We want your story. Please send it to us and we will post it to give others courage to carry on.
Today is International Women’s Day. In Canada women are still making an average of only $.72 versus a man’s $1.00, and only 6% of the top dog seats in business is held by women but the story is not all in the money or the title. Today still reminds me of an ad that I saw years ago. I can’t remember what specific car brand was being highlighted, but the image is emblazoned on my mind. It was a picture of beautiful, impeccably dressed woman with two small children in tow and an expensive, exquisitely detailed, calf-skinned leather briefcase, in hand. The shiny SUV in the background sparkled in the light. The image was in stark contrast to the car ad a few pages later; a more expensive car with what appeared to be a successful male wearing up to the minute tennis attire holding an expensive racket and a ball. The idea of course was that women aspire to have it all, great job, and to keep the home fires burning. The bottom-line, no leisure time for them. They love the frenzy, the work; they are the backbone of their homes, of the country while the men, once they have achieved, get time off to pursue what they love and the wealthier they get, the smaller the ball gets.
The ad with the woman spoke to me in another way too – it said to me “women are amazing.” I was left wondering what it is that gives women the courage to carry on in the face of not getting the top job, top pay and often taking the reins in their families to make sure that the family does the best they can for their children? Sure, this isn’t always the case however, I would hazard a guess that the stats of men who do it all may correlate directly to the percentage of women who are breaking the glass ceilings.
There has been a fundamental shift and I believe that it is courage that is propelling women forward. New business that are run by women have a higher chance of success. Why? I believe that it is because there is courage to stick to it.
So, let’s start a conversation about courage. I am talking about everyday courage. We at CLUES are launching this discussion as of today, appropriately on International Women’s Day. The idea is to build courage in each of us; so that we can stand up with a voice when something is not right, inspire each of us to put one foot in front of the other and make small positive changes where we can. If we do this, our families will be in better shape, the world will be left in better shape and we will have made a difference.
Melinda Gates talks about positive disruption – we can do that too!! “Melinda: Positive Disruption really comes down to courage. I’m very fortunate that my work at the foundation means I have the opportunity to travel. Wherever I go in the world, I meet so many amazing people with the courage to believe that, for the world’s poorest people, change is possible. And the commitment to make that dream a reality.” Melinda Gates 2013
In our own, everyday lives we demonstrate courage.
Please send me your story about “What gives you courage?” Your story can encourage and help others. You have the power to give women strength. Here are 12 points to consider when I think about courage. Do any of these spark your story?
- The Courage to Take Responsibility
- The Courage to Live with Integrity
- The Courage to Challenge Your ‘Stories
- The Courage to Dream Bigger
- The Courage to Be Who You Are
- The Courage to Speak Up
- The Courage to Step Boldly into Action
- The Courage to Persevere
- The Courage to Say No
- The Courage to Open Your Heart Fully
- The Courage to Let Go
- The Courage to Be a Leader
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”
— Maya Angelou
BMO, Courage, International Women's Day, Leadership, Melinda Gates, SheEo, Women in Leadership
