On this, International Women’s Day, I’d like to consider age but in a positive light.
I have been very fortunate to work for myself for over two decades and during that time, I have never let my age define me. I see each year as a great adventure with the potential for exciting possibilities, with the ultimate goal of experiencing and enjoying life.
Life lessons and experiences are not all good of course, but once the tears dry and the dust settles the journey continues, perhaps taking a new and exciting path.
I’m sure that my approach to age was influenced by the fact that my parents left the rat race at the age of 50 to start a holiday business in Pembrokeshire. The move led to happy youthful years and an enviable quality of life that simply wouldn’t have been possible on a corporate treadmill in the 1980s.
As the years have passed and the curve balls have sent us off course it has led to moments of personal reflection. It has given us an opportunity to ask the age-old question ‘what’s it all about.’
For me, the answer to this lies in the Japanese concept of ikaigai, pronounced ee key guy. In the simplest of terms ikaigai is all about connecting us to our passion, our purpose in life and our reason for being.
My reason for being and for climbing out of bed, when the pull of the duvet is oh so appealing especially on a dull cold winter’s day, is to make a difference to the human animal living at work. And I’m making this difference with my husband and co-founder of Fusion Spaces, Michael, our business which we founded at the age of 50.
So, on this International Women’s Day 2020, remember, age doesn’t define any woman and great potential lies within us all.
