Women in the LEAD

Women’s Intuitive Feelings

Women know things about the people around them—they feel a teenage child’s distress, a husband’s flickering thoughts about his career, a friend’s happiness in achieving a goal, or a spouse’s infidelity at a gut level.

Gut feelings are not just free-floating emotional stress but actual physical sensations that convey meaning to certain areas in the brain. Some of this increased gut feeling may have to do with the number of cells available in a woman’s brain to track body sensations. After puberty, they increase. The estrogen increase means that girls feel gut sensations and physical pain more than boys do. Some scientists speculated that this greater body sensation in women punches up the brain’s ability to track and feel painful emotions, too, as they register in the body. The areas of the brain that track gut feelings are larger and more sensitive in the female brain, according to brain scan studies. Therefore, the relationship between a woman’s gut feelings and her intuitive hunches is grounded in biology.

-The Female Brain

Louann Brizendine, M.D.

As more and more research on the differences between men and women surface, we begin to see that the differences are often rooted in culutrak or biological roots. This evidence is not really needed for us, as women, to step into our gifts fully with clarity and strength but it does provide us with information which makes it easier for us to enjoy and fully express our gifts with confidence.

How often do you experience gut feelings or a strong sense or intuition?

Do you listen?

How might your life be different if you did?

Enjoy the exploration!

    Maureen Simon

WOMEN: Learning Little Things from Johnny Appleseed

These are sobering times across the world.
My heart aches for the needless loss and anguish of so many.
A new and different path for mankind must be forged.
A new global consciousness among all people would be a big start. This is a time asking more of YOU and me.

Where do we begin?

How can we use our unique qualities as women to make a difference?

History can be a source of great courage for us all. Not just women's history, but looking at people who pioneered new ideas and also set an example that transcended gender and differences, truly pioneering new eras in time as we are left to do. People, who as Maureen suggested in her previous post, put the power of their minds to work on something they believed could make a difference.

I happened on an amazing read. It is a copy of the original story of the real Johnny Appleseed, an American pioneer hero, written in Harper's Magazine - November 1871.

I always thought Johnny Appleseed was just a funny man that planted apple trees and wore a funny tin hat. That's the story I remember being told when I was a little girl. After reading about his finest qualities, I'm sure you'll agree he was much more...

---- as a matter of conscience he never purchased a pair of shoes. When given a pair, he passed them off to a boy in a needy family moving westward who he felt needed them more.

---- he purchased animals that he saw were being abused and found them good homes.

---- he wore the tin pan he used to cook his meals as his hat, adding an innovative pasteboard visor to shield his eyes.

---- he was loved by moms, dads, grandma's, the Indians because of his kindness and interest in them.

---- he believed in eating only food from the ground and was a strenuous opponent to wasting it because it was a Gift.

---- he was well educated and took time to read to others in such a way that he created pictures for others to understand.

---- he respected all forms of life.

---- he was trusted by all...and courageously warned his neighbors of British and Indian attacks saving many lives with his prophetic message.

---- he gave his money away.

He lived a good life as a loving neighbor and friend.
When he was near death, it his recorded that his features were all aglow with a supernatural Light.

If we could just live our lives with a little more care for our neighbors and our world ---- a little more like a modern-day Johnny Appleseed, the world would be much different, don't you think?

The outcome of BIG INFLUENCING HAPPENINGS invariably hinges upon small, seemingly unimportant events and upon unassuming, perhaps little known people by the world's standards. Look around, it is not so much the little as the BIG things and so-called great people, who have driven our world into such a mess. Our future will be determined not so much by great events, as by the plain, everyday living of millions of people, whose names may not be lights. Women and men willing to be informed, stand-up, speak-up and live as if every action and behavior were a message and contribution to creating a better world than we know today.

With this in mind, as you move through your week, remember that the little things we do are significant, because frequently, it is the seemingly small things we do that make great things possible. With that realization, we then have to put the power of our minds together to believe we can make a difference.

Before we begin living to make the world better, each of us must first have faith in the possibility of a better world. What little things will you contribute?

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center

Visit Women in the Lead at the Global Dialogue Center

The Power of Our Mind

Right here and right now in our own minds. It does not matter how long we have had negative patterns, or an illness, or a rotten relationship, or lack of finances, or self-hatred, we can begin to make a change today. The thoughts we have held and the words we have repeatedly used have created our life and experiences up to this point. Yet, that is past thinking, we have already done that. What we are choosing to think and say, today, this moment, will create tomorrow and the next day, and the next week and the next month and the next year, etc.

 

-Heal Your Body

Louise L. Hay

 

More and more, writings that I find address the topic of how the mind controls the outcome of our daily experience. It is really essential for us to understand and utilize this rich knowledge in our daily life. The past is relevant as it certainly informs our present and our future. But, it need not dominate or dictate our lives. Learning to work with emotions, creatively express our feelings, and choose what we think is the key to living a life of choice.

 

§ What is the thought that you now most need to change in order to live the life of your dreams?

 

                                                                                                                            -Maureen Simon

How To Be Free

"No man (woman) is free who cannot control himself"

                                                                           Pythagoras

Recently, I have been looking at the issue of discipline or shall I say, the effects of a the lack of..... I am once again in a process of evaluation-looking for ways to increase the commitment that I hold to my a life. There have been times in my life where I  identified a desired objective, made a deep commitment to it and painlessly experienced the fruit of my desired outcome. Other times my desired goal seems far away. I have been pondering where my success lies and where my blocks lie. I am now clear that I reach my objectives when I myself have committed buy in (see Debbe Kennedy's work on this topic on the Global Dialog website). I have also observed that I achieve more when timing is right for me to achieve my goal. Lastly, having some good 'ole motivation or a reason that moves us can only serve as an asset.

Self control and self discipline are central factors in achieving success. The quote above supports this idea. I agree however, I do better when I exchange the word control with  self-discipline. In our cultures discipline has become a dirty word. Freedom is highly desirable. Take a moment to ponder--

• Where in your life could you gain greater freedom by living with more self-discipline?

You find that your answer surprises you!

Enjoy!!!

Maureen Simon

WOMEN: Passionate Days

Maureen's message moved me. How true that it takes us to mobilize our dreams come true, yes? For me it always starts with a burning passion inside that seems to ignite --- to erupt, creating something different in a new day.

Don't you love days when passion is high?
When your mind is filled with ideas that move faster than you can.
Each new thing you touch unveils another wonder.
A few small steps in the right direction.
A few demonstrations that it all matters in some way.
Tired has a different feel to it on these days.
You feel filled.
Sorry the day is done.
Knowing some sleep must be on the list.
But you'll be glad to wake up and climb again to a new moutain top.

I love the feeling of wanting more of this wonderful gift of life.
Of gratitude for the meaning in one's work.
Of blessings from above.
Of a day filled with passions from the heart.

Sir Winston Churchill captured it nicely, don't you think?

"Curse ruthless time and curse our mortality.
So little is the time for all that we have to put into it.
We are all but worms, but I do believe I am a glow worm."
--- Winston Churchill

He must have written this message on a passionate day!

How was your day???

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center

Visit Women in the Lead at the Global Dialogue Center.

“Nothing Happens Until Something Moves.”

“Nothing happens until something moves."

-Albert Einstein

Movement is the force of creation. When we move stuck energy from our lives new fresh energy moves in. Stagnation can be comfortable and safe but offers no growth or innovation. 

• Where can you move something in your life to gain the end effect of growth?

• Is there any place where you are held back by stagnation? What would the opposite of that situation look like?

This is a special time of the year for newness. Move something in your life and see.

-Maureen Simon

The Perfection of Change

 

“Deep within every life, no matter how dull or ineffectual it may seem from the outside, there is something eternal happening. This is the secret way that change and possibility conspire with growth. John Henry Newman summed this up beautifully when ye said, “To grow is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often.” Change, therefore, need not be threatening; it can in fact bring our lives to perfection.”

 

-Anam Cara

by John O’Donohue

 

As we launch into the New Year it is a wonderful time to realize that our lives are very special, important gifts. Growth is what keeps us alive. What opportunities for growth do you now have in your life? What risks can you take that will move your life to the next level? How will things look when you make the decision to grow and change?

 

-Maureen Simon

The Soul of Winter: Have You Sat by the Hearth?

In the West of Ireland, many houses have open fires. At wintertime when you visit someone, you go through the bleak and cold landscape until you finally come into the hearth, where the warmth and magic of the fire is waiting. A turf fire is an ancient presence. The turf comes out of the earth and carries the memory of trees and fields and long-gone times. It is strange to have the earth burning within the domesticity of the home. I love the image of the hearth as a place of home, a place of warmth and return.””

-Anam Cara

by John O’Donohue

As we enjoy the winter months we are offered the opportunity of introspection, contemplation and deep peace. It is up to us to find those moments and to prioritize them in our lives. The rewards are great, for in this quiet we are gifted the chance to regroup, listen from within and gather ourselves. Where is your hearth? Have you made time this winter to sit quietly in its presence? The rewards are many. 

-Maureen Simon

WOMEN: Getting BUY-IN for YOUR NEW IDEAS

So many great ideas are squelched, squashed, smashed before they ever have a chance. It's easy to point the finger toward the leaders and managers that resist change and are just closed to new thinking, especially coming from a woman. I don't mean to sound sexist in this statement, but let's face it, even in 2007, there are still major differences between how men and women go about their business and how we value each others points of view. Unfortunately, many innovative ideas are lost because of these realities.

One fact we can count on is that NEW IDEAS require the backing of leadership and sponsorship from those in a position of influence. So what can you do if your idea has been ignored, misunderstood, shunned? Here are several "recovery" strategies to help you re-evaluate and mobilize for success:

Success = What?
If you could have the leadership and sponsorship you want, success would be equal to what?  Consider how things would be different, if you had the support you needed. Write down the key factors that define having the leadership and sponsorship you lack at the present time.

Define what you need.
If you had the undivided attention and commitment of the leadership and/or sponsorship you badly need, what would you ask them to do? Make sure you omit actions from the list that you or someone else can do.  Confine your leadership and sponsorship needs to actions and behaviors that must be provided by the leader(s) and sponsor(s).

Re-package your idea to promote interest.
Getting leadership and sponsorship for a project, product, or initiative is greatly influenced by how it is presented. Re-evaluate your approach. If you've  not received buy-in, re-evaluate your presentation. Define what reaction, actions, or behaviors would define success. Redesign your presentation to ensure you get the order or the results you are seeking.

Make it easy!
If you want to gain a sponsor or benefit from a leader's influence, make it nearly impossible for them to say, "No." To do this, keep it simple. Define clearly what you what them to do. Minimize the time or personal energy needed to do what you want (i.e., if you need a letter of endorsement, draft it; if you need them to kick-off a meeting, outline what you want them to say: if you want them to use their influence to aid your cause, give them a complete package with clear ideas of how they can help.

These ideas were taken from my book, Breakthrough! Everything You Need to Start a Solution Revolution. It defines 52 of the most common problems in organizations and provides hundreds of practical solutions strategy ideas for breaking through. Hardcover book, Includes diagnostic card deck and a cd for using it for team discussions.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY
You can access a complimentary online recorded Microsoft Live Meeting LEADERSHIP FORUM this timely topic for the new year that I presented with over 425 attendees: WORKING TOGETHER; WINNING TOGETHER. It puts a focus on how men and women are putting their differences to work and on the critical skills you can master to be an exceptional collaborative partner. It's FREE.

Best wishes as you move into making your most important contributions yet!

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center  - Home of Women in the Lead

The Flowering of Human Consciousness

I have recently had the pleasure of reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and have been greatly inspired by his description of the first flowers to appear on the planet. For me the flower is one of the finest forms of beauty and inspiration. I find his writing (below) a true gift.

“Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: The first flower ever to appear on the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet-if a perceiving consciousness had been there to witness it.

Much Later, those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another species. Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them. As the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the first thing they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them, this is to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells is to contemplate the flowers and learn from them how to live. The Buddha is said to have given a “silent sermon” once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it. After a while, one of those present, a monk called Mahakasyapa, began to smile. He is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twenty-eight successive masters and much later became the origin of Zen. 

Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit. Using the word enlightenment” in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of

plants” .

    -A New Earth --Eckhart Tolle

Beauty abounds! Notice wher beauty is alive in yoir life. Appreciate it!

Maureen Simon