Dr Michelle Dickinson, 42

Nanogirl and co-founder of Nanogirl Labs Ltd

‘My dad died young, so I’ve always had the philosophy that time is short and you must spend every day wisely’

Joy is the thing you get up for in the morning, the thing you look forward to most in the day. I get joy out of my work and I’ve created a company which hopefully brings it to others. Outside of work, joy is the thing that makes you not think about anything else ouout of pure delight. I get so much happiness being out in the ocean with the fishes and the wind and no techno-technology. I get on my kiteboard and don’t come back for houhours. I probably do it more than I should.

Just the other day I went into the middle of the ocean and was gone for eight hourhours and it was pure joy. Nobody can contact you, you swim wwith the fish and realise how big the world is and how tintiny you are. I’m also physically active, so I can have anotheanother cupcake when I get home! I think everybody goes ththrough a stage of learning the importance of joy, the mmoments that bring us that contentment and how to mamake time to make them happen more often.

I’ve moved jobs a lot iin my life and had a lot of different careers becabecause I’d get to the point where it didn’t bring me joy anymore.

My dad died youyoung, so I’ve always had the philosophy that timtime is short and you must spend every day wisely. If you don’t feel like you’re invesinvesting your time wisely today, you might wanwant to think about how you want to invest your time tomorrow.

With my cocompany, I live on a bus going to the middlmiddle of nowhere New Zealand and talking to kids that nobody comes into town for.

Seeing their potential and their knowleknowledge and their way of seeing the woworld is the way I wish that all adadults could be.