You're Not Running Out of Time. You're Running Through It.

By Tricia Scott.

I read something recently that I instantly knew I would want to share.

Not because it told me anything I didn't already know. But because it said the thing I've been not-saying to myself for a very long time. The premise is simple enough: we are rushing through the only life we get. (The Rest Test has a way of surfacing things like this. When you slow down enough to stop performing and start actually feeling, questions appear. It's not always convenient.)

Don't let the simplicity of this short statement fool you; if you think about it, it's a bit of a show-stopper.

For example, when did "how are you doing?" stop being answered with "I'm fine" and start being answered with "I'm really busy"?

In my case, that shift happened without me even noticing. Busy became the answer. Busy became the badge. Busy became the proof that I am serious, relevant, and in demand. And somewhere in the middle of all that busyness, I forgot to ask what I'm actually being busy for.

For example, I have, on multiple occasions, been genuinely too busy to eat lunch and then wondered why I couldn't think straight at 3pm. I'm not sharing this as a cautionary tale (although I am a fan of setting myself up as an example of what not to do). I'm sharing this because I suspect you have done exactly the same thing and labelled it productivity. (We really are something, aren't we?)

We build businesses to gain freedom, only to fill them with the same constraints we escaped.

We set goals from a version of ourselves that was younger, less knowing, less menopausal, working from a completely different map.

We measure our success against a finish line we drew in our twenties — and we call it ambition.

But how much of it is just passivity?

We are too busy climbing the ladder of success to look up and check which wall we're leaning it against.

And let's talk about the rushing. When did rushing stop being a choice and become a habit? A well-meaning, productive-looking, socially acceptable habit in a cute outfit — but a habit all the same and one that is slowly, steadily killing our creativity and our passion. (I really hope Stephen Covey isn't reading this.)

Now, before you think I'm here to stop you reaching for the metaphorical stars, you already know I'm the biggest cheerleader for ambition and success. I built an entire ecosystem for it. No, what I'm talking about is checking in, and then, when you do, realising there is no shame if you realise that your success ladder is up against the wrong wall. 

So look up.

And if you need to, skate those ladders across the room like Belle in Beauty and the Beast when she's flying around the library exploring all of the adventures she wants to read about.

Choose.

And choose again — because you are allowed to. Because saying "this isn't what I want anymore" isn't failure. It's one of the bravest things a founder can say.

You have one life. This one. The busy one.

The radical option isn't a better morning routine, a cleaner strategy, or a five-year plan.

The radical option is to live it.

Actually live it. On purpose. With your eyes flung wide open. Building the thing you actually want, in the life you actually have.

Be more Belle.

I believe in you (always).

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 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.