“My personal feeling is that if women were running countries we wouldn’t be shooting each other.” Judy Rosener, the professor from University of California  

“When women from all around the globe help each other, the tide of success will not only lead to higher levels of achievement but also to (who knows?) world peace,” Judy Rosener, the professor from University of California notes. “I was in Sweden at a conference of Women Heads of Country some years ago. Attending were women from all over the world: the woman who headed the PLO, also a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Christian, Jew, a Catholic. We decided we could end the Middle East war in three weeks. Women look at solving problems very differently.”

Women are looking at ways to solve problems differently, and they are encouraging others to join the conversation to make positive changes. The issues they espouse range from researching and teaching individuals, corporations, and countries about sustainable management of natural resources to providing venues and opportunities for women to learn how to become strong leaders. There have been many studies about how men and women think differently. The concept is not meant to be divisive in any way, but rather to help both men and women understand and work well with those differences.

Birute Regine, a psychologist and author says, “Women are in a position to lead because of their relationship skills, their ability to see how we are all interconnected and interdependent. The global reality puts women ahead in the very skills that were marginalized before, when they were regarded as 'soft' —relationships are now the very things needed.” 

Successful women call on their natural skills to communicate more clearly and broadly, share their knowledge in every way possible, enlighten and energize people with their passions, and to leave a legacy of wisdom. I believe we can do this by focusing on the following four suggestions:

·                Make the effort to appreciate differences in order to communicate well

·                Invite others into your circle of knowledge

·                Enlighten the world with your passion

·                Plan to leave your legacy

Have fun with this.

Besides writing and speaking on topics relating to women in business, entrepreneurship and success, Pam loves to encourage others to try things they’ve never done before to expand their interests and relationships. Pam and her husband did just that by renovating a house—with their own hands—and writing about it in their newly released she-said, he-said book Under the Carmel Valley Sun: An Adventure in Remodeling, Relationships and Red Wine. Check it out at www.underthecarmelvalleysun.com.

One of my PhD students did a study that looked at coffee shops as places where people go to feel connected. They take their lap tops, buy one cup of coffee, and stay there for hours.  Dr. Judith Rosener, professor at the Graduate Business School at University of California, Irvine, California

Headed to the coffee shop for a cup of Joe or for a place so that you can work on your computer without feeling isolated? As life gets more complex people want more simplicity, such as working from home, but that may have unexpected complications.

Dr. Judith Rosener, a professor at the University of California, says, “The feeling of not being connected causes a need for something. My theory is that spiritualism today is a need because we’re so disconnected. Even though I don’t like cell phones, being on cell phones and being on computers provide ways for people connect today.” She tells us about a study that one of her students conducted about people hanging out in coffee shops. “They could work at home but they feel a part of something by being in coffee shops. Not surprisingly, coffee shop owners are losing money because of it. Life is getting too complicated, and people are feeling disconnected.”

While many of the women I’ve interviewed agree that complexity can lead to feeling disconnected, not all agree that it leads to a spiritual search. Although, most feel there exists a great yearning for meaning and connection. Women today have more options than ever before in their careers and personal lives, but that the wealth of options offers a mixed bag of feelings ranging from a great sense of opportunity to that of utter confusion.

Just as we can use technology to free our time or fill it, we can take advantage of our options to lead to a fulfilling life or to one that’s just plain overloaded. Due to the speed of work thanks to the Internet—and to the ability for people to work alone from home with web conference calls rather than face-to-face meetings—more and more people feel disconnected, “off the radar screen” as one young woman puts it. 

When we feel down we wish for something to sustain us, make us feel strong and not so alone, and ultimately to make us feel happy. People often do this by seeking the company of people, even if they don’t know them. Today, many coffee shops, bookstores and libraries have become surrogate cubicles for many work-at-home employees and entrepreneurs.

So let’s take a new look at the cubicle. The case for the cubicle (or surrogate cubicle) includes these strong points:

·       Yes, it’s small. Yes, you can feel small in a many-cubicled setting. But you’re not working alone. You’re part of a team; a team that you actually see. If you already work in a cubicle, note the benefits it provides you.

·       If you’re working from your home, and feel down or less productive than you know you can be, try a new venue: a coffee shop, library or a bookstore. Try one of them for a week so you’ll start to feel comfortable, one of the regulars. See is this helps your concentration and productivity.

Have fun with this.

Besides writing and speaking on topics relating to women in business, entrepreneurship and success, Pam loves to encourage others find the good in every situation and to try things they’ve never done before to get more out of life. Pam and her husband did just that by renovating a house—with their own hands—and writing about it in their newly released she-said, he-said book Under the Carmel Valley Sun: An Adventure in Remodeling, Relationships and Red Wine. Check it out at www.underthecarmelvalleysun.com.

            “I am deep down a spiritual person who believes in the power of the inner spirit and have always wanted to help others. This is the reason why I joined the UN.”  -- Zohreh Tabatabai

What makes some of us wake up every day feeling energetic about our dance of life while others crawl out of bed feeling exhausted and willing to accept a “ho-hum” existence? From my interviews with successful people over the years, I’ve found that people can get burned out and fall into a rut for many reasons and that everyone from time to time gets hit with the ho-hums. They want something more: more fun, more invigorating, more exciting, more meaningful,,, more interesting.

Too often people find themselves stuck in the mindset of “I know my life’s not great, but I don’t know what to do about it. I’ll get by.” They habitually “get by” by moving to a subconscious rhythm of life without much forethought, without mindfully paying attention and directing their moves, without trying new things.

Many successful people get out of a rut (yes, successful people can fall into doldrums, too) and turn “getting by” into “getting interested” by taking time to identify and define the purpose for what they do during their waking hours. Some call it purpose. Others call it motivation or inner calling. No matter what it’s called, it doesn’t happen without trying new things.

What motivates successful people comes from a variety of sources, but none works as well as knowing your deep interests and trying different ways to work in a field that lets you develop them. Zohreh Tabatabai, Director of the Department of Communications of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, sister agency of the UN, says, “I am deep down a spiritual person who believes in the power of the inner spirit and have always wanted to help others. This is the reason why I joined the UN.” 

Zohreh was born in Teheran, Iran, but sent to boarding school in England when she was seven years old. She grew up in England, the U.S. and Switzerland. Her willingness to live in many different places and meet diverse groups of people helped Zohreh see the importance of countries working together to solve problems. She explains the role of the International Labor Organization, “The United Nations and its sister agencies were created at different times when the world leaders realized that they could not solve their problems alone, that they needed each other to make things better for their people. This is as true today as it was in 1945 when the UN was created, or in 1919 when the International Labor Organization was created.”

Zohreh found that getting ahead in her chosen field had a lot to do with her desire to help others. She’s proud of the role of the ILO in the world and her ability to contribute to it. “The ILO promotes fundamental principles and rights at work.” She adds, “By the way, it should be known that ILO conventions and recommendations brought us everything from the eight hour working day to maternity leave to the push for equal rights for women and men in the workplace.” Zohreh is a woman who found that “getting interested” in world labor problems set her path to a fulfilling life.

When you feel out of sorts and that things just aren’t going your way, perhaps you aren’t going in the right direction. Stop listening to others. Do something you’ve never tried before but have always been curious about. You’ll be starting in the right direction to turn “getting by” to “getting interested.”

Have fun.

Besides writing and speaking on topics relating to women in business, entrepreneurship and success, Pam loves to encourage others try things they’ve never done before to get more out of life. Pam and her husband did just that by renovating a house—with their own hands—and writing about it in their newly released she-said, he-said book Under the Carmel Valley Sun: An Adventure in Remodeling, Relationships and Red Wine. Check it out at www.underthecarmelvalleysun.com.

I am successful if I feel joy every day. I could add money, health, and all those things that I used to think that in my twenties and thirties. But now I see it differently. I want to play and have fun and laugh every day. And do something significant every day. That brings me joy.   Carol Leavitt, MBA, Management Consultant, Leadership Coach, Utah

Cathie Straub, a financial consultant in Anchorage, Alaska, believes that for most of us success evolves as we age. “Back in my twenties, success was all about climbing the career ladder and making the most money at that time. I didn’t have as many competing factors for my time back then.  I now think of my success as how well I balance all aspects of my life. A balanced life equals happiness for me.”

As I’ve talked to successful women over the years, I’ve seen how they have expanded the traditional definition of success of wealth, power, and fame. It includes not only the well-known tangible trappings of success, but intangibles such as finding a way to make a difference in the world, integrating passion with their work, and making sure that their work reflects their priorities and values. These intangibles in no way have meant that they had to give up wealth, fame, and power, but recognizing them has led to more satisfying ways to work and live.

Although it’s true that definitions of success aren’t based solely on financial criteria, money is a more-than-valid indicator of success. Money worries obviously get in the way of feeling successful. But there is more to success than money. Happiness has entered into the lexicon of personal success in a huge way in the past dozen years. Some believe that this trend is due to Far Eastern thought filtering into our Western culture. Whatever the explanation, globalization impacts us in many areas of our lives, including expanding our view of success.

Success fitness means keeping in mind what you want in your life. Think about it when you wake up and act on it. For Carol Leavitt, she makes all she does fun. Instead of focusing on what can go wrong, she looks for what is going right and building on that.

Things to remember about success fitness:

·              Make it happen. Fitness—whether physical or mental—doesn’t come from wishing. It comes from doing. If you don’t have the right attitude, change it. Break the invisible wall to fitness by taking small actions daily and then increasing them every week.

·              Understand the evolution of success. What you wanted early on may not be what gives you the most satisfaction today. That’s normal and expected. It’s a good thing.

·              Think about what success will look like for you twenty years from now, and how you want people to remember you. Success is dynamic. You can influence what it will look like later in your life by the thoughts and actions you do today.

·              Expand your view of the world. Success as viewed in the US isn’t necessarily considered success in other countries or even other generations in our own country. Having free time as a measure of success is very important to Gen Ys. Money alone is not the motivator.

·              Define your happiness in realistic, specific terms. No pie–in-the-sky, unattainable mumbo jumbo. Just real, and appealing, description of what makes you happy and fulfilled and personally successful.

·              Have fun. It’s your life and your time. So make it the time of your life.

Pam Gilberd believes in people following their dreams. She writes and speaks worldwide on topics relating to women in business, entrepreneurship and success. She and her husband continue to encourage dreamers with their upcoming she-said, he-said book due out November 15, 2009. Under the Carmel Valley Sun: An Adventure in Remodeling, Relationships and Red Wine. Visit us at www.underthecarmelvalleysun.com.