AUGUST 2010
Thoughts of strength and resilience are on my mind - what makes a person feel strong and resilient, and what causes us to give away our power and allow ourselves to feel small and vulnerable?
In addition to the August winds that blow the last of the winter leaves off the trees in preparation for spring, we in South Africa celebrate Women’s Day this month. On 9 August 1956 thousands of women marched to Pretoria to protest the pass laws. Repeating the phrase “you strike a woman, you strike a rock” women of all races were united in their fight to restore human rights and dignity. It was, many argue, a turning point in our history.
But when did that rock get eroded and replaced with a pink flower? Already there are adverts on the radio and in newspapers, urging men to pamper and spoil women on 9 August. And restaurants and shops are putting in their orders for roses and balloons to hand out to all their female customers next Monday. How did such a powerful demonstration of strength and resilience get turned into a commercial venture that celebrates women, not for their potency but for their fragility? And where else do we see the chipping away of our power?
All of us, not only women, struggle sometimes to retain feelings of might and resilience. All it takes is a blow – large or small, real or imagined - in any one area of our life, and we can start to feel insecure and insignificant in all areas. When we are having a hard time at work, that struggle to feel good enough can spill over into other areas of our lives. And when we are feeling misunderstood or underappreciated at home, we often manifest those feelings in the workplace too. It is all too easy to feel a sense of helplessness when we are faced with a problem or a barrier that gets in the way of our dreams and desires.
In order to be a (good) force to be reckoned with we need to have a clear sense of who we are, and to feel forceful in all areas of our lives. When we feel committed to standing up for ourselves and our goals, we can make our presence felt; to ourselves and to others.
I am having a wonderful time fine-tuning the tools and exercises that I will be using in my weekend workshop at the end of August. I am particularly excited about an exercise that will firstly help participants to identify any areas of their lives where they may feel disempowered or insecure, and then assist them to harness the strength and resilience inherent in all of us, to make changes that will make them feel more secure and powerful. Please let me know if you are interested in attending the workshop.
Life Lessons for the Adult Child went to print this week and I am very excited to see the first copies of it by the end of the month. I am also designing a training programme for coaches who want to be certified to use the materials and tools I have developed to work with adult children. The course will run early next year, but a pre-requisite is to have completed either the “It’s Never Too Late” Tele-Class or the e-course, so if you think you may want to participate in the training, please contact me about participating in a Tele-class or e-course this year.
My hope for the month of August is that we all connect with that part of us that is strong and resilient – an inner rock that helps us stand our ground and deflect any blows - and allow ourselves to stay connected and true to our passion. And I look forward to connecting with you some time soon.
Love Judy
AUGUST 2010
Thoughts of strength and resilience are on my mind - what makes a person feel strong and resilient, and what causes us to give away our power and allow ourselves to feel small and vulnerable?
In addition to the August winds that blow the last of the winter leaves off the trees in preparation for spring, we in South Africa celebrate Women’s Day this month. On 9 August 1956 thousands of women marched to Pretoria to protest the pass laws. Repeating the phrase “you strike a woman, you strike a rock” women of all races were united in their fight to restore human rights and dignity. It was, many argue, a turning point in our history.
But when did that rock get eroded and replaced with a pink flower? Already there are adverts on the radio and in newspapers, urging men to pamper and spoil women on 9 August. And restaurants and shops are putting in their orders for roses and balloons to hand out to all their female customers next Monday. How did such a powerful demonstration of strength and resilience get turned into a commercial venture that celebrates women, not for their potency but for their fragility? And where else do we see the chipping away of our power?
All of us, not only women, struggle sometimes to retain feelings of might and resilience. All it takes is a blow – large or small, real or imagined - in any one area of our life, and we can start to feel insecure and insignificant in all areas. When we are having a hard time at work, that struggle to feel good enough can spill over into other areas of our lives. And when we are feeling misunderstood or underappreciated at home, we often manifest those feelings in the workplace too. It is all too easy to feel a sense of helplessness when we are faced with a problem or a barrier that gets in the way of our dreams and desires.
In order to be a (good) force to be reckoned with we need to have a clear sense of who we are, and to feel forceful in all areas of our lives. When we feel committed to standing up for ourselves and our goals, we can make our presence felt; to ourselves and to others.
I am having a wonderful time fine-tuning the tools and exercises that I will be using in my weekend workshop at the end of August. I am particularly excited about an exercise that will firstly help participants to identify any areas of their lives where they may feel disempowered or insecure, and then assist them to harness the strength and resilience inherent in all of us, to make changes that will make them feel more secure and powerful. Please let me know if you are interested in attending the workshop.
Life Lessons for the Adult Child went to print this week and I am very excited to see the first copies of it by the end of the month. I am also designing a training programme for coaches who want to be certified to use the materials and tools I have developed to work with adult children. The course will run early next year, but a pre-requisite is to have completed either the “It’s Never Too Late” Tele-Class or the e-course, so if you think you may want to participate in the training, please contact me about participating in a Tele-class or e-course this year.
My hope for the month of August is that we all connect with that part of us that is strong and resilient – an inner rock that helps us stand our ground and deflect any blows - and allow ourselves to stay connected and true to our passion. And I look forward to connecting with you some time soon.
Love Judy