When you put your knowledge in a circle, it’s not yours anymore; it’s
shared by everyone. ~ Douglas Cardinal
Elaine Adams, Tricia Simpson, Cheryl Bassitt, Amanda Salgado, Margo Frazier listen to Linda Gusloff at Women on Fire Retreat, Chicago 2010
Last week at our annual Women on Fire gathering held in Chicago with keynote speakers Stedman Graham and Janette Barber, several times during the weekend I invited women to break into smaller circles of six women.
As the Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, quoted above indicates, there is great power when we share our thoughts, feelings and knowledge in a circle.
During my career as a life and executive coach, women have often said to me, “But, I don’t want to give away my (secrets, expertise, know-how, knowledge.)”
Have you ever felt like that?
Many of us probably have at some point or another in our lives. But if you find yourself frequently plagued with the thought or action to withhold your expertise and talents, I strongly urge you to consider what happens when you share your experience and your knowledge:
- You become known for that “thing” that makes you so special
- You attract people to you because they now know where to go for the expertise – and they often tell others
- When you share, you give. And, when you give, you…get!
Last week at the Retreat filled with women from ages 25 to 87, I watched a tsunami of giving and sharing. The very purpose of Women on Fire is to lift each other up so that everyone benefits. There was a lot of that going on last weekend!
In the week since the Retreat, I’ve seen how the generosity and goodwill of women sharing their knowledge is already making a difference in lives:
* There is the aspiring author who is being introduced to a book agent
* The photographer/textile designer who has more fans than ever praising and passing along her exquisite work
* The 87-year-old attendee offering to show single Women on Fire how she successfully uses the Internet to date
* The children’s book author who is pledging to help the playwright to take her show “on the road.”
* And, the connections continue…
A rising tide lifts all boats. When it comes to giving what you’ve got and receiving all the goodness awaiting you, may you be the tide and the boat.
