Inspiring women one book at a time

This summer I’ve been writing a couple of books, and as I reflect on what I am learning, I realize there are several common threads. Sitting at my computer, writing and editing,  is definitely one.  

I have also recognized that I just love, love interviewing women, hearing about their lives and helping them craft words to share their stories with others.  I hope I am listening to this joy I am experiencing.  I need to pay attention to it.

Both books are about women – in the one case One Red Lipstick shares the stories of  twenty women who have overcome “stuff” and positively moved on with their lives and in the other,  Enough, many of the women are held back by their feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.   I almost feel I should introduce the first group to the second so we can learn from each other.

One common thread though in both books is how our childhood can truly influence our adulthood.  In One Red Lipstick, most of the women refer to their parents - sometimes their fathers, sometimes their mothers - as having a profound impact on where they have gone in life.  They were role models, paving the way for their children, with their strong work ethic and values. 

Over half the women in One Red Lipstick are either from immigrant families or are immigrants themselves.  Given they are all business owners, it speaks to how once you’ve already taken the risk of moving to another country, starting a business is just one more risk and you have the tenacity to make it work.

On the other hand, in our Enough book, Amy and I connected with over 350 women, and childhood has certainly impacted their lives, but with varied results.  For some it was a bitter-sweet experience from which they had to recover and move on.  Others are still struggling with the effects of those early relationships, and yet another group of women rose above the turmoil of their childhood, demonstrating a resilience that has to be admired.

Yet the purpose of both books is the same – to encourage and inspire women to live their lives to their potential and on their own terms.  With the stories in One Red Lipstick, the women are to be commended for being real, authentic and vulnerable. 

Their stories will inspire you and hopefully help you realize that you too can do it. We all have challenges to overcome, be it big or small, and it is your attitude that will help you not only overcome them, but soar.

And it is your attitude that we want to change in Enough.  We fervently believe that you can change how you feel about yourself. While the stories in this book may resonate with you and it is good to realize you are not alone, please know that we are in your court. We have your back and the strategies to feeling better about yourself will be found in this book.

As those of you who have authored books will tell you, it is all a process and right now we are getting the bones and the meat of the books down on paper, but it will be a few months before we “give birth” and share our new babies with you.  But I know they will be worth the waitJ

Go for the gusto

Last week I attended the funeral of my friend’s father who was 96.  Yes, he’d had a good innings and he’d truly made the most of them.

While he had to retire at 65, he chose to keep working, taking contracts and so forth until he was 80.  He lived independently until he was 93, and only then, when his health was failing, did he move into a retirement complex.

He was one feisty old boy.  I first met Lloyd when he was around 80.  Always game to try something new, he insisted on coming along with his daughter and her husband to our annual Burns Party, so he could sample some haggis first hand.  He became a regular after that, and even though he was at least 30 years older than the rest of our guests, everyone loved to see him there.  He was interested, and interesting. 

Always up for a new adventure, in his later years, he bought a large boat which required a lot of work, and for which he had to get his mariner’s license… needless to say … he did. But you know what, he couldn’t swim, but he didn’t let that small fact get in the way.

I share his story because I wish we could all take a dose of Lloyd’s energy and enthusiasm for life.   When we live life with gusto, not much gets you down.  Oh sure there will be some mistakes and mishaps along the way, but when we act as if tomorrow may never come, we live our lives to the fullest.

And even with the kinks on the journey, when you have the right attitude, you can overcome and jump  over these hurdles.  It makes me think of a tree we have growing on our property.  For some reason it is all twisted and curled up, which you think would kill it, but no, the leaves are still there, it is still growing.  That’s what we need to do.

Acknowledge the curveballs, perhaps make some adjustments, but carry on.  Don't give up.