Well said...

"Women do not have to sacrifice personhood if they are mothers.

They do not have to sacrifice motherhood in order to be persons.

Liberation was meant to expand women's opportunities, not to limit them.

The self-esteem that has been found in new pursuits

can also be found in mothering."

~ Elaine Heffner

On the flip and more important side:

"If you bungle raising your children,

I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much."

~  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

I couldn't agree with both of them more...

I've said, and will continue to say, that becoming a mother is not "end" in itself - there is no reason why women cannot aspire beyond motherhood. I believe it is a bump (literally too) on the road to accomplishing what God has called you to.

In the same breath, accomplishing all God has called you to and "losing" your children on the way (or in the maze, as it sometimes is)  to your goal is =

mission unaccomplished

In being a Career woman (discussed recently*), ensure that you do not fail in your ultimate "profession" as a mother.

The rewards of excelling in this profession are eternal...and the best legacy.

Reference:

http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.ca/2012/06/career-woman.html

Career Woman

Recently self-assessing, I had to ask myself: "Are you a career woman?"
The answer to that question was very important to me because one thing I had always purposed, even before I got married, was to never let my job/career get in the way of my marriage or family. For this singular reason, I remember saying: "I don't want to be a 'career woman.'" Well, guess what I've found out - some decades later? Yes - I am a career woman and surprisingly, I'm very happy with that "discovery." I actually accepted that simply because the word "Career" starts off with "Care." When the Lord opened my eyes to that, I better understood why He let me become a CARE-er woman.

 

C - He wants me to come up higher; climb the corporate and other ladders and not forget to help others up too. Climbing takes an effort and focus. For too long, the concept of being a "Career woman" has had a negative connotation - so it's up to us to demonstrate the value of being a career woman. Climb and shine to God's glory.

 

A - God blesses and "promotes" us so we can assist others. There are so many ways to lend a helping hand to others. It is sad that some people climb the ladder and take the ladder with them. If your predecessor took the ladder with them, what would you climb? I've found that there are so many opportunities for us to assist others. A wise person said: Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful.  I like to tell people that they are free to ask me any questions they have and that if I don't have the answers, together we'll find someone or somewhere that has them. Think about it, we all know someone who knows someone who knows someone...I could go on but would rather move on to "R."

R - yes, it stands for Relatable. When you think about it, if a tree doesn't stay "related" to the soil, it will not survive let alone thrive. The popular saying: "no man is an island*" is just as true as the fact that "one tree doesn't make a forest."

Just as a forest starts with a tree and more, we all need each other.  Being relatable is about looking out for the other person's best interest and in doing that God takes care of you too. 

E - I know "E" stands for "end" but more importantly, in this post, it stands for "Effective." At the end of everything we do - at home, work, & elsewhere - we need to be effective. This essentially means that we produce results - not reasons or excuses of "why not." John Wooden advised that we must "never mistake activity with achievement."

A CAREer Woman should be a lighthouse -

standing tall and shining to God's glory

and that is my aspiration.

Sources:
*John Donne

Are you Accountable?

 “Accountable” and “Accountability” are two words that have become somewhat popular. Believe it or not, we can all be accountable; it's not difficult - once we set our minds to it. Last year, I found a nice article* on "Accountability." I like the AB&C - acronym-base and content - of the article so here's an excerpt to help us (italics and green font mine): 

A -   ACTION:  “No action creates no results. Facing the fear of inactivity is not easy.” Neither is facing the fear of failure. The way I see it, if you are inactive or take no action, you have failed already. 

C -   With action, comes COMMITTMENT and more questions. If you are not committed to the action, you will not follow through and soon enough fall back into the state of “no action.” What does commitment look like to you? Is your commitment like the occasional spring breezes or is it constant like the changing of the seasons? Are you truly committed to doing what it takes to reach beyond that next level of excellence?  

About attitudes

Here are 10 quotes about attitudes:

You cannot control what happens to you,

but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you,

and in that,
you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
~ Brian Tracy

 The problem is not the problem;

the problem is your attitude about the problem.

~ Author Unknown

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?

~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,

always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

 

Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently,

but life itself would come to be different. ~Katherine Mansfield

Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us.

~ John N. Mitchell

Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force. ~ Irving Berlin
 

Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done. ~ Bo Bennett
 

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~ Scott Hamilton

You can also check out:

http://sapphire-and-beryl.blogspot.com/2012/04/about-attitude.html

The Eagle's Attitudes...

Eagles come in all shapes and sizes,

but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes.

E. F. Schumacher

Likewise, each of us is unique.

You cannot be like any other person...

You are you - period.

You are not anyone else. No matter how hard you try, you will only be second to the person you're trying to be like - a copy not an original. 

"Today you are You, that is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

~ Dr Seuss 

So you need to have the right attitude(s) to attain high altitudes,

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

~ Winston Churchill

Do you have an eagle's attitudes? One of the eagle's attitudes is flying in the eye of the storm. An Empowered Woman is an Enlightened Woman. Sir Francis Bacon said: "knowledge is power" and you can only apply what you know not what you don't - so I encourage you to look up other eagle attitudes and cultivate them.

When you do, you will find out and agree with Zig Ziglar that:

"Your attitude not your aptitude determines your altitude."

Be Expectant

Expectant means:

• "excitedly anticipating something: excitedly aware that something is about to happen; and
• expecting something favorable: expecting something, especially something that will bring success or wealth" *

We should all be able to say like David: "My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him."** Simply because Jeremiah 29:11 tells us: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."***

Dress-sense

I've found that people think that having dress-sense is "following fashion" and that cannot be further from the truth. I'll let Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and Quentin Crisp help me here - respectively:

"Adornment is never anything except a reflection of the heart."

"Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are."
I totally agree that "to be a fashionable woman is to know yourself, know what you represent, and know what works for you.  To be "in fashion" could be a disaster on 90 percent of women.  You are not a page out of Vogue." (Author Unknown)

Like I said earlier, you can get ideas for others but must never stop being yourself. Who you are speaks in what you wear. I was intrigued to find out what some colours reflected. Since knowledge gained is knowledge shared, let me share a few:

• Black - authoritative, in control
• Grey/Gray - professional and dignified
• White - simple, innocent and maybe na·ïve
• Brown - friendly, approachable and down-to-earth 
• Blue - confident, conservative, calm and caring
• Green - growth, vitality and prosperity
• Purple - regal and sophisticated
• Red - power and passion

I'd really like to know what "Rainbow" would stand for - like I said I usually prefer "one-for-many" type jackets or accessories. The truth about dress-sense to me is like Cecil Beaton said: "The truly fashionable are beyond fashion."

Radiate who you are in what you wear and it will reflect positively in what you do. You can be a trend-setter, an original not a copy-cat...just dress well and sensibly.

P.S.
You can read some more about colours here:
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-meanings-in-business.html 
http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html