Pursue!...Jesslyn Wolff

"The destination is fulfilling when the path is authentically your own; find the courage and forge your own path; your essence is at stake."

--Jesslyn Wolff

Love Yourself As If...Aberjhani

"Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends."


--Aberjhani, Author and Poet, "Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry"

Know Your Value!...@vnona

We spend a lifetime training, and enhancing and honing our skills and abilities. Don't let someone come along in a minute and discount everything you've worked for. Know your worth! Know your value!

--Nona O.

Living Your Own Best Selling Story...Ruby Garcia

"We can choose to be a character in a story written out by someone else or we can choose to be the author of our own story."

--Ruby Garcia

Why I Do What I Do...Taraji Henson

"I love awards, don’t get me wrong, I like being nominated, but for me, it just means that that’s how many people I’ve touched. That award or that recognition is just, that’s how many people you’ve influenced through your work. Sharing a little bit of Cookie’s (Empire) pain or Yvette’s (Baby Boy) pain might be a little window into my pain or my joy. But the only way you’re going to make it live is if you at least are familiar with it."


--Taraji P. Henson, Golden Globe winning and Academy Award nominated Actress

#LeadershipTuesdays: The Trouble With Needing People To Like You

"Let’s be clear. There’s nothing wrong with being liked. But the desire to be liked is what can get us into trouble. The bitter truth is that no matter how hard you try, there will always be people out there who don’t like you. Learning to be okay with that is hard work, but you’ll like yourself so much more for it."

--Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and Author, "Women Who Don’t Wait in Line"

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. We all want to be liked, but when you as a mature adult "need" to be liked, you become a slave to other peoples opinions and expectations.

The quote above is from a Forbes Mentoring Moment article by Reshma Saujani entitled, "Why Women Need To Stop Worrying About Being Liked". The quotes beautifully captures the dangers of being beholden to other people's opinions of you. As leaders women must be confident in themselves and who they are. We should all try to be nice and kind to our co-workers and employees. But, there is nothing wrong with being confident and firm. That's does not give anyone an excuse to be rude. You can be direct, pleasant, and firm. It's a skill that you can learn and develop. Read the article and you will definitely gain insight from Reshma Saujani's experiences.

Last week's #LeadershipTuesdays blog was based on a quote from U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor about believing in yourself and your abilities. To read that quote and blog, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Insecurity...Drew Barrymore

I never have been insecure, because I see what a waste it is. I know there is a solution to insecurity. I don't tend to be thrown by problems that don't have solutions. And insecurity has a wealth of alternatives.

--Drew Barrymore

#LeadershipTuesdays: I Know Who I Am

We’re constantly being told what other people think we are and that’s why it is so important to know yourself.

--Unknown

Every other Tuesdays, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today on the last Tuesday of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we feature Johnson & Johnson executive, Arisa Batista Cunningham. She is the Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion for the Medical Devices and Diagnostics Group, a $24 billion medical devices and diagnostics business.

Some time ago Ms. Batista Cunningham talked with Aurelia Flores of PowerfulLatinas.com about being born and growing up with her family in rural Panama. She described facing discrimination and low expectations in grade school because she was a girl and she was not from a prominent wealthy family. Ms. Cunningham also spoke about overcoming her own insecurities regarding her accent and adjusting to the American culture when she came to the U.S. for college.

As she reflected on her experiences from her current vantage point as an accomplished C-Suite executive at a Fortune 100 company, she shared wisdom that will inspire Latinos, and any woman, man, adolescent boy or girl who has had to confront adversity.  

To listen to the interview, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Arisa Batista Cunningham

Validation...Iyanla Vanzant

You have a right to your thoughts and feelings. Your feelings are always valid.

--Iyanla Vanzant

Can't Keep Doubting Myself...Mary J. Blige

http://www.maryjblige.com

Doubt

By Mary J. Blige

(see video below)

You said I'd never be a leader
You said I'd never wear a crown
If I wanted to be someone
I should learn to settle down

(You should know better) I tell myself
(You'll never go further) I warn myself
(You'll never be better) Don't know me that well

I made it to the end
I nearly paid the cost
I lost a lot of friends
I sacrificed a lot
I'd do it all again
'Cause I made it to the top
But I can't keep doubting myself anymore

No! No

I can't keep doubting myself no

Now you're looking at a leader
Now you're staring at a queen
You said I'll never be someone
But now I'm pulling all the strings

(You should know better) Won't let me back down
(You'll never go further) Can't turn me around
(You'll never be better) So no-one's stopping me now

I made it to the end
I nearly paid the cost
I lost a lot of friends
I sacrificed a lot
I'd do it all again
'Cause I made it to the top
I can't keep doubting myself anymore

No! No, no, no, no, oh no no, oh no

You think you know
But you don't know the half
You think you beat me down
But I'll have the last laugh
I'll keep getting up
'Cause that's what I'm gonna do yea
I'm gonna be the best me
Sorry if it kills you

I made it to the end
I nearly paid the cost
I lost a lot of friends
I sacrificed a lot
I'd do it all again
'Cause I made it to the top
But I can't keep doubting myself anymore
 

No, oh no no no no,
I can't keep doubting myself no, no no oh no oh no oh no

Cause Your Angels To Sing...August Wilson

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”
 
--August Wilson

Think For Yourself & Be Who You Are...Margaret D. Nadauld

The world will try to make you think that being good is outdated and old-fashioned and that popularity comes from breaking the rules and lowering your standards. Don't buy into that way of thinking. As you watch TV or read magazines, you might be made to feel abnormal when, really, you are the one who has it figured out.

--Margaret D. Nadauld

Plan But, Allow For The Impossible Too...Lupita Nyong'o

"What I will say is that what I have learned for myself is that I don’t have to be anybody else; and that myself is good enough; and that when I am being true to that self, then I can avail myself to extraordinary things such as this, you know, that I didn’t think was necessarily possible, but I didn’t cancel it out of my realm of possibility, and I think that’s the thing. You have to allow for the impossible to be possible.”

--Lupita Nyong'o, 2014 Oscar Winner--Best Supporting Actress for "12 Years A Slave"

*Photo credit: DuJour Magazine, ootdmagazine.com

Defining Myself...Bell Hooks

“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else’s whim or to someone else’s ignorance. ” 

--Bell Hooks

Image: WashingtonPost.com

Be Authentic!...@vnona

Someone needs your wisdom. They are crossing a bridge you already crossed.  They need to hear your story of how you were sad one moment, courageous the next, tired but kept going, took a break and started to live again. Your words may make the difference and cause someone to try again.

--Nona

Picture Source: http://marketingdr.blogspot.com/2013/10/weoften-hear-or-read-personal-branding.html

Be Real...Arthur Herzog

To fake it is to stand guard over emptiness.

--Arthur Herzog

Faithfully Live Your Values

Our problem is not to find better values but to be faithful to those we profess.

--John W. Gardner 

Work On Being Who You Really Are...Anna Quindlen

The thing that is really hard and really amazing is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

--Anna Quindlen

A Charming Woman...Loretta Young

A charming woman... doesn't follow the crowd. She is herself.

--Loretta Young 

2012 Dove Real Women Role Models

It's Okay To Be Emotional Sometimes...Denise Hopkins

Powerful emotions accompany our movement in and out of the seasons of life. American society has traditionally urged us to curb any excess of emotion, either positive or negative. “Poker face” and keep a stiff upper lip” used to be words to live by; women in particular suffered from stereotypes of being too “emotional”. But things are changing.

--Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, Professor of Old Testament, Wesley Theological Seminary and Author of Journey Through The Psalms