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I have had a fascinating week, interviewing women for the
One Red Lipstick book.
One of the reasons we embarked on this project was that we
knew instinctively that women who are successful by society’s standards, often
have a story to tell.
As women
entrepreneurs, we all know that it is never plain sailing, that often there are
obstacles to be overcome, but we’re really good at putting on the mask (and the
red lipstick) and acting as if nothing is wrong.
Sometimes success comes with a hefty price tag when we have
been so embroiled and focused in our business that we neglect our health, take
our relationships for granted and are so driven that really our life is out of
kilter.
I remember years ago having a speaker who talked about just
that. In actual fact she was there to
talk on a different topic, but her recent realization and wake up call of how
she was missing the boat was top of mind, and that is what she focused on in
her presentation. I applaud her honesty
and willingness to be vulnerable.
We take our health for granted. It is not until we have lost our ability to
do something – as simple as just getting up without pain - that we realize how precious life and our
health is. Success takes on a different
interpretation, and maybe we need to revisit what success means to us.
Certainly in the summer the pace is slower. We take time to
stop and think, but why can’t we do that twelve months of the year? I am challenging myself with the same
question. When I come up with the answer, I’ll let you know.
One of the closing questions we ask the women is what advice
they would give to someone starting out.
I loved the reply from my last interviewee - “Join a gym and lift weights.” Her rationale? You need to be physically
strong to stay the course.
Maybe that’s advice that would work for all of us as we
weave our way through life. What do you
think?