Women in the LEAD

WOMEN, Economic Realities, Injustice, and Possibilities

These are times that have left many people worried and scared about the future. The economic realities and other injustices that have hit people's lives throughout the world bring with them great cause for concern and hope for the change we need so badly.

There are always lessons to learn from those who came before us. In times of tragedy and trouble in my own life, learning from those I would never know has always been comforting. Somehow I didn't feel alone, knowing someone else had made it through the seemingly impossible.

In one of my cherished old books written by John Homer Miller, I read about two such people this morning. Interestingly, they lived nearly two thousand years apart: Socrates, the Classical Greek Philosopher ( 469 BC–399 BC), and Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) --- and yet, one's wisdom is brought to life by the other's example. Now there is an demonstration of putting our differences to work that I hadn't thought about.

"Socrates was right when he said that if you would gather together all the troubles of all the people in the world, weigh them, and find the average, you would pick up your own and sneak off better contented with your lot. That is was Fanny Crosby did."

I didn't know who Fanny Crosby was until today. She was an American Lyricist, well known for her quite famous Christian Hymns, many that are sung in churches all over America and the world today. She wrote over 8000, despite being blind from age 6. She developed an amazing positive attitude about her life by taking a long look around. "She saw although she was blind she had many things which other people did not have." Listen to her in this early poem...

O what a happy child I am;
Although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy;
That other people don't;
To weep and sign because I'm blind
I cannot and I won't!

John Homer Miller wrote about this ability to look out into the distance at what is possible... "One more thing can be said.  You develop and maintain a balanced attitude toward life by taking a long look ahead. When you do that, you inevitably view your present moment in a totally different perspective. The knowledge that in the past an apparent defeat has turned out to be a victory enables you to live in the hope that what happened yesterday can happen tomorrow. Then you live your present moment, whatever it may be, in the faith that it is filled with unforeseen and unforeseeable possibilities."

What possibilities are you overlooking?

Look out and around with me to see the promise in a new tomorrow.

Best...
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Author and founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead

My New Book! Putting Our Differences to Work (June 2008)
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance
Learn more: www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com
Next Monthly Online Dialogue:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008   Join me!
TOPIC: When the going gets tough...

WOMEN: Leadership and Our Words

Invitation to LEADERSHIP DIALOGUE:
Join me on TUESDAY, September 9, 2008 for my monthly online virtual dialogue. Special Guest: Emily Duncan, former VP, Culture & Diversity, Hewlett Packard. No charge. Register here (allow a few seconds for the link to open). Learn more here.

Right now, the world could use a little feminine charm and intuitive insight. Anthropologist, Dr. Helen Fisher told, "The strongest pressure in the world can be friendly pressure," wrote Lester Pearson, former prime minister of Canada. Women know it. ...they use their innate talents to unite behind common causes." In almost any direction, there are common causes needing our leadership in our organizations, communities, cities, nations, the world...and on the homefront.

I would also love to see women bring this kind of charm and intuitive insight to our politics, wouldn't you? One observation is that it seems that our day-to-day existence has become so filled with violence in so many parts of our lives that "red meat," mockery, lies, and mean-spirited sarcasm have become commonplace --- acceptable. It represents a kind of violence in our words and it gets our cheers . It makes me sad. I think this reality is a challenge to women as leaders --- a challenge to us to call upon something bigger, deeper, more moving from within. The power within can result in wide sweeping influence.

The issues of the people have always been the same, it starts with each of us as Confucius shared thousands of years ago:

If there is righteousness in
the heart there will be
beauty in the character.
If there be beauty in the
character, there will be
harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the
home, there will be order in
the nation. When there is
order in the nation, there
will be peace in the world.

Confucius
(551-479 BC)

Yogananda also spoke about this truth in his writing about The Beautitudes "...the real peacemakers generate peace from their practice of daily meditation." He shares that as we experience peace in ourselves, we bring to our homes, to our neighborhoods, to our nations. "Anyone who brings peace to an inharmonious family has established God there." We could use this every where in our world.

This kind of leadership is not about winning at all costs. It is also not about mocking or creating disharmony, or dividing people. It is about us working on every level --- men and women working together for the good of all. This is our time to be a strong voice of leadership wherever we have an opportunity to spread the seeds of peace in our lives and work.

What contribution will you make?

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Author and founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead

My New Book! Putting Our Differences to Work (June 2008)
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance
Learn more: www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com

Join me Tuesday September 9 for my monthly dialogue.

WOMEN: Looking for wonder?

With all our struggles, twists and turns of life, most of us search for wonder outside ourselves and far from the place where we are at the moment...

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular otion of the stars, and they pass themselves without wondering." --- St. Augustine

The wonder is right here with you and me. For this I am most grateful.

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Author and founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead

My New Book! Putting Our Differences to Work (June 2008)
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance
Learn more: www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com 

Join me for monthly online dialogues starting in July, 2008

WOMEN: Finding New Levels of COURAGE

Life is always asking a little more from us, yes? Asking us to be more, do more. This has been on my mind with all the tragedy, death and destruction and it has reminded me again that I've collected a few pieces of encouragement that seem to help me find new levels of courage---that always leads to creating new VISIONS of what is out there for us to capture.

Below are three things that have been trusted friends:

1. I have a big rock on my desk that has YES! carved into it. It reminds me that once I really answer, "YES!" to a question life asks me that the way is opened.

2. When I get scared about doing hard things, I repeat a mantra over and over that a friend shared. I CAN, I WILL, I MUST, I AM. Try it sometime. It gives you an instant lift.

3. Twelve two word sentences define my heart's desire. I found them in a spiritual song some years back. If these things happened what else does one need?

Melt me.
Mold me.
Fill me.
Use me.
Cleanse me.
Teach me.
Hold me.
Reach me.
Shield me.
Free me.
Call me.
Lead me.

How about you?
What encourages you?
What tools to you use to find new courage?

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
www.globaldialoguecenter.com
Home of Women in the Lead

WOMEN: The Power of Connection and Conversation

I've been reading a great deal about communities and consequently, found myself bumping into more and more examples that affirm its value. It has reminded me how much we enjoy right here on this blog with all of you and how important it is for us as people to be connected in some way. In Angeles Arrien's book, Signs of Life, she explains that the square universally symbolizes stability, solidity, and security. These attributes are present when we aren't alone and isolated from one another. This Buddhist saying reminds us of this truth also:

"When a tree grows by itself it spread out, but does not grow tall. When trees grow together in the forest, they help push each other up towards the sun."
--- Buddhist Monastic Saying 

In our recent online dialogue, "A Women's Leadership Gathering," we talked about the strength we found in being with others and how it sometimes meant being willing to reach out to make the first connection versus waiting to be discovered. We captured a summary of our amazing day of conversation. There was something very special that happened when we put our differences to work across time, culture, and distance. Click on the following link to see a visual summary of our amazing day of connection. www.globaldialoguecenter.com/WG-Reflections.pdf

What are your thoughts on the power of connection and conversation?
What has been your experience?
What lessons have you learned?

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead
author, Putting Our Differences to Work (May 2008)
Learn more: www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com

WOMEN: All Life is Inter-Related -- Have you noticed?

As we look at our busy lives, it's easy to miss so much of the world around us. A while back, I wrote a story about a moment in time for me that stopped in my tracks unexpectedly and offered a new perspective. I share it with you.

The Good Neighbor
by Debbe Kennedy

I dashed out of a parking garage, mindlessly rushing down the street, acknowledging no one, only to be abruptly halted by a red light. I stood impatiently, grinding my heels into the curb, ready to leap out in front of the crowd at the first sign of green. As the light changed, an unexpected slow motion took over. My shoes tried unsuccessfully to hold me back—the heels now solidly stuck in the crevice at the edge of the curb. My body instead took over, looming forward, lifting itself through the air, then falling with a thump onto the street. The point of impact was an excruciating, jolting crash of bones as I landed on the asphalt on both knees. Next, still in slow motion, out of nowhere, came a warm hand reaching out to me. I grasped it firmly, welcoming the care and strength from this person I had not yet seen. As I lifted my head up, my eyes met the eyes of this Good Samaritan. My anguish was clearly mirrored on his brown face. “Are you all right? Let me help you,” he said without words.

My life was suddenly interrupted as I was literally “brought to my knees,” stripped of my dignity, then lifted up and mentored by a man with no place to go. He was homeless. For that moment so was I. I had passed him many times, always much too busy to notice him ― or was it just easier to look away? I never heard his voice; never wondered what he had to say or thought about what he needed. I never recognized our sameness. Amazingly, as any good neighbor would do, he had time for me when I showed up unannounced.

One seemingly unrelated event ― a few chaotic moments-in-time ― shocked me into a new level of understanding and thinking about what it means to be a good neighbor. The nameless man caused me to start asking myself some deeper questions and now I ask you:

• How many times have you rushed by a good neighbor in need? How many times have your indifference and self-interest blinded you from the needs of others all around you? How has your behavior, actions or inaction contributed, directly or indirectly, to the state of the community where you live and work?


• How many people have you unintentionally ignored in your work and life?


• How many ideas, insights and talents have you overlooked because of your own limited labels and biases?


• How well do your own actions and behaviors set an example for others about being a good neighbor?

As we move into this year, may we all be more mindful of one another and how much we need each other. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us about this truth:

"It really boils down to this: that all life is inter-related. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

Debbe

Best...
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy, founder
Global Dialogue Center, home of Women in the Lead.

WOMEN: Discovering who you've become

I'm still seeing this new year, like life itself, being part of a series of new beginnings. Each one is always inviting us to create the work and lives we want to live---to become more ourselves. Most of us find ourselves at times wanting to reignite our passion, strengthen our commitment and expand our accomplishments in all aspects of our life.

This time in particular has caught me in a place where I am being called from it seems so many directions that there is a longing to just stand still. I know what happens there is good.

In a book, The Wonders of Solitude, Sister Corita Kent, a Carmelite Nun, shared her wisdom. It pops up once in a while reminding me that stopping is very valuable.

"And at some time
in your life
trying to be good
may be to stop running
and take time...
to be quiet
and discover who you are
and where you've been..."

Is it time for you to stop running and discover who you've become?

Debbe

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

A NEW YEAR: Letting Go of Negative Thoughts

There have been several ideas floating through my mind as we are beginning a new year at the Women in the Lead INSPIRATION BLOG. Finally, I decided the best gift I could leave for all of you around the world that stop by is to share a little process that has become part of my renewal experience every year.

First, to set the stage, I have a book that a man I really didn't even know suggested to me at a conference dinner one night. I've been reading it now for nearly ten years, over and over again. Each time I learn new things. It is tattered, coming part, full of highlights, notes that I dated from peak moments and slips of paper marking passages that had a deep meaning to me at some time and place. The book is Around the Year with Emmet Fox, author of the bestselling classic, Sermon on the Mount. This book contains some of the "pearls and gems" by Emmet Fox, a scientist, philosopher and spiritual teacher in the 20th Century [1886-1951]. The book is described as a daily meditation book. I've always read it no matter what. It doesn't always speak to me, but most of the time, it is like he knew what I needed when he wrote the book.

He invites you to reach beyond all the talk of DIETS for new year ---"I am going to deal with the subject of dieting at a level infinitely more profound and far-reaching in its effects than one focused on eating---MENTAL DIETING".

Emmet Fox goes on to tell you that the food we furnish are minds determines the character of our lives. The subjects, negative talk and thoughts from others, and sometime the "junk" we allow our minds to take in and dwell upon, make our surroundings what they are --- "..."as thy thoughts, so shall thy life be." He then invites you to go on a seven-day mental diet:

SEVEN-DAY MENTAL DIET
"For seven days you must not allow yourself to dwell for a moment on any kind of negative thought. You must watch yourself for a week and must not under any pretense allow you mind to dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, and kind." This is not easy to do, but after doing it numerous times, it does work to change your consciousness about how your thinking and ultimately it results in many positive changes in your live and work. I will attest to this!

WHAT IS MEANT BY NEGATIVE THINKING?
According to Emmet Fox, a negative thought is any thought of failure, disappointment, or trouble; any thought of criticism, or spite, or jealousy, or condemnation of others, or self-condemnation; any thought of sickness or accident; or, in short any kind of limitation. In practice you will never have any trouble in knowing whether a given thought is positive or negative. Even if your brain tries to deceive you, your heart will whisper the truth.

So wonderful women around the world, I send you my warm wishes for freeing yourselves of all that keeps you from being the best that you can be! If you are new here, we hope you'll visit often and would love to hear from you --- your thoughts, stories and perspective.

Also, I want to personally invite you to visit WOMEN IN THE LEAD...a unique resource center for women around the world. We have wonderful new things unfolding for the New Year designed just for YOU!

Best...
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy, founder
Global Dialogue Center, home of Women in the Lead.

WOMEN: Light in the Dark...Tribute to Viktor Frankl

Sometimes when we least expect it something happens to connect us as people. We meet each other in some unimagined way. This experience has happened so many times on our Women in the Lead BLOG. We've met so many wonderful women and men right here. Many of you don't write comments, but I know you've been here. Those of you that do or send email messages, we greatly appreciate hearing from you and knowing your stories. Beyond the tracking of the blog itself, I also sense your presence. I feel you hover even when you don't comment. This is why Maureen and I keep writing.

Recently still another experience came along that I wanted to share with you. This is a story of collaborating in the distance with two people I've never met. The result is a small miracle! A moving story and tribute emerged from it. One that speaks to each of us about the strength of the human spirit!

THE STORY
Imagine reading a page in a book that moved you to write a poem to tell the story you heard. This is what happened for Sara Robinson. She was reading Viktor Frankl's classic book, Man's Search for Meaning.

Sara Robinson wrote me an email some time back. She wrote telling me she had written a poem about Viktor Frankl. At the Global Dialogue Center (home of Women in the LEAD), we have a Viktor Frankl COLLECTION, honoring the famed author, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor. She inquired if there was some way we might publish the poem.

What resulted was a beautiful visual online self-learning exhibit featuring Sara's poem. It is now showing at our WOMEN's GALLERY at the Global Dialogue Center. I hope you will come "walk through the gallery" and listen to Sara share the story of the poem's inspiration. She also did a reading of the poem. Be sure to listen to it as you guide yourself through the gallery exhibit. It is a story of a young women demonstrating for us how it is possible to find inner strength and joy in the worst of circumstances.

Light in the Dark
...A Tribute to Viktor Frankl
with a poem by Sara Robinson
at the WOMEN's GALLERY at the Global Dialogue Center

Take a tour now

The miracle in it all beyond the magnificent collaboration is that it was a work completed without one meeting or with any of us meeting physically. This is how it came together: Sara Robinson wrote the poem and recorded her reading and story. Sally K. Green, Bay Area Artist did the exhibit design and production, Dr. Alex Pattakos, author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts, wrote the Reflection at the end of the exhibit and Kevin O'Connor from Elevation did the technical production. And I recorded the introduction and served as a writer/producer. This is a tiny example of the power of real collaboration and what we can do together.

I hope you stop back by to let us know what you think.

How have you been able to reach inside to experience the strength of the human spirit?

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

WOMEN: How do INSPIRATION and MOTIVATION enrich our lives?

Yesterday, I received message from the Alkamae blog that came from a TrackBack on my previous post WOMEN: The Way to Fearlessness. It was a thought-provoking message written by Susan Reid, asking us to consider Motivation or Inspiration: What's the Difference? It inspired me and I left motivated to explore these two concepts in my own life and what lessons they taught me that I might share with you.

What I realized immediately in contemplating this powerful question is that inspiration and motivation have been hallmarks of all I've accomplished, all I survived, all I shared with others. How about YOU? Each with their distinctions are like ribbons woven into and through my life, often showing up in different colors. I am imagining that if we could talk that many of you could probably tell stories from your lives that would say we shared this same experience----but what is the difference?

INSPIRATION and MOTIVATION
Which comes first?
How do these energies enrich our lives?

When I retrace my steps from almost any life experience, the happy ones and some sad ones, it seems inspiration always came first. Inspiration generates the stirrings that Susan Reid referred to in her message.

For me, inspiration always seems to come from some force outside me that sparks a stirring within me. The inspiration comes from beauty, tragedy, belief, achievement, wisdom of great thought-leaders, living examples, spiritual readings, just to name a few. It is the inspiration that lights the fire within.

Movitation, on the other hand, is the energy that moves---propels---lifts us into action to achieve, to overcome, to help others, to become more ourselves. As I think about these to powerful enablers, what comes to mind is that inspiration is the yin --- a force touching the heart --- and motivation the yang ---a force mobilizing us to respond. Yin and yang, stemming from the Book of Change (I-Ching), a book of wisdom, seem fitting as they represent two fundamental forces that create and harmonize the Universe by their interaction. 

Interestingly, I've always found that the motivation --- the move into action --- always fosters more inspiration and then more motivation, creating a contant perpetual cycle of spark and movement that creates an meaningful life.

Two favorite inspiration and motivational books:
These aren't new titles, but they are both timeless, wonderful books!!!
Mine are filled with post-its and yellow highlighter lines.
Everyday Sacred: A Women's Journey Home
Stretching Lessons: The Daring that Starts from Within

So, how do you put these forces to work in your life?
Search for what inspires you --- and motivation will follow.

Debbe

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