When was the last time you took stock of your life? Here’s what I mean. Have you thought about the things you have done and the things you might want to do. If you are under 40, you might not know what you want to do, but you probably have goals, (hopefully). There is no limit on what you might to do. (And dressing like the First Lady is not allowed to be on your list, whether you are female or male.)
That being said, my brother says I should look for a project. He does not understand that life going forward, for a woman of a “certain age” reinvention may be necessary. Yes, you have ongoing skills and an expertise of some sort, but you need to airlift all that to a new life. Which may or not work. For example, if writing is a passion, that is a skill to develop. In my life there have been three books, a musical show, and an almost daily blog/essay. The books had some distribution issues and the blog depends on inspiration. Oh, and then when something terrible happens, all my words escape from my brain.
Anyway, the first reinvention I thought about was to organize for #MeToo. That requires finding funding. Not sure how much, but big bucks. What is so fascinating is that for many of us we didn’t share the experience with anyone because we were embarrassed or we thought it was our fault. Even those of us who are ordinarily outspoken, really outspoken. Women who have something to say about everything. The Harvey W episode was predictable and expected. It is simply stupid to blame people who were victims for not talking. It is not ordinarily what women do.
The other item on my reinvention list is a course/workshop that has been evolving for years. If I were a celebrity the journey might not have taken so long. It involves developing communication tools to help people (focus on women) work on ways that encourage positioning (how we want to be perceived in order to meet life goals, courage- put on our big pants, and power- the ability to make your own life decisions.)
This sounds so simple. It’s not. Since the turn of the century, or as my mother would say, “since Hector was a pup,” or as my son once said, “when you were alive”... How many reinventions have I suffered? By last count it has been 8 — some of which have been repeated in different situations. And what’s been my favorite? There have too many to limit it to one, but I loved being Director of Security for a National political convention. In addition it was amazing to go to India and produce the events for the film “Gandhi,” working with Sir Richard Attenborough was no small part. And being able, as a Diplomat to travel to China with Hillary Clinton when she said, “women’s rights are human rights,” which by the way, no one in China saw. Those are highlights in an otherwise eclectic career path. And yet, I would be remiss if mentoring young people, especially young women, was not included.
And how about Donald Drump? He is not my role model (you knew that) but he reinvents himself every half hour. You think that’s easy? Not unless you have no moral core, not much of a brain, no principles, and wear horrible orange make up.
On what path will life take me? As long as it demands courage, power and good communication skills for positioning, I am certainly excited to find out. We’re just sayin’… Iris
That being said, my brother says I should look for a project. He does not understand that life going forward, for a woman of a “certain age” reinvention may be necessary. Yes, you have ongoing skills and an expertise of some sort, but you need to airlift all that to a new life. Which may or not work. For example, if writing is a passion, that is a skill to develop. In my life there have been three books, a musical show, and an almost daily blog/essay. The books had some distribution issues and the blog depends on inspiration. Oh, and then when something terrible happens, all my words escape from my brain.
Anyway, the first reinvention I thought about was to organize for #MeToo. That requires finding funding. Not sure how much, but big bucks. What is so fascinating is that for many of us we didn’t share the experience with anyone because we were embarrassed or we thought it was our fault. Even those of us who are ordinarily outspoken, really outspoken. Women who have something to say about everything. The Harvey W episode was predictable and expected. It is simply stupid to blame people who were victims for not talking. It is not ordinarily what women do.
The other item on my reinvention list is a course/workshop that has been evolving for years. If I were a celebrity the journey might not have taken so long. It involves developing communication tools to help people (focus on women) work on ways that encourage positioning (how we want to be perceived in order to meet life goals, courage- put on our big pants, and power- the ability to make your own life decisions.)
This sounds so simple. It’s not. Since the turn of the century, or as my mother would say, “since Hector was a pup,” or as my son once said, “when you were alive”... How many reinventions have I suffered? By last count it has been 8 — some of which have been repeated in different situations. And what’s been my favorite? There have too many to limit it to one, but I loved being Director of Security for a National political convention. In addition it was amazing to go to India and produce the events for the film “Gandhi,” working with Sir Richard Attenborough was no small part. And being able, as a Diplomat to travel to China with Hillary Clinton when she said, “women’s rights are human rights,” which by the way, no one in China saw. Those are highlights in an otherwise eclectic career path. And yet, I would be remiss if mentoring young people, especially young women, was not included.
And how about Donald Drump? He is not my role model (you knew that) but he reinvents himself every half hour. You think that’s easy? Not unless you have no moral core, not much of a brain, no principles, and wear horrible orange make up.
On what path will life take me? As long as it demands courage, power and good communication skills for positioning, I am certainly excited to find out. We’re just sayin’… Iris
