As a little kid, I was hyper. Nonstop dancing, singing, gymnastics (especially cartwheels,) teaching other kids how to do stuff, talking to strangers and basically driving my parents (and other nearby adults) bonkers.
In school, my Kindergarten teacher wanted to hold me back a year and my 1st grade teacher (who I adored) betrayed me and told my parents I was “disruptive in class” and “lacked focus and attention.” My quest for self-improvement began early.
My childhood and young adulthood were spent locked in a constant struggle to “control” myself… to manage my excitement, contain my enthusiasm and keep my voice down. I channeled my intensity into “normal” activities, like school and dance.
By high school I was a straight A student, which I maintained all the way through my Ivy League years. Then I got an MBA, and like many other “productive” people, I spent the next 10 years exchanging time for money, time for money. My self-improvement plan was working!!
Problem is… I was miserable. Slowly, very slowly, I started realizing that all the things I was “fixing” about myself were the very gifts that I was blessed with. I got clear that the energy and enthusiasm that I had spent decades trying to dampen, were exactly the traits that inspired others. I finally “got” that the ADD brain that I had tried to manage and even medicate into submission was exactly what businesses valued for strategic thinking and marketing. And I finally made peace with my desire to be significant, and recognized it as a strength, not a weakness.
And as I started sharing this more intimate, vulnerable side of my journey, I found there are many others just like me. People who had wasted years trying to be someone they weren't. People who had negated their true talents in order to fit in and please others. People who rejected their desire to be known because it was “immodest” or “braggy
Which brings me to the theme of my Women's Success Summit:
“Time To Shine”
This Summit is for those who want to leave their mark on this planet. It's for those who want the world to be better off for having them in it, and for those who “deep down, in places they don't like to talk about at cocktail parties”* want others to know who they are, and to be recognized and valued for the gifts they bring to this party called LIFE.
What do you want to be known for? How do you want to be seen, and heard? Who do you want to serve? How will you deliver that? How can you monetize it? These are the questions of this, our 9th, Women's Success Summit.
Are you ready to share your light with the world? We are waiting for you.