No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ~ John Donne

There’s a place in Hell reserved for women who don’t support other women ~ Madeline Albright

Whether you’re playing in the World Cup Final (or Quidditch Match), negotiating the debt ceiling, or trying to get a promotion, we all rely on, communicate and have to work with others.  Life is a team sport.

One of the reasons why all those TV talent shows are so popular is because at the end of the day, we all want to see each other succeed.  And the voting component means that we have a certain amount of power to help: we believe in them and advocate for their victory.

Yesterday I was honored to be a facilitator at Working Mother Media’s Multicultural Women’s Conference, (hence the delayed eblast…) and the one theme that resonated above all was that one woman’s success should always include another’s – everyone is in a position to help someone else along the way to advance in their career and life.  This takes self awareness, understanding and each of us to do our part.

There is always satisfaction in contributing to someone else’s growth –giving is always of benefit to the giver either directly or indirectly. And hey, you never know where that person’s journey takes them, which could in fact be a place where they could someday advocate for you.  (This of course applies to men, too!)

I created The Women’s Mosaic(R) to provide opportunities for women to connect with themselves each other and the world around them; so that they would  “recognize our unity and celebrate our diversity,” because we all are made of some version of the same stuff. I believe that social transformation is a result of personal transformation, so my work as a coach and inspirational speaker will always encourage you to take care of and be your best self, which will then allow you to most effortlessly serve and work with others to create positive change in all areas of life.

Still thinking WIIFM?   No matter who you are or what you do, you have to depend on others to a achieve a goal on the soccer field, Capitol Hill, or in the board room, so why not make it the most pleasant experience possible for everyone involved? Give me a buzz and I’ll show you how to get from where you are to where you want to go when you try With A Little Help from Your Friends.

We’re having a fundraiser for the 10th Anniversary of The Women’s Mosaic(R), the organization I founded as a result of my search to be who I am and do what I do.  My coaching and speaking has been a natural evolution and growth from TWM, which has informed me in so many ways.  Please celebrate with me on July 26th! 

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. ~ Kahlil Gibran 

Years ago while watching Project Runway I was very impressed by the then unknown Christian Siriano, who as a finalist was preparing a collection for Fashion Week in his apartment – an itty bitty shoebox of a place that only had room for his sewing machine and creations.  There was no furniture; he slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of the closet/hallway.  Now a successful and respected designer, because he lived, breathed and loved what he does, Christian surely found a way to Make It Work!

Many of my clients in career transition find that this time is usually accompanied by or is a result of an identity crisis. Either their job has consumed them so much that forgot who they were, or their only sense of self came from the title and salary they received, and now that it’s gone they are a bit lost; or they are not sure how they ended up doing what they were doing in the first place and don’t want to do the same thing going forward.

Therefore, with unemployment at its highest in many years, we are reaching an epidemic proportion of people who are quite disoriented. BUT, the good news is that if you use this opportunity to do some internal work you can really get yourself on the right track to the livelihood that you were meant to have all along.

Much of what I do is help people discover that you are not your job, however, when you discover who you are, your labor is just a natural extension of yourself, of what you do, what you bring to this table of life.  In other words, being employed and doing your work are two different things that may or may not coincide at any particular time.  The most important thing is to constantly allow yourself to evolve and do what you do, regardless of a paycheck or the environment.

For me, the only way I could exist would be to make them coincide; it’s not a path for the faint of heart, as it has, and continues to be, a fascinating, challenging yet thoroughly rewarding journey to do so.  But with all the ups and downs and unknowns, at the end of the day, just about every day, I know I am doing my work and the love of that work fuels every area of my life.  This is the true American dream. 

So this month, why not  Show Me What You Got with the ingenuity of Missy Elliott  and the attitude of Snow White.  Not sure what it is or how to find a way to do the work that makes you feel most alive no matter what?  Give me a buzz and I’ll help you create a life that is a pure labor of love!

P.S.  This month we’re throwing a party for the 10th Anniversary of The Women’s Mosaic(R), the organization I founded as a result of my search to be who I am and do what I do.  My coaching and speaking has been a natural evolution and growth from TWM, which has informed me in so many ways.  Please celebrate with me on July 26th!

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays for a variety of reasons, and not just for the day off, barbeques and fireworks.  America’s birthday holds special place in my heart for the idealism it inspires and the respect and gratitude I have for the wisdom, sacrifice and most of all, courage, that our Founding Fathers displayed that fateful summer of 1776.

As I always mention in my seminars, the root of the word courage is ‘cor’ the Latin word for heart.  This means that anything requiring courage is something that comes from the heart, from a place of deep love, a passion for that which one is pushing oneself to do.

Their profound love for life, liberty and justice laid the foundation for the birth of a nation that promotes the growth of its most precious natural resource; the freedom of its citizens to use our time and energy as we see fit, expressing ourselves and living a life we choose that is without harm to others. Because of the diversity of the 13 colonies, each with their own interests and identities, unfortunately the ideal at the time had to be compromised regarding the institution of slavery in order to gain a unanimous vote for independence from England…but we had to start somewhere, otherwise we might really have been affected by Kate & Will’s nuptials across the pond, or all our TV hosts would be British…oh wait…

Our country is by no means perfect and will continue to have its ups and downs but at the end of the day it’s up to each of us to make it the best we can, so what will your contribution be to this great experiment?   How will you leave your symbolic “John Hancock” on history?

One thing we can all do is make the question Where is the Love? obsolete in our corner of the world.  Each of us can exercise that freedom 24/7 so be sure to consistently unleash your love on that special someone, your work, your friends and family, community, cause, nation, planet, strangers and life itself.

You say you want a Revolution?  Give me a buzz and I’ll help you ring the Liberty Bell in your life because we are Free to Be … You and Me.

P.S. If you’d like to read more thoughts on this topic read last year’s Don’t Tread On Me , U.S.A.  and TWM’s Independence Day Blast