When you raise a toast to your friends and family at your retirement party, what will you say? What stories will you recount and what major milestones will you have reached?

Thinking ahead like that is an interesting exercise, to be sure. But to be clear, it’s not about ticking boxes on a list of things that people expect of you. Rather, it’s realizing — and recognizing — what’s important to you and making sure that earlier in life, you set yourself on the right course.

This past week, as part of The Marketing Academy Fellowship, I wrote “My Stand,” a letter to myself, looking into my past from a future not-so-far-distant. The exercise wasn’t easy; we were asked to paint a picture of what we want and outline a path that would lead to our destination. Oh, and we were encouraged to “stand” (yes, physically) and share our very personal statements with the entire cohort, many of whom had become newly found friends.

Again, the exercise wasn’t easy. But, it was enlightening.

I won’t read you the entirety of my letter. It still needs refinement and I’ll be working on that as part of the nine-month Fellowship program. But, it crystallized a few things for me:

Writing it down makes it real. Until I wrote that letter, to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t tell you what my personal goals and professional aspirations were specifically beyond where I am. But putting pen to paper, sharing the words aloud, and receiving peer coaching gave me permission to think about what’s important as I look ahead … and to imagine the legacy I want to leave behind.

This feels a bit self-centered. Yes, yes it does. But, it’s okay to be self-centered — in a good way. After all, what do you have the most control over? Your self. And, believe it or not, when you do take the time to think — and think deeply — about yourself, you find yourself thinking about others too. 

You can have big goals and be unapologetically ambitious in your desire to reach them. And,  you can earn a paycheck while doing good in this world. I’m fortunate to work for Skillsoft, an organization that helps people pursue their personal and business goals through the power of learning. In fact, I joined the company because I want to make a genuine difference in people’s lives. And so, it’s okay to earn a living, knowing that we can do so while giving back to the communities we serve.

After I completed the exercise and re-read my letter, I learned five important things about myself:

1. I’m right where I need to be at this moment. 
2. I have time. There is no looming, artificial, self-imposed deadline that I must hit.
3. I can do things right and do the right thing … all while collecting a paycheck.
4. I can do my job and be the role model my daughters deserve.
5. I am not Angelica. (That’s from Hamilton; you can look it up.) I can be satisfied in the moment with what I have.

Now, don’t worry; I’m not asking you to craft your own version of The Stand … but I would encourage you to think about and perhaps write down what is most important to you. What you want out of life. Out of your career. 

Paint a picture for where you want to be. And then start taking the steps to get there.