So, what are you doing with yourself lately?

Time passes. Change happens.  And here I am, in the 9th year of the fourth decade of my life, and I am thinking, what's next.  As a natural born planner and horizon lover, I can't help but wonder what's next. What there is left to do.  It occurs to me that life is a collection of small steps and experiences, challenges, changes, small moments that we forget about and big moments that never quite leave you. Part of moving forward is charting the path of the past, and learning from the journey.

I have chosen 16 years as my time marker.  16 years ago, I began my professional career; 16 years ago, my oldest daughter was nine years old, and my youngest was seven.  16 years ago, I was married for 15 years. 16 years ago, I was 33, lucky 33. 

So here is a list of what I have been up to for the past 16 years.  

• gone to work every day with a goal to make a difference
• worked for 4 CEOs directly
• consulted for 7 CEOs
• reported to 4 vice presidents
• been in management for 9 years
• written well over 150 business plans, proposals and reports designed to help leaders govern, lead, guide and inspire. 
• facilitated more than 400 strategic planning, board planning, strategy and business meetings to help leads find new directions, implement plans and forge the way ahead.
• written countless presentations and speeches for presidents, CEO, Board members, Vice Presidents, politicians, and community organizations
• designed and applied a performance management system for 4 large corporations
• designed and applied an enterprise risk management system for 1 large corporation
• won 6 awards for communicating, planning and writing business plans, annual reports, and a corporate social responsibility framework
• served as a board member of 3 community boards
• developed a foundation with a great man
• wrote a book of poetry
• became a published poet
• raised a family with my husband
• loved 2 cats and 2 dogs
• lived in one cold little city in the prairies, and wondered why in the winter, and knew why in the summer
• took a vacation for the first time in my life to Brazil, twice, with my husband. 
• took a vacation for the first time in my life to Mexico, with my sister.
• became a fitness instructor for a national franchise
• learned how to text in order to communicate with my daughters
• became a blog-journalist
• learned how to tweet
• eliminated dairy and "white" foods from my life
• watched my daughters graduate from elementary school, high school and post secondary school
• learned how to stand on my head

So what's next? Living.