“I always knew the woman I wanted to be.”
I admire Diane von Furstenberg’s strength of words and strong sense of self; smart enough to know where she wanted to finish but not sure how she would run the race.
I cannot credit myself with such clarity.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do (when I grew up) and nor did I know what kind of woman I wanted to be. I never thought it through and was only too happy to follow life’s journey and adapt along the way. Not necessarily the blueprint I would follow today or the advice I would share with my daughters if I had my time over. I attribute a whole lot of chance, good fortune and a few right decisions to ending up in a happy place.
Today I am the woman I want to be but it’s more through good luck than good management.
If a fortune teller had shown me the future I would have laughed and most likely said, “nonsense.” I’m not one for predictions or seeing far into the distance; I don’t know if this is a blessing or a fault. I believe in an open mind and welcoming opportunities. I don’t fear change, enjoy challenge and I understand mistakes are how we learn and grow. I am convinced of serendipity and I adhere to the principle that timing is everything.
When I was younger I envied girlfriends who knew where they were headed and who were steadfast in their direction. I saw this self-assured nature as a positive and a quality to be admired. I think I may have confused security with confidence.
Confidence is something I have developed over the years and this has made all the difference.
I could never have imagined I am the woman I am. Do you feel like that?
My life has been so full of surprises, mostly welcome ones and I hope it continues this way. My “job” is a constant inspiration and not a day passes without thinking about this destination. Yes, I can track the steps and the developments but I still find it wondrous. Never in a million lifetimes would I have predicted my destiny as this.
I do have a vague memory of loving to read and write as a child, as having a vivid imagination and I have never been lost for a word, that’s for sure. I put this down to the practicalities of my day-to-day childhood. Now I question whether these qualities were inescapable, forever preserved in the DNA and it has simply taken me time and experience to get back where I started.
Whatever the answer, this is one very fascinating question. xv
images diane von furstenberg, peter lindbergh and bob stone for vogue
