22 June 2018 - SpaForce

My dad says to me “you only get one shot at this life. Its not a rehearsal”.

While he may not be one of the great philosophers I think this sentiment is spot on and a good mantra to live by. 

I feel I’ve had more than my share of major surgeries already and allegedly I’m only half way through my life. Without medical intervention you would not be reading this. It makes you wonder what’s coming as my body and mind accelerates it’s gradual decline. 


I celebrated my mid life crisis with spectacular aplomb. We bought a shiny new sports car. Before purchasing it we made a ‘for and against’ list of should we proceed. In the ‘against’ side was all the budget saving and practical reasons. In the ‘for’ column was one item, a big smiley face.  We made the purchase. We still love that car. It’s a symbol of achievement, freedom and of making the most of the time we have here and I have a big smiley face every time I drive it. 

Having been surrounded by our own illnesses and those of loved ones too, then you realise that time here is precious, make the most of it. 

So that’s my mantra of life too. You only get one shot at this. So do things that make you happy. Be with people who appreciate you and whom you also want to be with. Spend your time doing a job that can consume you positively in a place that respects and appreciates the value you can bring. Something that gives you the fire in your belly to keep chipping at, improving, making those changes for the better. 

When Gemma said she fancied a spa day with Salesforce family then we made it work. A group of 8 gathered one Saturday at Whittlebury Hall for a day of relaxation and pampering, with a side order of Salesforce. 


Making time for yourself nowadays almost feels like a guilty pleasure. We should always be working, learning or doing something for others. So for one day we gave back to ourselves. We stopped, relaxed and had fun. 

SpaForce was born. The 8 of us realised that taking a day to stop is just as healthy and productive than doing all the usual stuff we do. Yes, we did talk Salesforce and even offered the venue our talents to upgrade their systems and processes to the best CRM in town. 

We also talked about more deeper things. Our own personal journeys; what’s brought us down, how we picked ourselves back up again, how we are better people for the life experiences we’ve had. In some respects the day could have been called ScarForce, to represent both the physical and mental scars we have acquired over the years. You need to feel in a safe place to share that sort of stuff. The average Meetup may not always be the right space for that to happen. Mental health and general wellness are things we should not neglect. The output from a happy and healthy person is more powerful than and longer lasting than someone on the road to burnout. 

It was the Salesforce Community that initially brought us together but it was SpaForce that brought us closer. 

We’re going to do this again, SpaForce 2019 will be a thing. Interested in joining us?

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