Today I Write My Story...Sonya Parker

Today is a blank page in your life story. What will you write in it?

--Sonya Parker

Today...William Arthur Ward

Today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.
--William Arthur Ward

Image credit: http://ognature.com/branches-bright-wonderful-amazing-sunrise-multi-ambar-plantations-colorful-grasslands-scenario-vibrant-violet-valley-green-gold-magical-red-sunny-leaf-tulips-nature-awesome-sun-hills-summer-view-cool/sunbeams-sunshine-garden-white-golden-plantations-seasons-leaves-sunrises-colours-coloured-scene-amber-scenery-bright-petals-summer-branches-awesome-work-hills-landscapes-sundown-yellow-agriculture-fi/

#LeadershipTuesdays: Today Matters...April Reign

"The things that I do today are important because I am exchanging a day of my life for them."

--April Reign, Creator of #OscarsSoWhite

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we feature April Reign, an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist, who came to prominence in January 2015 as the creator of the hashtag, #OscarsSoWhite.

After listening to the announcement of The Oscars' nominations in 2015 where not one person of color was represented in any of the 20 categories, April took to twitter to vent her frustrations. Her tweet went viral propelled by the force of "Black Twitter" and started to make headlines in online and traditional media outlets like Mashable and USAToday. It became a watershed moment in the fight for diversity in Hollywood because the next day, The Oscars (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) had to formally respond to the issues her hashtag raised.

In the first of a two part talk by Ms. Reign, she shares with us the moment she sent that tweet and what happened next. She believes that "everyday" moviegoers can have an impact on the movies that are made in Hollywood and the images we see on the screen, and she gives advice on that. Lastly, this wife and mother of two chats about how she plans to spend her Holidays including what's on the menu for the family meal. She even gives details on one of her recipes.

To see the video, click below. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. 

Today I Decide...Nona

Today I decide to look up and see hope.

Today I decide to look within and see possibility.

Today I decide to look around and see beauty.

Today I decide.

You Are Enough...Edith Eger

"To be passive is to let others decide for you. To be aggressive is to decide for others. To be assertive is to decide for yourself. And to trust that there is enough, that you are enough."

--Edith Eva Eger, Author, "The Choice: Embrace the Possible"

Life Is A Gift...Florence Night

Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. Far the greatest things grow by God's law out of the smallest. But to live your life, you must discipline it.

--Florence Nightingale

What Are You Talking About Right Now?...@BrianTracy

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders.
For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, click  womenatliberty.com. 

Will You Defy The Odds?

Think about this,

• 83% of students graduate from high school
• 59% of first time, full-time college students graduate from college with a degree
• Less than 30% of people get their dream job
• 50% of marriages fail
• Currently 36% of families do not own their home
• 33% of individuals are not prepared for retirement
• Only 1 in 200 startup companies succeed
• Only 1 in 4 venture capital backed companies succeed
• 1 in 2 small businesses will survive past more than 4 years

Why Can't It Be You?...Panama Jackson

"Everybody ain’t gonna get to the top—this is fact. But why can’t that person who does make it be you? Never forget that. Seriously.*"

--Panama Jackson, VerySmartBrothas.com

*Excerpt taken from the article, "Hey Y’all, I Met Oprah. Here’s What Happened", where Panama talks about receiving a call and a subsequent invitation from media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

You Are Worth More...

"If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price."

-- Author Unknown

In Algebra, we learned the theory of "Absolute Value" which states that the absolute value of any number, positive or negative, or any equation is never negative. So we apply this same theory to our life. My value is not negative, and I will not accept negativity or abuse. I am worth more. Say it out loud: "I am worth more." Prepare for more, ask for more and work for more.

#LeadershipTuesdays: My Greatest Mentor...Ursula Burns

"My mother raised us to think that if we worked hard, and if we put our end of the bargain in, it would work out OK for us."

--Ursula Burns, former CEO and Chairwoman

On Tuesdays, WOMENATLIBERTY presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. In 2009 Ursula Burns was named CEO of Xerox and in 2010 she became the Chairwoman of the company succeeding Anne Mulcahy. Ms. Mulcahy, a history maker in her own right, was the first female CEO of Xerox. She hand picked and mentored Ursula to become her successor. Burns characterized their relationship as a "true partnership".  A career that started with her working as an intern culiminated with Burns making history as the first African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. In May 2017, she retired from the company after more than 30 years of service.

Anne Mulcahy as well as many others including her husband, Lloyd Bean, have mentored her; but when she talks about her mother, you hear the emotion in her voice and you understand the deep respect this native New Yorker holds for the woman she calls her greatest mentor. Olga Burns was a hardworking single mother who believed that education would be Ursula and her two siblings' passport out of the housing projects into a bright future. She says her mother was right and she is eternally grateful for her mother's sacrifices.

Olga Burns

In today's #LeadershipTuesdays feature, Ms. Burns goes back to the place where she grew up and went to school to share with CNN Money's Cristina Alesci how her humble beginnings shaped her, helped her make decisions about her life and prepared her to become the well respected leader that she is today. To see the video, go to womenatliberty.com. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

*You can also view the interview by clicking here.

You Are Gifted For Greatness...Marie Curie

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained."

--Marie Curie