"No matter how things look from the outside, no one truly has it all"

Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive of Anchor, tells us the lessons she would tell her 20 year old self.

It’s hard to believe that 35 years has gone by since I was my 20 year old self. Some days I still feel as uncertain and ill equipped as I did then despite the qualifications I have obtained, the roles I have held and the life I now lead.

I guess that speaks to imposter syndrome which is something I have never really  shaken off. Having said that, I think many of us (including some men) also have that sense of never being quite good enough, never quite clever enough, quite articulate enough and on and on and on…

I would have liked to have been able to tell myself that the hard work was going to be worth it. That I wouldn’t always be living hand to mouth worried about how to pay the gas bill, worried about whether I would pass the next set of exams, get the next job, dig myself out of what was a pretty impoverished life. I would though also have told myself to enjoy the moment, whether that was with family and friends or colleagues and neighbours. Some people in my life that really mattered to me died far too early and I miss them still.

At 20, I worried that I wouldn’t progress up the career ladder quickly enough, and as a consequence I could have spent more time enjoying the roles I had earlier on in my career, once I had mastered them rather than thinking I needed to go for the next thing.

I would have told myself that no matter what I thought my life was going to look like thirty plus years in the future, I would have been wrong, that life presents both opportunities and disasters and you have to accept that they will sometimes come at you at times that you do not expect and in ways you could never have imagined.

Finally, I would have tried to convince myself that no matter how things look from the outside, no one truly has it all. Some days we all feel like we are trying to get through one hour, one day, one week at a time and that ultimately what sustains us are those people we can rely on to give us sound advice, a mirror to look into, people to laugh with  and a shoulder to cry on when we need it. Knowing myself at 20 though, I am not sure I would have listened!

Throughout March, Faerfield are marking Women's History Month by sharing short reflections from women leaders.

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