Having researched/written/co-written many since arriving back in the office in January, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on the highs and lows of the thrill of the chase.

The Lows:

• Stress.
• Sitting at the desk for hours on end not really knowing what to write.
• Filling in those stupid PDF forms with text box limits that have a tendency to wipe all your saved data when you re-open!
• Freaking out when the budget template that has been provided by the grant provider doesn’t add up … and sometimes when my own figures don’t add up.
• Forgetting to attached your support letters and only releasing a day late.
• Receiving the fateful email/letter/phone call notifying you that your application has been unsuccessful.

The Highs:

• Eating loads of *insert desired type of high calorie food here*, my choice is always chocolate.
• Playing my favourite film soundtracks on repeat through noise cancelling headphones to keep me focused on the task at hand (has to be music without lyrics, or my sentences end up sounding a lot like love song dedications with Richard Mercer ...) 
• The rush of placing the printed application into the express post box or pressing send on the email.
• The high five with the closest person upon finishing the application. 

The Lessons:

• Even though you may write AMAZING grant applications, you have to acknowledge that there is no way anyone on the planet has a 100% success rate … deal with it.
• Call the grant provider in advance – people love to have a chat.
• Regularly open your mail – you might have a nice surprise waiting for you in a DL envelope.
• Vent your frustration in an appropriate manner … sometimes it’s the little things that make you feel better, like tearing up a rejection letter into a million little pieces.

Now it’s back to the task at hand … we’ve got 4 due in the next fortnight … time to get cracking!