As Sheryl Sandberg's book "Lean In" started a national dialogue and a book tour; Arianna Huffington, an influential woman in her own right as Co-Founder of the Huffington Post stated in an article about Sheryl's book, "To effectively lean in, we must also lean back and focus on our health and wellness."
Arianna is advocating for a new women's movement in the U.S. She states that "women are redefining success, but the larger debate is about values. The two metrics for success now are money and power. She is calling for a third metric: well being and wisdom."
Now is the time for a new women's movement, and I totally agree that women should focus on values, well being and wisdom. But my recommendation is to Tap In to our wisdom and reinvent the next stage of our evolution.
Sandberg advocates for women releasing doubts and moving forward in their careers fearlessly.
Huffington advocates for more efforts being made for women on the work-life balance front.
I am advocating for women to Tap Into their wisdom, their courage and their true potential, to become Change Makers and implement the changes our society needs to be a better place for our children!!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/30/arianna-huffington-sheryl-sandberg-facebook-lean-in/2028269/
WELCOME! I'm Tracey Serebin and I'm SO glad you are here! Having been through the many stages of grief, healing and hope, my prayer is that I can help you use your unique story to access your wisdom, maximize your talents and become the change maker your family and our society needs! Let's be better together!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Show Women How to Win
Along the same lines as the last post I like this concept:
"Give a woman a fish and she cooks it for her family. Teach her How to Fish and she provides for her family for a lifetime."
The evolution of women over the last 50 years has been interesting. The beginning of that period has a woman's place at home and in the kitchen, then years later women start going off to college, graduating and entering the work force, then women are pursuing professional careers and graduate degrees, with motherhood being put on hold until certain goals are achieved.
Over the last 15-20 years we have seen more women in higher positions of power in corporate America, in politics and in the professional sector than ever before. We have also seen many more women earning more money than their husbands, causing men to play the role of stay-at-home dads. It is interesting to see how certain dynamics have shifted.
We currently have more than 8 million women owned businesses, as women forge ahead as entrepreneurs. We also have two major magazines, Fortune and Forbes now publishing a yearly list of the most powerful women in America.
So where do we go from here?
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, published a book entitled "Lean In" which hit the market in march with a lot of fan fair. Her mission seems to be to create a national dialogue with the intent of getting women to aggressively pursue success by speaking up and not backing down.
Having been successful in her career, Sherly Sandberg lends her influence and is a great example for women on how to win.
"Give a woman a fish and she cooks it for her family. Teach her How to Fish and she provides for her family for a lifetime."
The evolution of women over the last 50 years has been interesting. The beginning of that period has a woman's place at home and in the kitchen, then years later women start going off to college, graduating and entering the work force, then women are pursuing professional careers and graduate degrees, with motherhood being put on hold until certain goals are achieved.
Over the last 15-20 years we have seen more women in higher positions of power in corporate America, in politics and in the professional sector than ever before. We have also seen many more women earning more money than their husbands, causing men to play the role of stay-at-home dads. It is interesting to see how certain dynamics have shifted.
We currently have more than 8 million women owned businesses, as women forge ahead as entrepreneurs. We also have two major magazines, Fortune and Forbes now publishing a yearly list of the most powerful women in America.
So where do we go from here?
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, published a book entitled "Lean In" which hit the market in march with a lot of fan fair. Her mission seems to be to create a national dialogue with the intent of getting women to aggressively pursue success by speaking up and not backing down.
Having been successful in her career, Sherly Sandberg lends her influence and is a great example for women on how to win.
Monday, June 10, 2013
God Focused Not Bottom Line Focused
Our society has been extremely focused on the accumulations of material wealth. Definitions of success have been the large house, the expensive car, lavish vacations, adorning ourselves with objects of wealth and being in a position of power.
In the past those possessions have been mostly held by men. The business world was run by men, the government was largely run by men and investments into innovation and enterprise was mostly funded by men.
We now see a shift in those areas, but yet the definition of success, which was created by men, was what women have pursued as an achievement of success.
But "what if" women could change the definition of success and could shift the way that business has been run? We now have more women than ever before running their own businesses.
What if a "position of power" is one in which social problems can be solved, instead of being a platform for individual greed and monetary abuse, as we have seen in the past.
What if Women Business Owners and Leaders could create a God Focused Way of Life instead of a Bottom Line Focus?
What if the real achievement of success is when everyone Wins, when groups of people are elevated in their social status and solutions are achieved for life long sustainability.
Now is the time to Create a New Way!
I plan on showcasing individuals and companies that became very successful when they focused on helping others rather than focusing on the Bottom Line.
In the past those possessions have been mostly held by men. The business world was run by men, the government was largely run by men and investments into innovation and enterprise was mostly funded by men.
We now see a shift in those areas, but yet the definition of success, which was created by men, was what women have pursued as an achievement of success.
But "what if" women could change the definition of success and could shift the way that business has been run? We now have more women than ever before running their own businesses.
What if a "position of power" is one in which social problems can be solved, instead of being a platform for individual greed and monetary abuse, as we have seen in the past.
What if Women Business Owners and Leaders could create a God Focused Way of Life instead of a Bottom Line Focus?
What if the real achievement of success is when everyone Wins, when groups of people are elevated in their social status and solutions are achieved for life long sustainability.
Now is the time to Create a New Way!
I plan on showcasing individuals and companies that became very successful when they focused on helping others rather than focusing on the Bottom Line.
Teach Life Skills
I believe in the old saying:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
This saying is the reason I created the DB Adventure Series for kids. DB Adventures is a multi-media program that incorporates a 190 page fun chapter book and an online curriculum with interactive games and a news portal for kids 9 - 12 years old.
Kids today are innately sensitive to what is going on in the world and they have a desire to make a difference. They are looking for tools and guidance on how to make that happen.
The characters in my series are relatable, the adventure in the book is attainable, and shows kids step by step how they can create their own adventure. The interactive curriculum reinforces the tools they learn by reading the story, and ultimately provides life skills that are needed to be successful.
The other tool we created is a blog in which the 7 characters are posting stories about kids across the country, setting up companies, creating non-profits, developing downloadable apps, raising tremendous amounts of money and making a difference through their actions.
"Show kids how to succeed, and they become successful!"
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
This saying is the reason I created the DB Adventure Series for kids. DB Adventures is a multi-media program that incorporates a 190 page fun chapter book and an online curriculum with interactive games and a news portal for kids 9 - 12 years old.
Kids today are innately sensitive to what is going on in the world and they have a desire to make a difference. They are looking for tools and guidance on how to make that happen.
The characters in my series are relatable, the adventure in the book is attainable, and shows kids step by step how they can create their own adventure. The interactive curriculum reinforces the tools they learn by reading the story, and ultimately provides life skills that are needed to be successful.
The other tool we created is a blog in which the 7 characters are posting stories about kids across the country, setting up companies, creating non-profits, developing downloadable apps, raising tremendous amounts of money and making a difference through their actions.
"Show kids how to succeed, and they become successful!"
Provide The Tools
When I first became an advocate for kids back in the 90's, as a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, I saw the impact I could make on a child's life by standing up for that child in court and providing a voice.
I then became addicted to the impact I was making whenever I got involved in a case. But I realized that I was only able to help one child at a time and there were SO MANY languishing in foster care.
I saw so many needs going unmet and I decided to do what I do best -- create a non-profit and find solutions to the problems.
I believe there are 2 ways to help with problems -- there is the short term fix -- which is to provide a need in that moment, and there is a long term fix which is to solve the problem completely.
When I was coaching kids, I saw so many children given medication as an immediate solution, or a quick fix to school issues, anxiety, anger, frustration or possible suicidal tendencies.
These medications never really "fixed" the problem, they only masked them.
My work involved finding the cause of the problem and providing tools to fix the negative situation in their life. Time and time again, with the right tools, that child began to blossom and flourish as the negative that was holding them back, fell away.
In our world today, I feel there have been numerous short term fixes going on, and not enough real solutions and tools being provided to problems.
I then became addicted to the impact I was making whenever I got involved in a case. But I realized that I was only able to help one child at a time and there were SO MANY languishing in foster care.
I saw so many needs going unmet and I decided to do what I do best -- create a non-profit and find solutions to the problems.
I believe there are 2 ways to help with problems -- there is the short term fix -- which is to provide a need in that moment, and there is a long term fix which is to solve the problem completely.
When I was coaching kids, I saw so many children given medication as an immediate solution, or a quick fix to school issues, anxiety, anger, frustration or possible suicidal tendencies.
These medications never really "fixed" the problem, they only masked them.
My work involved finding the cause of the problem and providing tools to fix the negative situation in their life. Time and time again, with the right tools, that child began to blossom and flourish as the negative that was holding them back, fell away.
In our world today, I feel there have been numerous short term fixes going on, and not enough real solutions and tools being provided to problems.
Building Dreams
When I was in my 20's, I was career driven, money focused and deeply believed that the 60-70 hours a week I worked was an investment that would reap the rewards I wanted.
I was successful on the outside, but what I discovered is that life is ever-changing and business partners aren't always what they seem!
In my 30's I had to regroup and start over from scratch. This period brought me a ton of life lessons and an opportunity to focus on my personal dreams of being married, starting a family and building a life, not just a career.
Now in my 40's, I have realized that my talents, experiences and life lessons have brought me to a point in time where I now need to help others step into their power to fulfill their dreams.
As an entrepreneur I always looked for solutions to problems and figured out ways to implement them. This mindset also allowed me to see opportunities within niche markets and read the dynamics going on with people and trends.
I believe we are at an interesting point in time. Many could say our economy is at it's worst and our government is running this country into the ground.
We have also had violence and tragedy hitting us on a regular basis since last summer!
That would be one viewpoint. Mine is that through all this negative we have an opportunity to make real changes for the better. People want change and when they feel that desire they are more willing to do what ever it takes to make things better.
I believe in the Possible! I believe in the dream, and I believe we can make the world a better place.
I was successful on the outside, but what I discovered is that life is ever-changing and business partners aren't always what they seem!
In my 30's I had to regroup and start over from scratch. This period brought me a ton of life lessons and an opportunity to focus on my personal dreams of being married, starting a family and building a life, not just a career.
Now in my 40's, I have realized that my talents, experiences and life lessons have brought me to a point in time where I now need to help others step into their power to fulfill their dreams.
As an entrepreneur I always looked for solutions to problems and figured out ways to implement them. This mindset also allowed me to see opportunities within niche markets and read the dynamics going on with people and trends.
I believe we are at an interesting point in time. Many could say our economy is at it's worst and our government is running this country into the ground.
We have also had violence and tragedy hitting us on a regular basis since last summer!
That would be one viewpoint. Mine is that through all this negative we have an opportunity to make real changes for the better. People want change and when they feel that desire they are more willing to do what ever it takes to make things better.
I believe in the Possible! I believe in the dream, and I believe we can make the world a better place.
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