Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of our core conversation, “Extraordinary Women Change the World.” In our last post, Justine Musk inspired us to support one another’s power. Today, Liz Dennery Sanders shares her story of shining the light on others and how it helped her to recognize her own strength and light.

I believe that we are all here to serve in some capacity. If you can figure out what that is – what’s going to give you the greatest amount of fulfillment while you’re helping others in the process, it creates a rich, rewarding and empowered life. It’s not the stuff we accumulate that makes us happy, it’s the lives we touch – and hopefully change for the better.

But I didn’t always know this.

Growing up, I didn’t have strong female role models. In my family, children were “seen and not heard,” and it took me a long time to connect to my voice. In fact, I’m still on the journey.

I was a deeply lonely child. Teased and bullied, I struggled with my weight and how to fit in or how to make myself invisible, depending on the day.

I often looked for my sense of self in carefully hidden Snickers bars and at the bottom of chocolate pudding containers, but ultimately, all I ever felt was empty.

I had never heard the word empowerment, let alone what it meant or how to use it.

It wasn’t until I left home for college that I began to find my way. During those four years something shifted inside of me. Thanks to new friends, a newfound love of exercise, a caring and supportive therapist and the ability to select some of my own course work, I began to feel a sense of power – something I had never experienced before.

I finally began to realize the key to my self-esteem didn’t lie in someone else’s hands, let alone somewhere outside me. Connecting your dots and finding your voice is an inside job.

Ironically, while I struggled with my own voice, I excelled at promoting others. After two public relations and marketing internships, I knew I had found my path, or so I thought.

After college, and for the next 20 years, I worked in publishing and marketing, eventually starting my own PR and marketing agency over a decade ago. But it was actually through my philanthropic work that I became connected to my bigger WHY and mission in life many years later.

I’ve been a mentor for the past 12 years. First, for Women in Need in NYC, where I taught classes in self-esteem, interviewing skills and professional etiquette, and then for Step Up Women’s Network, where I’ve been involved with both the teen programs and their Professional Mentorship & Development program.

I founded SheBrand because I want to help other women find their voice and step into their power. Thanks to my philanthropic work, and now through my SheBrand clients, I realize that the more we help others connect to their power – to their true voice and their own brand of awesome – the more we empower ourselves.

It’s a funny thing, I didn’t realize how awesome I was until I started helping other women and girls connect to their own awesome. When we help another woman or girl find that powerful place within, it stirs something deep within ourselves.

The power is always there, we sometimes just need someone else to hold up a mirror so that we can see ourselves clearly – in all our bright, shining, perfect beauty.

One thing I know for sure: I feel most fulfilled, and ultimately empowered, when I’m holding up the mirror for someone else.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Fog Leads to Clarity and Empowerment
2. Empowerment Begins With a Single Realization
3. No One Gives You Power

Have you ever wondered how big names like Chris Guillebeau, Marie Forleo, Jonathan Mead, and Laura Roeder launch their products?

Whether it was The Empire Building Kit, Trailblazer, B-School, or the semi-annual Only72 sale, you’ve seen big launches where everyone is talking about a particular product.

That’s no accident.

Over the past 5 years, Charlie’s done a lot of launches, and he’s been involved in almost every major launch in this corner of the web. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen from behind the scenes of what it takes to build epic launches. And now, he’s going to show you exactly what it takes to have a successful launch.

The Epic Launch Class: Launch Your Product the Right Way

The Epic Launch Class is a 4-week telecourse made up of 12 core topics you need to run a successful launch. Formed from the extensive experience Charlie’s gained from helping engineer countless epic launches, working with hundreds of business owners to improve their business tactics, and conducting workshops for the best and brightest entrepreneurs out there, The Epic Launch Class will get you what you need now so your next launch will increase your profits, get you more customers, and help you grow strategically.

We’ll dive into questions like:

• Do you have a big enough audience?
• What’s the launch style that fits you?
• Do you have a network to support and catalyze your launch?
• Why do you want to launch this? (Hint: It’s not always about the money.)
• What type of product should you develop?
• What should you price your product?
• What are the exact steps of a launch?
• How can you make the sale without being sleazy?
• What systems should you use to launch your product?

The Epic Launch Class begins next week. Yep – June 4th. If you’re ready to hustle and learn launch strategies that work, now’s the time.

You can learn more about it here, or click here to join the class.

P.S. As a bonus, the first 50 people to join the class will receive Art of the Autoresponder, a template Dusti created to help you start a conversation with your audience. If you have a freebie as part of your opt-in, this is the follow-up you need to build a strong reader relationship and build up to your next product launch.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Launch Fatigue and How Not To Be An Infomercial
2. Do Epic Shit
3. The Hidden Economics of the Mega Launch Strategy

We’ve been cooking up a lot of stuff this year. Of the many things we’ve been doing, listening has been top-priority. Listening to what you’ve been asking us for, listening to what challenges you’re facing, and listening with ears we haven’t had because our vision was too narrow.

But we haven’t been just listening – we’ve been doing a lot of cross-training and lateral learning in coaching, with a focus on generating business results and momentum with our clients since that’s what I’ve been working on for years. I’m happy to say that we’re moving from “behind-the-scenes training” to “ready to coach” status.

Which means I’m excited to introduce Marketing Momentum and Tech Empowerment sessions.

Marketing Momentum Sessions

One common area of focus with my clients has always been around effective marketing techniques and action plans. At the same time, what stalls so much of our business success is inadequate or “oh yeah” marketing. (“Oh yeah” marketing = “oh yeah, I probably should get around to doing some marketing.”)

Dusti is a naturally brilliant marketer and we’ve been honing those talents since she’s been here. My main goal throughout our training hasn’t been to alter her strengths, but rather to augment them by guiding her on how to effectively transfer her brilliance. She gets marketing and can help you do so, as well.

If you want someone to help you get jazzed about marketing at the same time that you’d want an action plan to go with it, you should check out the Marketing Momentum Sessions by clicking here.

Tech Empowerment Sessions

How often have you held back on developing an offering or revamping a feature on your website? Let’s face it – learning new technology can be intimidating, especially with all of the new shiny tech toys released on a daily basis. Figuring out how to best spend your time, energy, and attention on technology is important, because if you’re spending you much time messing with your tech, you’re not spending your time engaging your audience.

Lisa Wood is an experienced designer and trainer with over 15 years in the field, and she is ready to equip you with the knowledge you need to take more effective action with the technology around your online platform now. A collaborative, one-on-one session with a female expert, a session with Lisa is an experience in tech empowerment. Lisa will help you determine what is essential to know for success in your business and how to leverage the “least you need to know” to get the maximum benefit.

If not knowing how to get stuff on your website is keeping you from using it well, working with Lisa is a fast, effective way to get the information you need and get back to doing what you do best. Snag a Tech Empowerment Session here.

I’m Taking on New Clients, Too

I currently have room to work with a few new clients. I’ve also done a semi-annual update to my coaching page, putting back in some of the details I took out last time. If you’ve ever been curious about what I actually help clients with, take a look at the revised coaching page by clicking here and see if we’re a good fit for each other.

We’re looking forward to working with you!

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Last Chance To Get Coaching Sessions At The 2009 Rate
2. How I Overcame My Doubts About Coaching
3. Business Growth Coaching

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of our core conversation, “Extraordinary Women Change the World.” In our last post, Stacy Stone shared her life-changing story towards empowerment. Today, Justine Musk inspires us to support one another’s power.

No one gives you power.

How packaged we are, how limited our options: bright blue or soft pink. Nature expresses itself in more than two colors and yet, as boys and girls and men and women, this is all we get? Who decided?

(My own femininity is a mix of black, purple, royal blue, and fuchsia. Thank you much.)

No one gives you power.

In the early 1900′s, pink used to be a boys’ color. Notes the BBC:

The Women’s Journal explained it thus:

That pink being a more decided and stronger colour, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.

DressMaker magazine agreed.

The preferred colour to dress young boys in is pink. Blue is reserved for girls as it is considered paler, and the more dainty of the two colours, and pink is thought to be stronger (akin to red).

The BBC adds:

What prompted the switch is unclear, but it had been made by the time Adolf Hitler ordered the classification of homosexuals. Those deemed “curable” were sent to concentration camps and labeled with a pink triangle. This suggests that by then, pink was associated with femininity.

Pink is not only associated with ‘femininity’, femininity itself is a ‘condition’ that must be cured/exterminated. Unless, of course, it is properly contained in the body of an actual girl – the so-called inferior sex. This is the historical legacy we are still in the work of dismantling. It’s otherwise known by that old-fashioned word (say it with me boys and girls): ‘patriarchy.’

Patriarchy is a system. You don’t have to be male or female to support it, resist it – or be damaged by it. In a society that declares itself a democracy, all voices are equal – but some are more equal than others. Patriarchy is about who gets to speak — and who should be silent – and who, sometimes, should be silenced. (As Margaret Atwood once pointed out, silence and powerlessness go together.)

No one gives you power.

I am a writer, so ‘voice’ is an integral part of my profession. Editors know that anything in a manuscript can be revised and fixed – except the voice. You either have it or you need to develop it – and the only way to do that is through practice.

Use it or lose it.

Your voice, I have learned, is who you are. When you raise your voice through what you say, do, or make (a novel, a painting, a website, a movement, a company) when you dare to a strong point of view, you project that sense of identity into the world. You become what you stand for. You are what you create.

I’ve often thought that female empowerment is creative empowerment: creating our own authentic sense of who we are and what our story is, and how to tell it to the world.

We define ourselves instead of being defined by others. We set our own agenda instead of being slotted into the agendas of others. We become the heroes of our own life scripts, in a culture that still encourages us to be the supporting player – the girlfriend role – in someone else’s.

We speak in our own damn voice.

Creative power isn’t about command-and-control, but the power to: to inspire, to invoke, to mobilize, to be a catalyst, to have impact, to raise hell, to reach out, to lift people up, to maintain healthy boundaries, to change the game, to nurture and protect, to set new standards, to beat back the demons at the door when they come calling. (And they do.)

No one gives you power.

But something happens when you tell your story to the world — with boldness, artistry, relevance, and skill –and reveal the truth of your own experience. You give other people permission to tell their story. And they give people permission to tell their story. And so on and so on.

This is the way the world splits open.

We’re taught that to be confessional is to be exhibitionistic and narcissistic. But when you peel back the layers – when you’re willing to go there, as we call it in my writing workshop – when you’re brave enough to risk an in-your-face vulnerability – it’s a chance to bring things out of the dark and into the collective consciousness.

When we stay silent, we stay isolated.

It’s only when we start to talk to each other, when we use our real voices and share our real stories, do we realize that my problem is also her problem and her problem and her problem; that this thing I saw as my own fault, my private shame, my secret defect, connects to a larger pattern in the culture and, together, we can change it.

When we speak up, we find our solidarity. We move out of isolation and into community. Including global community.

And we desperately need to do that.

NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson once told 600 women leaders:

If there is anything I’ve learned over my years of covering change, it is this: power for change occurs when individuals set aside their differences and start thinking about themselves as part of a group. The strongest power is not with individuals but what we can accomplish as a group.

In her book POWERING UP, Anne Doyle tells of something that Reem Abu Hassan, a lawyer in Jordan, said to her:

Anne, we were inspired when the first woman was named to your Supreme Court. We celebrated when one of your women stood her ground and ran for president. Don’t underestimate the importance of each step American women take. You truly affect how women are viewed throughout the world.

Our global sisters, says Anne, “are counting on us to stand up, speak up, and rise up” as true leaders. Anne also quotes co-authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who wrote the groundbreaking book HALF THE SKY: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The struggle for global gender equality, they state, is “the paramount challenge of the twenty-first century:

The tide of history is turning women from beasts of burden and sexual playthings into full-fledged human beings…The economic advantages of empowering women are so vast as to persuade nations to move in that direction. Before long, we will consider sex slavery, honor killings, and acid attacks (on women) as unfathomable as foot-binding. The question is how long that transformation will take and how many girls will be kidnapped into brothels before it is complete – and whether each of us will be part of that historical movement or a bystander.

No one gives you power. 

But we can inspire each other to step up to the plate, to develop our talents and mastery, to be bold, to take risks, to raise our collective voice, not just for ourselves but the sake of the global sisterhood.

No one gives you power.

But we can give each other tools and tips and strategies, ideas on how to wield it, how to get comfortable with it, even enjoy it.

No one gives you power.

You claim it. It’s been in you all along.

How you use it – or lose it – is up to you.

But you’re not as alone as you think.

We want it. We need it. We’re listening.

About Justine: Justine Musk is a writer who believes that badass creativity is a way of life. Her eponymous blog helps women develop their true voice, be brilliantly productive, and compel their right audience. Only visionaries, misfits, rebels and scandalous women need apply. You can find her on Twitter, where she tweets about writing, creativity, art, technology and social media, and on Pinterest, where she storyboards her psychological novel-in-progress, The Decadents.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Celebrate Your Power
2. Knowledge is Power
3. Check Out My Interview on She-Power

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of our core conversation, “Extraordinary Women Change the World.” In our last post, Molly Mahar shared how she encourages empowerment. Today, Stacy Stone shares her life-changing story towards empowerment.

In our minds, empowered women are women we put on a pedestal. That pedestal is reserved for a very select few who have dramatically changed the world. What we don’t realize is the women we put on the pedestal began their journeys with one baby step and a deep passion.

The journey to empowerment begins with a single realization that life is a choice – that you have the choice to become empowered (or not).

This realization is followed by baby steps that lead you to:

• take control of your circumstances.
• put down the story that has been holding you back.
• make a conscious decision to reach for your goals – despite the hurdles in front of you.
• know that you and you alone are responsible for your strength.

At a very young age, I knew I was supposed to be a pediatric oncologist. From 3 to 17, that was my goal, and there was no question about it. That’s what I was doing with my life! At age 12, I was mauled by a dog, and little did I know how dramatically my vision would change.

After years of struggling with chronic pain and multiple jaw surgeries, I had to come to terms with the fact that medical school was completely out of the question.

Year after year, I tried to redefine myself and my goals. Can’t become a doctor, maybe I’ll be a dentist. Can’t become a dentist, maybe I could be a physician’s assistant.

Like layers of an onion, each time I dug deeper and peeled off another layer, I moved closer to the core of who I was and what was important to me. It was then I realized that empowerment is in the journey – that each of us have it within us to peel off layers and change the world.

Empowerment is found not in grand gestures or trying to emulate the Mother Teresa’s of the world. It’s in the day-to-day, small steps we take to redefine our struggles and turn them into opportunities, and thrive off our strengths instead of focusing on our weaknesses.

I finally knew in the end, I was not going to be a doctor – but I refused to let that stop me from changing the world. Instead, I learned to honor the very things that could have held me back. I gave up the thing I thought was my passion – only to discover my true passion.

I learned to become empowered.

And in learning that, I now know that my true journey is to help other women become empowered too.

About Stacy: Stacy Stone is the founder of Ethical Launch, which empowers creative entrepreneurs with the tools and support they need to change the world, and TMJ Hope, the leading source of information and support for TMJ disorder (jaw pain) patients. She lives in a historic town outside of Atlanta, GA with her Golden Retriever, Hope, and Hope’s crazy cat Chairman Meow. Connect with Stacy on Twitter: @goodwillstacy

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Fog Leads to Clarity and Empowerment
2. Empowered and Proud – We’re Just Getting Started
3. Empowering Ourselves, Empowering Others

In my past life, circa 2007, I was living in San Antonio, TX. It was my first real post-high school venture outside my hometown, and oh boy, was it an experience. I lived 2 blocks from the Alamo and about 100 feet from the Riverwalk, and I had a fun job managing a coffee shop on post at Fort Sam Houston.

Now, Ft. Sam is an interesting base. At the time, it was one of the only bases that had Air Force, Navy, and Army all together which gave it a unique dynamic. It was also the training center for many of the MOS’s (essentially, soldier jobs). The cafe I managed was part of the mini-PX, one of the spots where the still-in-training enlisted soldiers were limited to when they were still under constant scrutiny of their commanders. The PX was across the street from a set of substandard barracks, the home of training 68-W. Combat medics.

Being one of the only females on post allowed to dress like a female meant I was often a sight for sore eyes, at least until I opened my incredibly sarcastic, teenage mouth. It wasn’t a bad spot for scoping out the rather dashing foreign soldiers who were studying there, either. (Sending some love to Captain Italy and Lieutenant Estonia right now. *gush*)

Reality Hits Hard

All joking aside, spending so much time with soldiers really changed the way I saw the world. Most of the combat medics I met were sold on the MOS by recruiters who flat out lied to them – telling them they’d be working in hospitals, essentially nurse assistants. The lucky ones get to do that, but if they’re deployed it’s a different story. Combat medics are generally an incredibly important part of a squad on the front lines, bandaging up their friends in firefights and praying they do a good enough job patching them up so they don’t die before they get back to base.

Given the bleak reality they discovered when they started their job training, everyone tried to keep things light whenever they could. They’d practice sticking each other with IV’s, pumping their arms full of saline to beat San Antonio’s insane heat and humidity. They’d take turns trying to get my number  - even though they were fully aware I was married to one of their battle buddies. We’d party on the weekends, and I’d make sure they got taxis back so they’d make it in time for first formation. I took a lot of shit from those soldiers, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

John, my boss, took me out for lunch one day, and on the way back, we came through an entrance I didn’t know about. I always entered from the south side of the base, since it was closest to my apartment.

On the northernmost point of the post, was a smaller entrance than I’d yet seen. As we pulled through, we were surrounded by identical rows of white tombstones. Everywhere. As far as the eye could see, death stared me in the face in the most dignified, graceful way I’d ever seen.

I’d seen graveyards. Even walked through them before, but I cannot begin to describe the difference in the way this one effected me. The stark uniformity of a military cemetery was too much. Even in death, they were in straight lines, as if this was simply the final set of orders they would ever receive.

And then it became personal. I knew some of those men and women I knew were going to die. They were soldiers, but more than that they were people. Friends that I knew.

It was a poignant reminder – that in the end, no matter our struggles and beliefs and hurts and joys, we are all the same. In the end, we all die.

Today, I remember that cemetery and all that was given so I could choose to live the life I do. To live a life that will be worth the sacrifice others make daily.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. 15 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Working Another Day
2. Thanks for Your Interest In Working With Me!
3. The Zen of Working with Difficult Clients

[If you're reading this via email or RSS, you may need to click-through to watch the video.]

This video post discusses a popularization of an idea attributed to Heraclitus: “You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.”

Most people’s reflection on that statement has to do with the river, but the reality is also that we change from moment as the waters of time and experience flow over us.

There’s more to it than that, though. So many times, we think of our lives as coming back to the same spot, especially when that spot is negative. (Ever notice that few people say “Yay! We’re back here again!” ?

Our lives aren’t circular – they’re more like a corkscrew. The short video discussion explains more.

This is video #3 in the Don’t Overthink It! project. I think this is the shortest video I’ve ever done with a complete thought.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Leave the Canoe Behind
2. Are You Modeling Your Message?
3. Keep Learning and Helping – Let Go Of Regret

This May, we’ve been hosting our 2nd Core Conversation Series – Extraordinary Women Change the World. In case you missed any posts, here is a brief wrap-up of the posts from the last two weeks, with an afterword by Angela Wheeler. Enjoy!

So Much Inspiration and More to Come

I continue to be inspired and awed by this series. I have such deep gratitude for each and every one of our contributors and each of you that have been in this conversation with us. There have been amazing conversations on the site, on Twitter, Facebook, as well as through email, phone, and other sites. I’m so thrilled to see this conversation rolling out there and really helping and inspiring so many.

It’s a beautiful, inspiring thing to see how each of our contributors has experienced empowerment and helped support the empowerment of others. Shann has given so many people the support and resources to really rock their lives, while Ev’Yan has provided a safe place for people to be open about an often un-talked about topic. Desiree is such an inspiration by witnessing the empowerment of others and Molly helps by giving us a juicy recipe for empowering ourselves through knowledge. Kory shared his experiences and the ways he supports empowered women in his own life, while Lisa shares with us how tuning out the experts helped her to be a great mom.

Wow! And, we still have so much magic left to share in this series. We’ll continue to share posts throughout May and June. There are many amazing treats and surprises ahead! Just a couple of examples of goodies yet to come: 1) We’ll get to hear from Keren Taylor, the director of WriteGirl, California’s non-profit of the year, and 2) get a glimpse of a beautiful letter from Michael Van Osch to his nieces.

I hope you’ll continue to extend the conversation with us. A couple of questions I’d like to leave you with:

1. Has there been a post in this series that has reached you in an important way?  We’d love to hear from you and share your empowerment journey.
2. Is there a woman that has made a significant positive impact on your life? If so, let her know.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Empowered and Proud – We’re Just Getting Started
2. Be the Wizard In Your Own Life
3. Celebrate Your Power

[If you're reading this via RSS or email, you might have to click through to watch the video.]

Today’s video blog is about why it’s critical to understand critical mass.

Have you ever wondered why you’re working your tail off to make something happen and not getting results when some other person or business does the same thing gets epic results? In general, what you’ve seen is the difference between having critical mass and not working on it.

And, here’s the thing: what you need to do when you’ve got critical mass is different than what you need to do when you’re gaining critical mass.

I think I talk more about this in the video. Maybe I meant to and didn’t – or maybe I’m thinking more about what I said. Either way, the video’s there, and since it’s #2 in the Don’t Overthink It! series, I’m letting ‘er rip.

If you liked this post, you might like these, too:

1. Run Your Own Race
2. Why I’m Scared To Get Into The Habit of Video Blogging
3. What’s Your “Reason Why”?

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of our core conversation, “Extraordinary Women Change the World.” In our last post, Kory McDow shared his story of extraordinary women in his life. Today, Molly Mahar of Stratejoy shares her favorite way to encourage empowerment.

***

Back in the third grade, Brandi, RaeAnn and I climbed a stage at the state capitol in Helena, Montana.  Side ponytails flapping, over-sized one-shouldered silver-starred tee shirts shimmering, and layered socks perfectly scrunched, we let loose with an enthusiastic lip synch and dance for the D.A.R.E. pep rally.

Our song?  Knowledge is Power.

Our parents’ video cameras were whirring as we mouthed,

“Knowledge is power 
I know what I know. 
The more you learn,
ooooohh,
the farther you’ll go.”

Those might be the only words I remember (though I’m sure this routine is immortalized on VHS tape somewhere), but the message is still incredibly present in my life.

I’m not preaching a drug-free existence these days, but I am completely pro-knowledge, pro-power. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean schooling. I’m talking about exposure. Experience. Library cards. Mentors. Focused research born out of passion. Interviews.  Diving in headfirst. Getting messy. Speaking up. Sharing your expertise. Owning your choices.

Knowledge is power.

I know a large piece of my own empowerment has come from seeking my own answers. The world holds an amazing variety of opinions on everything under the sun.  I believe it’s my job to decide what’s worth learning about for myself, my calling, my family, and my life.

For so many things in our uncertain world, there is no such thing as the rightway…  And that means things large and small are up to us.  If there is no right way, what is my way?  And more fully, what is my way when I come from a place of informed integrity?

This gets sticky when we have no stories or experiences of our own to make decisions, no natural base of knowledge. And when we have to make decisions or take action lacking a base of knowledge, we get stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed.

Take two examples from my own world:

Circa 2008.  I’ve never started a business before! Cue intense fear and burying my head in the sand instead of taking things one step at a time. And crying, lots of excited/nervous crying.  Maybe I don’t have what it takes to run a successful business…  All these people are so far ahead…  Where do I start?  I don’t know what to do!

Circa present. I’ve never been a mama before!  Cue incredible overwhelm and slight panic.  Try to comfort self with the idea that no one knows what they are doing when they start out. Try to ignore mean mommy wars.  Get freaked out by all the different “I am right” opinions on what is right…  Where do I start?  I don’t know what to do!

Ick.

There is no empowerment in those examples.  There is no beautiful combination of confidence + freedom to make choices + knowledge. 

So how do I turn it around?  What do I do to empower myself?

Knowledge is power, baby.

The Right Ingredients

My own recipe for gaining new knowledge looks like this:

• Start by talking to people I trust (even if I don’t know them well) who I imagine have similar philosophies to my own.
• Ask for their recommendations on books, movies, courses, and experts.
• Give myself a limited time to dive into research (on both sides when necessary).
• Talk about my findings with my soul people (my husband, my mentors, my sister).
• Journal about my findings through a lens of personal morality and core values.
• Define the first decisions to make or actions to take.
• Make the decision or take the action without a lot of fanfare.
• Test, measure, and acknowledge mistakes or success when applicable.
• Trust that I will figure out the next step when it arrives because I am a smart, capable, informed woman.

My stress, anxiety, and overwhelm tend to disappear when I can claim my choices under a gorgeous, comforting umbrella of informed integrity.  I feel empowered to move forward, to own my opinions, to leave uncertainty and second-guessing behind.

Yes, I started the business. It’s successful.

And yes, I’m a peaceful two weeks out from giving birth, having made all the major decisions that need to be made at this point.

I feel empowered and triumphant and honestly, a little sexy, having giving myself permission and trust to find my way, instead of worrying about the right way.

That said, I’m not claiming perfection in this realm… There are still things in my world that I feel stuck and overwhelmed about. I haven’t really given them priority. I don’t feel empowered because I don’t have the knowledge to make my choices.

Investments and taxes?  Natural foods and homeopathic medicine?  Cloth diapers?  I’m coming for you next!

Me and my side ponytail.

About Molly: Molly Mahar is a coach, speaker, writer, fierce love advocate and joy enthusiast. She is the founder of Stratejoy, a positive corner of the Internet that provides thousands of Gen Y women the tools, strategies and camaraderie to lead authentically joyful lives.  Molly’s work is delivered through several live and digital group programs, focused on creating *YOUR* joyful world.  She helps women live life on their own terms, celebrate their worth, and value their happiness. With enthusiasm! And action!  She also works one-on-one with clients who are ready for true personal alignment and big transitions.

Molly loves connecting!  Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo or Pinterest!

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