by debbie on March 7, 2010
“If you see a woman going for it, you jump in there and help her!” – Marianne Williamson
Helloooooo, all of you angels out there…
And, welcome to you joining The Spark! after I met you at events last week in Los Angeles and those of you in Michigan from seeing Woman on Fire M.E. Jones on the cover of Women2Women Magazine. I am so happy you’re here.
Last week I feel I barely surfaced for air!
We are at work on plans for the upcoming Women on Fire Retreat with Stedman Graham and Janette Barber in Chicago April 23-24, 2010, and I am so excited I can barely contain myself. From your emails and calls, I know many of you have registered or are planning to – and nothing thrills me more.
Why?
Because the difference it makes when we gather together, share our lives and dreams, have fun and receive support is monumental and transformational.
Even if you’re shy, just being in the energy of so many inspiring, supportive women feels amazing.
Women on Fire was created on the foundation of The Big Three: inspiration, strategies and support. Having these present in our lives transforms us so we can more easily and successfully move toward what we want.
And, the greatest of these three pillars is SUPPORT. Think about all of the times you are working toward something big or important. Or you were stuck in a transition or trapped by a horrible set of circumstances.
What was the “tipping point” that allowed you to succeed or make it through?
I bet it was the person who cheered you on; or the one who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself; or the soul who jumped in beside you, offered you hope and substance, and stayed with you until you made it to the finish line.
Last week alone I witnessed the joy of how support can transform a woman’s life.
I don’t have to tell you how difficult these financial times and conditions are for many people right now. And, there were two women wanting with all their hearts to travel to Chicago to attend the Women on Fire Retreat.
Both had faced and survived very tough times in the past year (job loss, divorce, foreclosure) and were short on funds. Yet, they were patching together what resources they had, while remaining positive, upbeat, full of life and with dreams “to go for it.”
All I did was put out the call. The support for their $297 tuition from two generous women (one who had known divorce and the other bankruptcy) came through immediately.
It was just the “tipping point” and boost each woman needed to be able to attend!
The donors felt honored to give and the recipients were thrilled and grateful (with one saying she looked forward to returning the favor for another woman in the future). I was ecstatic to see how our Women on Fire community continues to back each other with many different ways of support.
The late M. Scott Peck, M.D. opened his best-selling book The Road Less Traveled with these words: “Life is difficult.”
I prefer to believe when we gently place our hand on the back of another woman…life doesn’t have to be so hard.
See you in Chicago!
P.S. If you have a story of how you’ve received support from another Woman on Fire and how it affected you, I hope you will share her and it with us in the comments section below. Your stories and experiences are sometimes the gentle supporting hand on the back our readers need.
by debbie on February 28, 2010
Savoring time with Women on Fire® Event Producer Angela Ittu
LOS ANGELES – I traded one warm coast for another and traveled last week from Florida to California. I wish each one of you were here with me (if you weren’t already!)
Because, over the past four days, I have spent it in the company of fabulous women. Don’t get me wrong. I love my husband and I love men! But for me there is nothing more uplifting than the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration I receive when I am with vibrant, positive women.
First up was a Women on Fire Tea Party in Santa Monica in which 15 phenomenal women told each other their hopes and plans and what they are “on fire” about in their lives. All walked away with new friends and new connections to support their goals and dreams. Once again at a tea party, I was in awe of the open-hearted goodness of women coming together without competition, comparison or criticism.
Then, I spent the day with Women on Fire event producer Angela Ittu at the luxurious resort Shutters on the Beach. Lunching and sinking into the celebrity haven’s big couches, we pored over plans and details for the exciting, upcoming Women on Fire Retreat in Chicago on April 23-24. (For your own experience of meeting new women, taking your life up a notch or two, and being inspired, you are invited to attend! Registration is now open.)
Finally, for the past two days, along with 400 other women, I’ve been with spiritual leader Marianne Williamson at her event, Sister Giant. Angela and I met up at Sister Giant with other “women on fire” including Susan Glavin, who is a co-author in the Women on Fire book. Even though we’d worked on the book together, it was our first time to actually meet in person!
The Women on Fire network was hard at work over the weekend. While we were in Los Angeles, two other Women on Fire book co-authors M.E. Jones and Laurie Forster, the Wine Coach®, were collaborating at events in Alpena, Michigan. There is no stopping powerful women who have dreams and passions, and I am dazzled daily by the ways Women on Fire are helping each other!
Back in Los Angeles, Marianne showed a profound HBO film about the Women’s Suffrage Movement called Iron Jawed Angels. I was stunned that even I who had been involved politically did not know this history of Women’s Voting Rights. And, that during the Woodrow Wilson administration more than 200 women went to jail so that today I have the right to vote. Powerful. Astonishing. And, deeply moving to watch and discuss in the company of 400 other women.
So, I am leaving California with such a sense of camaraderie and determination about my work and life. I feel so filled and inspired by the women I spent time with and by all that I learned from them.
How do you feel after being with “sisters” who understand, listen, share your history as a woman, and who are here to cheer you on?
If your “sisterhood quotient” is low, I hope you can find the time soon to get that extra boost that dynamic women with loving, caring hearts and souls can provide.
If your “sisterhood quotient” is high, please go to the comments section below and tell us about it!
by debbie on February 21, 2010
Wilber trying to disguise himself as a book to go on my LA trip!
Before I finish packing my bags for Los Angeles this week (yes, that’s Wilber being his typical self trying to squeeze in to go, too!), I have some exciting news.
ABCNews invited me to submit an article that would be both inspiring and empowering for the people who read their spirituality website.
Many of you reading The Spark! were the first to hear about “My Terrible Scare” a few months ago. In it, I shared my experience of a doctor indicating I had aggressive thyroid cancer — when I didn’t — and the strategies I used to get through the frightening experience.
More of you than I ever imagined responded to that particular Spark! and told me of your own scares, worries and medical challenges. (Thank you. I love hearing from you and continuing the conversation on this blog)
So, I thought it was worth expanding upon the subject of what to do if you have a medical scare. ABCNews did, too. And, this week featured my expanded, updated article here.
I tell you this because my vision is to connect as many great women to each other as possible through Women On Fire. I want women everywhere to have the inspiration, strategies and support to get through whatever it is you are going through. And, to create a life you can be “on fire” about!
Several issues ago, I wrote about having a theme for your year. For those of you who created one for yourself, how are you doing with it? What are you noticing? How is it helping?
And for those of you who didn’t have time then, here is the post so you can learn more.
My own theme this year is my biggest personal challenge of all. One I’m sure at least one or two of you will relate to;-)
Asking for help.
And, even though I know intellectually that growing an organization like Women On Fire requires help from colleagues and participants; and that I advise people to get support for their own projects; and that I am getting better at asking for help on the big stuff around Women on Fire, it is still very hard for me to ask for some of the small things that will help us grow and reach more women.
So, putting my fear of asking aside, I would love your help in connecting with more women like you.
If you know of other fabulous women you want to bring into our circle of smart, dynamic, open-hearted, engaging women who have big dreams inside of themselves just like we do, I hope you might consider doing just one (or more, don’t let me stop you!) of these things:
1) Go to the ABCNews website and comment on the article called “My Terrible, Transforming Scare.”
2) Share the article on any of your preferred social media sites (especially Facebook and Twitter)
3) Email the ABCNews article or any SPARK! to a fabulous woman in your life who might enjoy it…and even be served by it.
4) Encourage a great woman in your life to join our circle by registering at http://www.BeAWomanOnFire.com to receive the free CD “7 Mistakes Preventing You From Being a Woman on Fire”
5) Accept a big hug from me for being part of our thriving and ever-expanding group of women helping each other through the rough spots and cheering each other on to express our gifts, strengths and talents in the world!
Thank you.
OK, back to packing. I hope I can pry Wilber out of the suitcase where he is now asleep snoring. He loves to fly (even has his own JetPaws frequent flier account) and he’s all geared up, thinking he’s going to LA! Sorry, pal. Not this time. It’s mostly women stuff.
I look forward to hearing how you are doing with your theme in the comments section below.