You gotta admire this...
A 75 year old black woman, Barbara Hillary, who is also a cancer survivor trekked all the way to the North Pole in mind and body numbing tempereatures with polar bears and shifting ice just to make it interesting.
From what I've read about her, she did it "Just Because!"
What's your "Just Because"?
Is there something you've always wanted to do but haven't found time, money or courage to do it?
We all find it easy to invent reasons not to pursue our dreams, especially as busy business women. But the risk is becoming a drone, just working day after day, with no fun and enthusiasm for life.
So, I'm here to challenge you.
If you have ever been around an older friend, parent or grandparent who yearns for the days when they could do more than just sit in a chair and think, you know how sad it is to hear them
say "I wish I had."
Don't let yourself end up in a rocker one day wishing you had.
Get out there and do whatever it is that challenges you, but also makes your heart sing. Find the time for your own personal development and I believe you'll find yourself waking to the possibilities still to come. You'll also improve other aspects of your life from reinvigorating yourself...even your business life.
From voice lessons to getting an image consultant to learning how to play the guitar or hiking just to the top of the ridge near your home, seize the opportunity to learn or do something new.
It could just be the kickstart you need to become a new and more fun you.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Wars In Our Neighborhood
Nevermind the war in Iraq, we've got full scale wars being planned and developed in our own neighborhoods.
I don't care where you live, you've got them. People full of negative energy who are using it to create chaos and disruption.
Ladies, it's time we stopped it.
What got me stirred up was when I read about a "free militia" organization about 2 hours from my home that was just caught creating plans to confront and mow down some Mexicans with machine guns. They were fully armed and had thousands of pounds of grenades and weapons.
What in the world?? Are they crazy?
This sort of thing comes from fear. Unless we get women in positions of economic influence, I'm afraid this sort of thing will keep going on. The reason we need more women in powerful positions is that women tend to connect and talk when confronted with problems, rather than resort to physical solutions. It's the gentler way. That's why at WomenCorp we're dedicated to helping women become financially independent.
These militia groups only form because of fear, often caused by poverty. Jealousy is the offspring of people in need. But rather than see it as a problem of poverty, they find something else to blame. Namely people.
I don't want to live with hate and violence. I don't want to fear for my children's lives. Do you?
Please join me in helping women. If you see a woman who could use your help to step up the ladder out of poverty, please consider extending a helping hand.
The world will be a better place for it.
I don't care where you live, you've got them. People full of negative energy who are using it to create chaos and disruption.
Ladies, it's time we stopped it.
What got me stirred up was when I read about a "free militia" organization about 2 hours from my home that was just caught creating plans to confront and mow down some Mexicans with machine guns. They were fully armed and had thousands of pounds of grenades and weapons.
What in the world?? Are they crazy?
This sort of thing comes from fear. Unless we get women in positions of economic influence, I'm afraid this sort of thing will keep going on. The reason we need more women in powerful positions is that women tend to connect and talk when confronted with problems, rather than resort to physical solutions. It's the gentler way. That's why at WomenCorp we're dedicated to helping women become financially independent.
These militia groups only form because of fear, often caused by poverty. Jealousy is the offspring of people in need. But rather than see it as a problem of poverty, they find something else to blame. Namely people.
I don't want to live with hate and violence. I don't want to fear for my children's lives. Do you?
Please join me in helping women. If you see a woman who could use your help to step up the ladder out of poverty, please consider extending a helping hand.
The world will be a better place for it.
Friday, April 13, 2007
The Woman Coach Wins With Attitude
What an uproar! Did someone just call young women athletes 'nappy headed hos?"
If you haven't heard or read about it, a radio personality used this term when referring to a woman's basketball team that became a major contender for the NCAA women's basketball tournament, but lost in the end. Vivian Stringer is their coach and mentor.
But she got my attention when I saw her response to the name calling. She was a good model for women on how to confront adversity with the right attitude and look like a winner. Her dignified response to the man and the frenzie caused by his remarks was superb.
Facing a negative situation with confidence, she publicly called for accountability from a well connected and influential man. What made me admire her response was how she could have used the media interviews to verbally slap back, but didn't. She responded with dignity and grace.
For a number of years now, American women seemed to have taken a step backwards in getting the respect they deserve. Women have been called all kinds of unflattering and insulting names in songs, magazines and television shows.
Unfortunately, I feel the real problem is that we allowed it. We should have put a stop to it long ago...and I mean ALL women should do this. The only way to be respected is to have enough respect for yourself and your gender by taking a stand when needed.
Thank you, Ms. Stringer, for being such a great role model.
If you haven't heard or read about it, a radio personality used this term when referring to a woman's basketball team that became a major contender for the NCAA women's basketball tournament, but lost in the end. Vivian Stringer is their coach and mentor.
But she got my attention when I saw her response to the name calling. She was a good model for women on how to confront adversity with the right attitude and look like a winner. Her dignified response to the man and the frenzie caused by his remarks was superb.
Facing a negative situation with confidence, she publicly called for accountability from a well connected and influential man. What made me admire her response was how she could have used the media interviews to verbally slap back, but didn't. She responded with dignity and grace.
For a number of years now, American women seemed to have taken a step backwards in getting the respect they deserve. Women have been called all kinds of unflattering and insulting names in songs, magazines and television shows.
Unfortunately, I feel the real problem is that we allowed it. We should have put a stop to it long ago...and I mean ALL women should do this. The only way to be respected is to have enough respect for yourself and your gender by taking a stand when needed.
Thank you, Ms. Stringer, for being such a great role model.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Women Who Travel For Business
I'm stuck in an ice storm in Dallas and can't get out.
Stuck in a hotel with nothing to do. I began thinking about women who travel on business.
Have things changed for them in the last 25 years?
According to statistics, 42% of all business travelers are women. So we're increasing in numbers. That led to an interesting phenomenon. Now the hotels provide more women friendly items such as lotion in the bathroom.
We've still got one barrier though. That is overcoming our fear of going to the bar or restaurant by ourselves.
For some reason this doesn't seem to bother men, so you see them standing around, talking to strangers and enjoying companionship. Most women are totally intimidated by it....sometimes with good reason.
We, too, might like companionship when we're alone in our travels but we don't want men hitting on us. We're also not as confident about starting up conversations with people we don't know in that setting. Men seem perfectly comfortable just sitting there. Not us!
Seems this might be an interesting and enlightening challenge for hotel chains that want to attract women. How can you help your women business traveler to enjoy her hotel stay or travel experience more.
How about if we collaborate and think up ideas, then send them in to companies who might want ideas that help them build their client base through attracting women travelers?
Speak up now....send me your favorite suggestion for a woman friendly travel idea that a company could provide. If we get a few, we can send them in to companies that might take action and we might just begin to change the experience to a better one for women business travelers.
Stuck in a hotel with nothing to do. I began thinking about women who travel on business.
Have things changed for them in the last 25 years?
According to statistics, 42% of all business travelers are women. So we're increasing in numbers. That led to an interesting phenomenon. Now the hotels provide more women friendly items such as lotion in the bathroom.
We've still got one barrier though. That is overcoming our fear of going to the bar or restaurant by ourselves.
For some reason this doesn't seem to bother men, so you see them standing around, talking to strangers and enjoying companionship. Most women are totally intimidated by it....sometimes with good reason.
We, too, might like companionship when we're alone in our travels but we don't want men hitting on us. We're also not as confident about starting up conversations with people we don't know in that setting. Men seem perfectly comfortable just sitting there. Not us!
Seems this might be an interesting and enlightening challenge for hotel chains that want to attract women. How can you help your women business traveler to enjoy her hotel stay or travel experience more.
How about if we collaborate and think up ideas, then send them in to companies who might want ideas that help them build their client base through attracting women travelers?
Speak up now....send me your favorite suggestion for a woman friendly travel idea that a company could provide. If we get a few, we can send them in to companies that might take action and we might just begin to change the experience to a better one for women business travelers.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Test Your Happiness
Anticipating the new year is fun because we look for a new beginning.
But why is it that we feel we need a new beginning? Is it because we've been trained to believe that we're not perfect enough and that we need improvement.
All the diets, exercise programs and new years resolutions won't help if we don't fix one thing first. That one thing is our ability to be happy. Are you ready to experience real joy and happiness?
If so, then you must do one thing. That is, be happy in the present moment. That means NOW!
Today I heard an excellent interview with a woman who is an editor at Prevention Magazine. She talked specifically about happiness and how we can achieve it. Here's some of the best points she made:
1) Positive Thinkers are Happier. Optimism and happiness are directly correlated because optimists feel more hope for better things to come. Scientific research has actually proven that those who are optimistic versus pesimistic on average are much happier.
2) Optimists make more money. Research demonstrated that when a group of over 900 people were tested and given scores for their ability to be optimistic, the correlation in terms of money making was an additional $33,000 for each 1 point increase on the scale over the average.
3) Self reflection can actually lead to less happiness! Though it may be counter-intuitive,
when you stop to consider your happiness, you are actually internally trying to find out what's wrong in your life in order to evaluate if you are really happy. It leads to thinking about what's wrong, rather than what's right. So her point was that it's better to just stop focusing on it and get out there and enjoy the present moment!
Her solutions for becoming more happy?
1) If you are pesimistic and a worrier, stop and take your worry to the extreme. Think of all the bad and possible outcomes from the first worry to the silliest extremes. For example, if you are stuck in traffic, you might take that all the way to "I'll lose my job, and then I'll end up on the street and I'll be a begger for the rest of my life and my family will disown me and I'll starve to death!" You'll begin to realize just what a time waster worrying can be and you might even go the other side and consider all the positive outcomes of the same event.
2) Fake it till you make it. Even if you don't FEEL happy, ACT happy! One study put 50 people in a room and split them. Half were told to ACT happy, regardless of how they felt. At the conclusion of the study they then reviewed the happiness scores of each person. Those who had ACTED happy actually felt happier and ranked themselves as feeling happier than those who did not pretend to be happy.
OK, so what does this have to do with Secrets of Successful Business Women?
In answer, I'll ask you a question that you might want to reflect upon this new year.
"Exactly by what criteria do you judge happiness?"
Is it money or power? Or is it the ability to feel good, to feel joy, in the present moment?
Wishing you and yours the very happiest 2007!
Warm Regards,
Roxanne
But why is it that we feel we need a new beginning? Is it because we've been trained to believe that we're not perfect enough and that we need improvement.
All the diets, exercise programs and new years resolutions won't help if we don't fix one thing first. That one thing is our ability to be happy. Are you ready to experience real joy and happiness?
If so, then you must do one thing. That is, be happy in the present moment. That means NOW!
Today I heard an excellent interview with a woman who is an editor at Prevention Magazine. She talked specifically about happiness and how we can achieve it. Here's some of the best points she made:
1) Positive Thinkers are Happier. Optimism and happiness are directly correlated because optimists feel more hope for better things to come. Scientific research has actually proven that those who are optimistic versus pesimistic on average are much happier.
2) Optimists make more money. Research demonstrated that when a group of over 900 people were tested and given scores for their ability to be optimistic, the correlation in terms of money making was an additional $33,000 for each 1 point increase on the scale over the average.
3) Self reflection can actually lead to less happiness! Though it may be counter-intuitive,
when you stop to consider your happiness, you are actually internally trying to find out what's wrong in your life in order to evaluate if you are really happy. It leads to thinking about what's wrong, rather than what's right. So her point was that it's better to just stop focusing on it and get out there and enjoy the present moment!
Her solutions for becoming more happy?
1) If you are pesimistic and a worrier, stop and take your worry to the extreme. Think of all the bad and possible outcomes from the first worry to the silliest extremes. For example, if you are stuck in traffic, you might take that all the way to "I'll lose my job, and then I'll end up on the street and I'll be a begger for the rest of my life and my family will disown me and I'll starve to death!" You'll begin to realize just what a time waster worrying can be and you might even go the other side and consider all the positive outcomes of the same event.
2) Fake it till you make it. Even if you don't FEEL happy, ACT happy! One study put 50 people in a room and split them. Half were told to ACT happy, regardless of how they felt. At the conclusion of the study they then reviewed the happiness scores of each person. Those who had ACTED happy actually felt happier and ranked themselves as feeling happier than those who did not pretend to be happy.
OK, so what does this have to do with Secrets of Successful Business Women?
In answer, I'll ask you a question that you might want to reflect upon this new year.
"Exactly by what criteria do you judge happiness?"
Is it money or power? Or is it the ability to feel good, to feel joy, in the present moment?
Wishing you and yours the very happiest 2007!
Warm Regards,
Roxanne
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