Let’s Talk About Influential Women.

March is in the rearview mirror, but worth noting that it is a celebratory month - for all the women of the world! A chance to recognize and reflect on the impact that strong women have had on us in all walks of life.

(Sidebar: Really, every month is a time to celebrate influential women. Shouldn’t we be doing that DAILY?  I agree.  But, because it was just the month of March where we ‘officially’ get to celebrate fantastic women, let’s focus this blog post on celebrating ladies.)

In the U.S., there are about 12.3 million women-owned businesses*, and worldwide, we make up 43% of all entrepreneurs**. No longer waiting in the wings for our chance to contribute, we are creating our own path to success. We are valued and innovative in the business world as decision makers, creative contributors, tech geniuses, financial titans and more. There is no industry that women aren’t putting their stamp on, and we have no plans to stop.

The effort and determination shown by trailblazing women have inspired and impacted the world. We honor and respect their commitment to breaking the glass across industries. Let’s name check a few and reflect on their successes.

Decision Makers:  How about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? A decision maker of the highest level, she worked her way up from attorney to Justice, fighting for gender equality and women’s rights as the Notorious R.B.G. and left an indelible impression on the world.

Creative Contributors:  Maya Angelou’s compilations of poetry and her memoirs have stood the test of time to showcase her lovely spirit, strength and conviction.

Tech Geniuses: Sheryl Sandberg held positions at Google and Facebook, helping to shape the landscape of tech and social media as we know it.  And then, she wrote a book about her leadership, and we all had to ‘Lean In’ for a moment.

Financial Titans:  Not a celebrity in the traditional sense, and you may have not heard her name, but I bet you use the products she’s responsible for…. Catherine Lesjak is the CFO of Hewlett-Packard, and if you are working at home, I bet you have an HP Printer somewhere!

Now, here’s a question for you. Which of these do you MOST align with?  Which avatar are you amongst these powerhouse women, blazing trails all over the world?

If you are a mom, wife, teacher or businesswoman, you are a Decision Maker. The R.B.G.s of the world run hard, and make things happen.

If you create - whether it is content, statistics, delicious meals, beautiful crafts, woodworking, or glorious emails or blogs (ahem.), you are a Creative Contributor.  The world sees more crisp, clear and exciting colors because of what you bring.

If you are a consumer of tech in any fashion, go ahead and consider yourself a Tech Genius. Tech literally evolves daily, and if you have kept up with social media, websites, You Tube, glorious emails or blogs (again, ahem.), you are officially a Tech Genius and allowed to call yourself such.

How about a Financial Titan?  Do you make money, spend money, save money or want more money?  Me too. That makes us Financial Titans in our own right, and whatever way we choose to define our relationship with finances is our choice, and ours alone.

These examples serve a purpose here ladies. The illustration I’m showing is that we are actually all of these powerhouses. We don’t live in one silo. We don’t make a decision and then stop in our tracks, clap our hands and declare that our work here is done. We make the decision, and then we create. And we shout it out on the tech. And we make the money we deserve to make when our creative efforts get released into the world.

When I look around, I’m surrounded by strong, smart and determined women. Everywhere.

My dream for all of you is to fully recognize the impact you have in the world. Go out there, knowing your worth and sharing your gifts. As a mom of two daughters, this is the example I strive to set for them so that they will know that they are enough. They’ll go out there and share their gifts, paying it forward for generations.

What a lofty goal.

Let’s get there. See you at the top of the mountain ladies.

*Statistic courtesy of writersblocklive.com

**Statistic courtesy of techreport.com