“Well-behaved women seldom make history” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
“As a man thinketh, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7
“Be the change you wish to see.” - Mahatma Ghandi
We kicked off Women’s History Month this year with a panel on International Women’s Day. It was titled Awareness to Action and was amazing to hear panelists from diverse backgrounds engage women, encourage them to move beyond ‘like’ and ‘follow’, and share how they became activists by accident. Of the reasons cited – seeing a need, being caught in a certain situation, and frustration over it not being addressed – it was the feeling, at times overwhelming, to “be the change they wished to see” that caused them to use what they had at hand and prompted them to action.
What’s in your hand is enough too! Our panelists were not household names (yet), but their spheres of influence increased as each took action in her own way. The world is ready for women to realize they are great in their own right, and have tremendous capacity to impact the world around them. Gracing a magazine cover is nice (very), but not a requirement. And examples of every day women embracing and carrying out this ability are not only inspiring, but give others the confidence necessary to define success on their own terms, and proof that there is no such thing as being too insignificant to effect change.
Sisterhood is a part of it, but this is more about building the dialog that has been missing amongst ourselves. It is hard to impact issues when solutions are based on biases, smoke screens, and agendas. Why not hear the truth of a matter from each other, and rid ourselves of the weight perceptions carry - both inwards toward ourselves and outward toward others? Freeing us to build relationships leading to solutions.
History has provided plenty examples of what happens when we are excluded from conversations concerning us, or allow someone else to write our history. It is said that “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good (wo)men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke). Women have always been part of the equation. We are also part of the solution. That brings to mind another quote - “Women are half the world. Their impact should be the same.” That one is by yours truly. How about it?
Khrys Vaughan, PMP, SCSP
Her Network
www.HerNetwork.tv
women@HerNetwork.tv
“As a man thinketh, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7
“Be the change you wish to see.” - Mahatma Ghandi
What’s in your hand is enough too! Our panelists were not household names (yet), but their spheres of influence increased as each took action in her own way. The world is ready for women to realize they are great in their own right, and have tremendous capacity to impact the world around them. Gracing a magazine cover is nice (very), but not a requirement. And examples of every day women embracing and carrying out this ability are not only inspiring, but give others the confidence necessary to define success on their own terms, and proof that there is no such thing as being too insignificant to effect change.
Sisterhood is a part of it, but this is more about building the dialog that has been missing amongst ourselves. It is hard to impact issues when solutions are based on biases, smoke screens, and agendas. Why not hear the truth of a matter from each other, and rid ourselves of the weight perceptions carry - both inwards toward ourselves and outward toward others? Freeing us to build relationships leading to solutions.
History has provided plenty examples of what happens when we are excluded from conversations concerning us, or allow someone else to write our history. It is said that “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good (wo)men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke). Women have always been part of the equation. We are also part of the solution. That brings to mind another quote - “Women are half the world. Their impact should be the same.” That one is by yours truly. How about it?
Khrys Vaughan, PMP, SCSP
Her Network
www.HerNetwork.tv
women@HerNetwork.tv