Age: 35
Relationship Status: Married
Occupation: Head of dept.
Income: ~$71,000
Astrological Sign: Cancer
What is your first thought every morning?
“Five more minutes”. I am not a morning person.
What is something you do solely for you?
Read! I am a lifelong reader and will read anything. Highbrow to lowbrow, from the classics to those brightly colored romance books called things like “BEACH READ” or “HAPPY SUMMER.”
It’s difficult to share reading with someone, but it’s my time to truly relax and feel part of something bigger.
What is something you dread?
Loss of a loved one. I don’t think I could bear to lose someone I truly care about.
What is something you are looking forward to?
More rest and time spent laughing with my friends and family.
When do you feel most accomplished?
That sweet spot where I am not overwhelmed with my emails, on top of my to-do list, my team is hitting targets, performing well, and scoring high on their well-being scores, AND the house is clean and tidy; I have time to be sociable, do some of my hobby, etc. I think, “Maybe I CAN have it all.”
What is something you regret investing in financially?
Just popping things on store cards and credit cards in my 20s. It took me a long time to get over it! I don’t even have anything exciting to show for it—all of my considered purchases have been bought since then. I now save up for things and pay off my credit card each month.
What is something you regret investing in emotionally?
I used to put a lot of stock in other people’s opinions of me and let them really impact my self-worth. It doesn’t matter what people think as long as I am trying my best, but it took me a long time to realize that.
What are three things you think are absolutely worth the investment?
(financially, emotionally, or time/energy-wise)
Skincare- get into a routine that suits you and stick to it (wear spf).
Laugh- I LOVE to have a good time and have never regretted taking the time.
A Good Coat- I love outerwear, and a Good Coat can elevate an outfit. Something classic won’t run out of style, and you can wear it year on year, saving money in the long run.
When do you feel most creative?
I love cooking and revel in those “we have nothing” dinners where I just have to pull something together.
How often do you compare yourself to others? When?
I try not to, but it happens. I often wish for a slimmer body and imagine that people’s lives are easier if they are slimmer than me. I know that’s not necessarily true.
What is one thing you’d like to thank your past self for?
I have always been an avid moisturizer, and my skin really reflects that now.
What is one thing you believe about your future self?
That I will write a book! I have dreamed of writing a book, but I am always too scared. I need to push through that.
What is one thing you learned in childhood that you have now had to unlearn in adulthood?
That resting is not being lazy. I don’t need to be on the go all the time to prove to myself or anyone that I am not lazy!
Have you ever felt pure joy? When?
Watching the sunset on a boat trip on my honeymoon. I felt joy at how good life can be and how lucky I am to have found unconditional love.
What is something that would feel really good to get off your chest?
Please put the trays away after airport security.
When do you feel most in your feminine energy?
When I am with my sister. She is my best friend and the light of my life and I delight in being girls together.
What is one interaction that changed your life?
I had a bad boss in my university retail job. At 5:05, one Christmas Eve, I finished up with my last customer, logged off, and turned to leave- my boss turned up and demanded I gift wrap a gift she had bought. I suggested, very gently, that I was finished; my family was waiting cos it was Christmas Eve, and my colleague was available (and better at gift wrapping than me). She went ballistic, shouting about how I needed to grow up and how my job was more important than keeping my family waiting. I gift-wrapped the present sloppily, wished her a Merry Christmas, and left.
She was wrong—that job was not more important than time spent with my family, and shouting at me did not make it so. I left soon after, and as I have grown in my career and climbed the ladder, I have remembered that interaction and always strived to build a really credible work-life balance for me and for my direct reports.
What is something you want to give up?
I am addicted to caffeine and need to give up. I just can't stand the headaches when I try (it’s terrible, isn’t it? I only have two coffees and a cup of tea a day!)
What is something you want to take up?
Reformer Pilates- those girls who do it look snatched!
What do you believe is a universal truth?
Kindness is not a weakness.
BONUS: Tell me something good.
It’s a cold, windy autumn day where I live, and I’m looking out of my window onto a sea of orange leaves. I’ve just settled down to write this with a warm cup of tea, and my cat curled in my lap. Life is okay, isn’t it?
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