Time is a funny thing. When you are young you want it to go faster, each milestone seems to take for ever to arrive. You can’t wait till you are a teenager; your 21st birthday seems as though it will never arrive; 30 is forever away and old; why do 40 year old women even bother wearing short skirts? You get the point. So why when I am tasked by my business mastermind group to paint a picture of what I want my life to be in 3 years is it so hard? When you are honestly putting down in writing where you want to be, is 3 years long or short? On one hand, it feels incredibly long and far off, I should be able to achieve most things right? But on the other hand, it will be here before I know it and what if my goals aren’t reachable in that time frame? Not only does this seemingly simple task bring up concerns for the future, it also requires you to think about where you are and where you have come from. Are you where you thought you would be three years ago? What about further back when I thought I would have it all figured out by age 27. Yep. Believe it or not, that’s what I thought.
Having the task on my mind for the past week in conjunction of hearing the news of Margaret Thatcher’s passing, created a strange place for me. Unexpectedly I was incredibly saddened by the news. . Unstoppable. “The Milk Snatcher”. She may have been those things but she also apparently meant something more to me than that.
Growing up I lived with my family in London for a few years, a relatively short time that has strangely affected my personality in ways which are not always visible to me but become obvious once they are pointed out by family or friends. Margaret Thatcher’s impact on me is one that took me by surprise. I realized that during my short time in the London schools, I was learning the basics of business and government. And who was “in charge” in England at that time? Queen Elizabeth AND Margaret Thatcher. Two women. Two strong, powerful women making major decisions, not just for a company but actually running the country! I only makes sense that as a young girl I would believe that if they can do it, why shouldn’t I grow up to do the same? OK, perhaps not the country part, but a company? Absolutely!
And so we circle back to my task: Paint the picture, in detail, of where you want to be in 3 years. In honor of The Iron Lady {and with the support of all my friends, family and clients who believe in me}, I will dream big. Dream like that young school girl in London would. Dream like 3 years is far away and that anything is possible. And I challenge you to do the same.
Where do you want to be in 3 years? In the comments below, share 3 things you would like to be true in 3 years.
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