Leadership

"I learned that leadership was not about the warrior journey only, but about showing vulnerability as well.  Only when I stepped forward and showed my vulnerability, I cannot tell you how many women came and told me their own story and broke their silence.  It's ok to show vulnerability because we are not perfect and actually our imperfection is the beautiful thing about us; our struggle; it's not necessarily an easy dance.  It's a wobbly dance sometimes

It's like a black stone (she points to her chest) that dissolved from me and became a crystal.  That's the physical feeling that I literally feel.  I can tell you all of this and not cry.  It is out of my system.  My demon is out of me, but it took me years.  It was quite a painful journey and it took quite another kind of courage.  The courage to speak our inner truth, the courage to break our inner silence, the courage to show our vulnerability, the courage to say something as simple as 'I'm not happy' .  Courage is not planned.  Sometimes you have to jump off the cliff and just do it."  Zalnab Salbi

New Story

"The new story we want to help birth is hidden under the louder story of our own self-doubts and the story of history.   If you want to hear a new voice you have to listen very carefully.  Another world is not only possible she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing."  Elizabeth Lesser 

Adventure

"Instead of sacrificing a self I hardly knew or loved, I turned my attention to self-understanding and self-forgiveness.  Instead of accepting a straight-and-narrow route to someone else's concept of God, I set out on my own adventure."  Elizabeth Lesser

Women's Search for Self

"For many women, the shift from being the bountiful mother to being a person in search of her essence is a difficult period of change.   Naturally, people admire the selflessness of the caring mother, but what's to admire in the search from a self?   This effort will look narcissistic and far from virtuous.  When you make the important move to find yourself, you will probably have to go it alone.   You may have to accept that you will be misread and underappreciated.   Certainly your family will have to adjust."  Thomas Moore

How Many?

How many people who believe they never dream are sleepwalking in their marriage, in their job, in their church, blindly adhering to ideas they never question, with no heart in what they are doing?"  Marion Woodman

Subject or Object

"Those who identify with being objects rather than subjects function more in terms of what they "ought" to do, what they "have" to do, or what the "should" do because their sense of worth arises from others evaluations, reflections, desires.   They have missed out on learning how to be self-determining, although they may believe they have learned.   The telltale sign that they are functioning as objects rather than subjects is, as we have repeatedly seen, is feeling resentful and overwhelmed by their daily activities- feeling as though someone else were in charge."  Polly Young-Eisendrath