But there are differences that make us strong and persevering until we achieve our goals. And here is one of the differences and also the first difficulty. We always set ourselves many goals because of our brain structure.
Goals in youth
When I was 25 years old with an engineering degree, my objective was to work on a construction site: to direct and manage constructions. How difficult it was for me to achieve it. It was the beginning of the 21st century and this job was still mostly for men and it was complicated to get into it. Secretarial, administrative, and even prevention jobs were what they took you for first. And the mentalities didn’t help. I was not seen as someone with the capacity to manage other men and it was easier not to change what was there because of fear, prejudice, etc. But here is the generational challenge for some men: to trust women for this job.
I thank my first boss for having trusted me. In 3 years of working I ended up managing a department of site managers and we hired more women. We were hard workers and we wanted to be there and that made us work hard even though our salary was lower. It was an injustice, wasn’t it? It was a start, we would fight for equal pay when we proved our worth and our greatest treasure. For me, the management and organisation cut costs by half, so profits doubled. This generated some misgivings among other colleagues who wanted the job. Personally I suffered because still, despite all the profits I had generated, I kept justifying why they kept me there and didn’t put a man in.
During that stage another objective was to gain the respect of the staff. It was complicated and tedious. I was working on the assembly of wind turbines with a majority of male technicians. I had to study the procedures more, spend more hours on site than anyone else. I had to demonstrate and make them see that they were not the only ones who were professionals in what they did. That managing was a complicated job and deserved the same respect.
So you spend a lot of time justifying why you have to be there to those at the top and those at the bottom. This is tiring, no woman or man should spend their time justifying themselves.
This 2025 I turn 50, and my first challenge is to enjoy my best moment. This age you have changes in your body and mind, you lose power, I don’t think I could keep up those struggles of my youth, but thanks to my new desire, stamina and wisdom, my struggles are different, bolder, smarter, and my work often fights more than my words. And not only do I want to continue to improve in my work, I want to take care of my body, to have more muscle mass and be more agile. I am small and although I have always been fit I want to continue to climb the stairs of my building in Telefónica running and with air.
The importance of taking care of yourself
I also want to keep sleeping my hours and get up in the morning to meditate. It keeps me focused and helps me to deal with the problems that arise during the day in the best possible way. And it’s not just my body that asks for more. My mind is more restless. It doesn’t want to be satisfied with what it knows today, it wants more. The challenge is to turn that restlessness into a positive one. I want to keep learning, I want to advance, to improve, to learn from younger people and from those who have more experience than me. I want to be more humble professionally and personally so that there are no barriers.
I stopped listening to people who believe that at this age you are at your limit, I decided to apply for a Telefónica call, from which I am learning a lot. New tests, personal interview, training. I will start a new role in 2025. I don’t know where it will take me, or if it’s really what I’m looking for, but I know it’s what I want. I will not wait, I will strive to improve and I will continue to prove that I am worthy of whatever is put in front of me.
As always when I reflect, and make decisions that will change my current comfortable life, I look around me, I go back to read a book that reminds me that it is important to keep fighting, not for me, but for the women to come. I recommend ‘Fight like a girl’ by Sandra Sabatés. She admires 31 illustrious and brave women who fought to blaze trails: ‘there is much to conquer, and their lives are our best inspiration. A fabulous legacy for those who come and will come after us’.
What do you want to do?
