Choosing Your Legacy

Last Saturday I had the honor of attending a women's conference where a friend gave a presentation on what life is like for women in Ghana. It was very interesting to see what the daily life of a woman is like in another country. I was in awe of the women who owned their own businesses, and of the volunteerism I witnessed.

In addition to this presentation, there was also a moment when the women seated at my table talked about what choices they would have made differently in their lives. They also spoke about ways to help other women grow.

 Some of the women in the group said that in their day they didn't have the choices that women today have. One woman said that she lived through the women's liberation movement.
If she could have had more choices available to her she would have wanted be more and do more.

This conference inspired me and it made me think about the idea of choice. The fact that I can choose what school to go to, what career to have, and what volunteer activities to participate in is an honor.

While reflecting on my time with the women, I thought about the many ways I have neglected this honor of choice.

In the same weekend two people I know passed away. I heard about all of the great work they have done in their lives, including the many people they have helped. This encouraged me to choose to be the person I really want to be.

How many times have I wanted to do something, but then decided against it because of fear or silly excuses?

 I've decided to make choices every day that honor my freedom to choose what my legacy will be.

What will your legacy be? What choices are you making today that will make that possible?

Career Advice From Female VIPs

I have a confession to make...I am obsessed with women business owners. There is something so fascinating to me about a woman who owns and operates her own successful business. I love reading about these successful women because they make me feel like my goals are not ridiculous, but actually attainable.

When it comes to going from the job I have to the career I desire to have, however, I have  a lot to learn. Who better to learn from than women who are at the top of their game?

Self magazine featured 7 women business owners in Secrets to Landing Your Dream Job. In the piece each woman gives her advice for career success.

One of my favorite pieces of advice comes from Rosie Pope founder of Rosie Pope Maternity. She says that a person needs to be able to "scrap your plan" if need be. Sometimes your initial goal or idea doesn't work out, you can either quit or rethink your plan. Pope rethought her plan and now her business is booming.

Another bit of advice that stuck out to me came from Spanx founder Sara Blakely. Blakely advises business owners to "risk some major blushing."  You have to not be embarrassed to put yourself out there, in Blakely's case literally, in order to be successful. According to Blakely you can't be afraid to use yourself and your experiences to go far and stand out from the crowd.

I found the advice in this piece to be helpful and will find ways to implement each tip into my career plans. Check out the rest of the 7 VIP tips to get the career you really want.