Happy New Decade
As is typical during the last few weeks of the year, people rush to get their intentions set (and sometimes announced) for the coming year. I am usually one of those people. This year, however, is an exception. We aren’t just at the start of a new year, but a brand, new decade. Let that sit for a moment. You have an opportunity to set your intentions and plan not just for the next year, but for the next ten. <Cue mind-blown emoji and all the memes> If we’re lucky, this opportunity comes our way only a handful number of times during our lives - and maybe even less by the time you realize it.
This is what struck me as we were heading into the weird period between Christmas and New Year’s. Everyone around me was doing their usual annual review and ‘Top 9’s’ on Instagram, followed by their intentions for 2020. Aside from my Top 9 - which to be honest, is as easy as using an app to create it for you - I was getting a bit of anxiety not having any set plans for the new year. And it wasn’t until I was paying attention to some of the buzz online about it being a new decade when I suddenly understood my anxiety. It was the buzz of a new decade itself that was making me question what I had accomplished in the last ten years. And wondering whether I could challenge myself to do more, learn more, contribute more - to really make a mark - than I had ever done so before. I’ve realized that as you get older, this stuff matters. It’s less about what you say, but what you do that counts.
Listening to a recent podcast, I was reminded that who you are a culmination of all your previous experiences. In other words, I am where I am today because of everything that has happened in the past: good, bad or neutral. I add in ‘neutral’ because not all experiences are black and white. In fact, most of my experiences are like the weather in Vancouver - grey. :)
So looking back, this past decade was one of immense personal growth. I started out 10 years ago in the most painful way, with the break up of my marriage and the most significant emotional growth trajectory I’ve ever known. Navigating the rollercoaster of emotions that come with divorce, I found myself back in the dating pool and eventually into the arms of a man I would now consider my life partner. Together, we share the same values in the importance of humanity and connecting with those around us. We’ve travelled extensively - and continue to do so - while learning new cultures, languages and also commonality. While we’re both still with the same company for work, we’ve changed roles a number of times and Keith even moved from Paris to Vancouver so we could be together. On the side, I co-founded a textile design firm to exercise my creative muscles. After nearly five years of growth I moved on to focus on developing my own personal brand, focused on lifestyle and travel. The opportunities partnering with some of the largest Fortune 500 brands have made me so grateful but I couldn’t have done it without the support of Keith, my family and of course, my audience.
And that is perhaps what brings me to where I am today. Where do I want to go from here? What can I bring to the table? Maybe the more important question is: what does my life look like ten years from now? What will I have accomplished?
If you don’t know by now, I’m a big picture thinker. Always have been. It’s a skill I apply at work every day - and it’s what I use to navigate any type of strategic planning: whether it’s navigating the communication around a multi-billion dollar acquisition or planning my mom’s 70th birthday. So you can imagine given the opportunity to plan my vision for the next 10 years would be something that gets me very excited.
And that’s why I don’t have anything to announce today, and won’t for a while. I plan to use the next several weeks to reimagine, dream, consult, and then yes, plan - for the next ten years. I have some ideas marinating in my head, of course, but they’re big, hairy and audacious goals (for those in business school, yes, the BHAGs).
Lastly, as much as I’m a dreamer, I’m also a pragmatist. The bigger the dream, the more risk it can take that things go wrong and can fail. But I’m not building my Rome in a day; today I’m just grabbing a brick.
Happy 2020!
