Speaker’s Christmas single with options to download it for less than £1 and support people with MS.
Keep up the good work Jane and colleagues and a happy and healthy New Year to you all!