Today I read some interesting research on the goals and life aims of women in the UK and was surprised to learn that of the 2000 women surveyed, only a quarter were satisfied with their achievements and felt that their life was going in the right direction. The research looked into the dreams of the participants and gave an insight into the timescale that women today aim to live their lives by – including meeting ‘the one’ at 24 years old, being married with a child by 27 and reaching the top of their career ladder by 34. Sadly, most of the respondents had unfulfilled dreams and those that had achieved some of their life goals were disappointed that they had got there ‘too late’ in life, with the average woman being 6 years behind on their ideal life plan.
Despite more than half of the women surveyed making detailed plans, writing lists of their life goals – believing that writing down dreams is a good way of increasing the chance of achieving them – and being ‘very organised’ in nature, the majority of women had left their aims on a back-burner and pushed their dreams aside. This had often been down to lack of money and time (my favorite excuses for not doing something!) or even worse was that a fifth of women felt powerless to achieve their dream because they simply didn’t know where to start.
Thinking Woman’s Coach and Post-it® spokeswoman Jessica Chivers said: “The important thing is to keep goals front of mind and to acknowledge the small successes you’re having that are taking you towards the ultimate achievement. Making goals, writing down your dreams and keeping them fresh in the mind is a great motivator. Recognising that you are moving in the right direction is a spur to keep going, so our goals don’t become distant daydreams or things we regret never trying to do. Post-it® Super Sticky Notes has created the Make it Happen campaign. Inspiring women not just to dream but achieve them too.”
Until I’d read this research I hadn’t felt in any kind of hurry to achieve anything in life and had bumbled along changing careers, getting married and studying when it suited me; I went to uni at 23 as a ‘mature’ student so I guess I was already 5 years ‘behind’ my coursemates, but had already married at 21 so I’m ahead in that department! After reading the research I feel like I have a renewed vigour and started thinking about the things I want to achieve and what direction I’d like my life to head in. I don’t like the idea of putting a timescale on my life because I hate to feel rushed or under pressure, but without a clear idea of my aims, I might just carry on as I am for years to come without attempting to improve. So my intention is to develop my writing career and branch out into new areas, such as writing for different types of websites, magazines and newspapers. I’d love to write for some of my favorite publications and see my words in print! Also, I’d like to learn to swim this summer. I started working towards this goal last year and got back in the pool for the first time in years and finally learnt to put my head under the water but my swimming technique still leaves a lot to be desired. So I’m planning to work on this personal goal over the summer too.
I’ve written down my aims on a Post-It heart and stuck it on the mirror so that I see it every day as I get ready in the morning and when I go to bed at night. I will try to do at least one thing towards my goal each week and will report back in two months time to let you know how I’m getting on. It’s also important to share my aims with as many people as possible, because friends and family can help me achieve my goal by keeping an eye out for opportunities and can encourage me to keep on track, so if you hear of anything that you think might be of interest to me please get in touch!
And the best news is that Post-it (who commissioned the research report) is giving four women the chance to make their dream happen with £1500 cash! Designed to give people just like you the chance to Make It Happen, the fund will pay out to four lucky winners looking to make their dreams a reality, so what would you do? Would it be a change of career, learning a new skill, setting up your own craft business or perhaps you’ve always wanted to do a bungee jump or sky dive but have never had the time, money… or courage?! For more information about Make It Happen or to enter please check out this page: http://makeithappen.post-it.co.uk and you can follow the campaign as it develops using the Twitter hashtag #postitbrandhappen
Cassiefairy blogs about everything she does & anything that inspires her; popular culture, film, art, fashion, recipes, craft and design.
