I was sitting in hour three in a large conference room at the United Nations, you know the one with those ear thingys and translation booths all around to make sure everyone understands?

By that point, I was not really sleeping (though I admit my eyes began to droop at yet another speech) and I was catapulted back to my days in that same room, attending meetings at the UN in the early 2000s for my dream job (managing the FIFA and IOC partnerships for UNICEF).

My twin daughters were sitting next to me. In fact they were the reason I was there, they had invited me to join them and a group from their UN International School knowing that I not only love all things UN and all things sports, but also anything that has to do with fighting against the discrimination of women and girls.

I took a breath. By that third hour, I was thinking about how a 40-minute speech can offer just as much good stuff in ten, but I did acknowledge that progress for women and girls can be hard to see.

The truth is, despite the cynics, progress is indeed being made.

Take soccer as an example. When I played in high school, there were about 23,000 girls playing the sport across the USA.

Today, over thirty years later (gasp! Are you still reading?) there are nearly 350,000 girls playing.

Beyond soccer, there are infinitely more opportunities for women today than there were when I was growing up. Or for that matter, when my mother and grandmother were.

Progress is slow, but it’s happening. Sometimes it takes an event like the FIFA World Cup to shine a light on the issues and create the momentum to keep it going (did you watch that historic final on Sunday too?)

This is not unlike creating momentum for your own projects. You know, the idea that’s been spinning in your mind.

Like the book my friend keeps telling me about but can’t seem to get the words onto paper.

Or the business that one of my clients would like to start…when her progress is too slow, frustration stops her.

Maybe you need to create your own World Cup. Is there a life event you can look towards to give you the activation energy you might need?

Or take stock on what you’ve already done?

Can you find a moment in your life to pat yourself on the back for whatever it is you have already accomplished, even if the progress is slower than you want, and then jump start to take additional action?

I hope that whatever event you leverage works out positively, unlike the last minute loss for my dear France yesterday (though my kids' love for Messi and my memories of Patagonia made Sundays’s game a win-win).

I just hope your personal World Cup event doesn’t take as long as a UN speech.

With fierce love,
Alison