Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

These are interesting days you can use to decide, act and build the life and work-career-business you truly want. Recent first time events for women illustrate how much more possible this is than ever before.

Yesterday

Yesterday, Forbes magazine unveiled its inaugural “50 Over 50” List. This first-of-its-kind effort was undertaken in partnership with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and her “Know Your Value” platform. It is also part of Forbes’ special “Inclusive Capitalism” initiative.

Most importantly, the list is devoted exclusively to women.

Unlike the 30’s and 40’s lists, this one shows so much more possibility, for what’s ahead – and can be ahead – for women.

Why is that important? Because women are a force to be reckoned with.

Each of the 50 women who made the final cut want younger women to know that, and that the runway for what you want is long: it doesn’t all have to happen at one time! And the trajectory can be a wavy line.

Take the pressure off! If you are hearing that biological clock ticking – or you aren’t, or if you already decided to have children, There is time for the all the choices important to you in work and life, and ways to achieve them.

The conclusions from the 50 over 50 list are in stark contrast to The Atlantic Magazine’s cover story in 2012 entitled “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.”

I vigorously objected to that conclusion, then – and object ever more firmly now. Because I truly believe women CAN have it all. That doesn’t mean everything and it doesn’t necessarily mean right now. But…

If you know who you are and what you truly want in work and life, you CAN definitely have it. (Getting the right guidance and support helps – as wisdom from the women on this inaugural list confirms.)

Today

Today, one of the 50 over 50 women was interviewed: First Woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Whatever you think of her positions politically, one thing is undeniably true: at 81 she knows a thing of two about getting what you want. She didn’t even run for Congress until she was 47 and didn’t become Speaker until she was 66. She is a mother and grandmother.

“People make their own decisions about their timing, and they don’t have to comply with somebody else’s view of how that should be,” she says. “It’s about what works for them.”

 So how do you make decisions and determine that timing for your life and career path?

Here are some additional insights and recommendations:

♥ Just Be Ready

Speaker Pelosi also said this: “You don’t know what’s coming next. Be ready. Just be ready.”

How do you get and stay ready? This is one of the first things we address in my Masterful Life Redesign program (so it was great to hear her reinforcement of it!)

She suggests: “Take inventory of who you are, and what you have inside of you, and what you have done. Give yourself a gold star for being the unique person that you are. And, so when the challenge is there, you’ll be ready.”

My take on that is this: You have a unique brilliance. You are here for a reason. You have a purpose. If you aren’t sure, taking a thorough personal inventory will help you discover more so you can be. The masterful women I work question their mastery, and are never quite sure of their own. So that’s the first thing to discover and confirm for yourself: the gift you are and the gifts you have to give.

I know your mastery is there, just waiting to be uncovered, acknowledged and appreciated BY YOU – and there are simple and fun ways to do it.

♥  What To Know (In Head and Heart)

Pelosi’s advice? (Same as mine…) We suggest you know your:

• WHY – in the career you have chosen (or if you need to choose another path…), and in the community you are called to serve

• WHAT – the subject matter you find most interesting, and you are drawn to, and

• HOW – how you’ll best get things done – this involves your preferred skills (of the many you have)

Simple questions, yes. The answers may be multi-faceted. It’s good to sort them out so you feel firmly committed to your choices.

“Your genuine commitment will attract people,” she says. That’s how you become a confident leader. Couldn’t agree more.

♥  Build Confidence

Especially in their younger years, confidence is a quality that often seems to elude women as they navigate through a masculine dominated culture in the professional and business world.

There are ways to build confidence, but bottom line it’s about being confident in who you are. The way to do that is by being authentically you, without apology or feeling the need to be somehow different.

Who you are is a miracle. There is only one you..

Start by just being and appreciating yourSELF! (After all, everyone else is taken, and no one else has your path, your purpose, your brilliance…).

Your path is your path, no one else’s. You may think it “should be” a straight line. But it rarely is, for anyone. There will be roadblocks to detour and obstacles to get around.

Pelosi suggested seeing interruptions as enhancements. I say, view them as an opportunity to grow. Recognize they are simply course corrections, learn what you need to learn, learn to ask for help, learn to get the support you need (you deserve it), and keep moving forward. More will be revealed!

You WILL get out of the hole, across the over the bridge, across the pond, and through the rain to plant your flag. (There WILL be sunny, funny, happy days, too – relish those!)

Tomorrow

Tomorrow there is more.

Consider thoughtfully how to design your tomorrow so it includes precisely what you want next.

That design work can come after your initial inventory is complete and you are clear about your why, what and how – which provides a foundation to build on. Design in what fulfills you in all 8 Key Areas of Life Satisfaction – I’d love to talk with you about that.

It’s not just about Work-Life Balance. There are more factors to consider.

Then, armed with your a vision and a plan you can make decisions.

Decisions are liberating acts. They get you moving in a direction. While that can also change, it’s best when that change is based on conscious and deliberate choices. Otherwise, you may end up on the Goldilocks path of trial and error, too hot and too cold, too hard and too soft, rather than finding the best direction for YOU.

No need to feel rushed, but you do need to act – to get in motion.

The key is to know yourself and be yourself – to recognize and appreciate the gift that is to you and to the world. Then act on what interests and inspires you.

You will do the best you can in the moment. Remember you don’t control all the factors, so don’t judge yourself for not doing the best you know how. It’s okay. Sometimes, those other factors preclude it. Sometimes, the best decision is to move on from something, some one, some place where you find you can’t do the best you know how. There will be another opportunity to contribute your best – that is where you belong.

The best tomorrows are made up of well-lived todays.

Now you know some of the foundational elements of having it all – YOUR all. What will be your first decision today to bring about the tomorrow you want?

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(“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” – the Brunfelsia latifolia plant above – image credit: https://garden.lovetoknow.com/plants/perennials/yesterday-today-tomorrow-plant)