Don't Give Up...Fannie Flagg

"Don't give up before the miracle happens."

--Fannie Flagg, I Still Dream About You

Stay Focused...Phillip Sweet

Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.

--Phillip Sweet

You Can Make A Difference...Gladys De La Mora

"Making a difference is always possible, especially with persistence and dedication."

--Gladys De La Mora

Keep On Moving...Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The thing that we are challenged to do is to keep this movement moving. There is power in unity and there is power in numbers.

Keep this movement going. Keep this movement rolling. In spite of the difficulties, and we are going to have a few more difficulties, keep climbing. Keep moving. If you can't fly, run. If you can run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving."

--Martin Luther King, Jr., Excerpt from the speech, "Keep On Moving" at St. Luke's Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, May of 1963

To hear the entire excerpt that was featured on NPR, click here.

Don't Take The First No -- Keep Going...Cher

"Women have to harness their power - its absolutely true. It's just learning not to take the first no. And if you can't go straight ahead, you go around the corner."

--Cher

Where Your Focus Should Be...Shaquille O'Neal

"I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution."

Shaquille O'Neal, PhD, Entrepreneur, Sports Commentator,
Championship-winning Professional Basketball Player, Actor and Artist

Don't Ever Give Up...Adrienne Bailon

"Don`t ever give up. Believe in yourself or no one else will. My personal saying is: `I`d rather die knowing that I tried to do what I love."

--Adrienne Bailon, Actress, Singer and Talk Show Host

http://thereal.com/page/2013/06/25/adrienne-bailon/

4 Steps To Achievement...William Arthur Ward

"Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently."
 
--William Arthur Ward

Getting To The Top!

"The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder, is getting through the crowd at the bottom."
 
-- Anonymous

The Path To The Miraculous...Shannon L. Alder

“You will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.”
 
--Shannon L. Alder

#LeadershipTuesdays: Be Okay With Not Knowing...Jessica Alba

"I needed people telling me no. I needed people to not get it and to look at me cross-eyed for me to really figure out exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. It's something that I had to learn as a woman in business... a) Ask for help and to not be afraid of criticism; b) And when you don't know what to do, to be okay with not knowing but learning. You just have to figure it out!"

Jessica Alba, Co-Founder--The Honest Co.; award-winning and Golden Globe nominated Actress

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. So many times when women are faced with a new job opportunity, a promotion or even the opportunity to become a part of a new venture, they feel anxiety and deselect themselves because they don't have all of the skills they believe are required for said position or opportunity. Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Facebook, mentioned this in her book "Lean In" saying,

“In addition to the external barriers erected by society, women are hindered by barriers that exist within ourselves. We hold ourselves back in ways both big and small, by lacking self-confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in."

Whether you refer to this phenomenon as the imposter syndrome or the confidence gap, almost every woman, and some minorities too, has had to confront these feelings. Those feelings are really feelings of fear.

In today's Leadership Tuesdays' feature, Jessica Alba, who spoke at a 2015 Forbes Women's Summit and was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine in June 2015, speaks about not only confronting her own inner feelings about "not knowing" everything that may she feel is required to make a good business decision, but also the added pressure of being negatively stereotyped because of her looks, current profession or the fact that she is a female. Jessica encourages us to be okay with the dissonance that comes from not having all of the answers at the moment of decision. We need to give more credit and feel more comfortable with our "women's intuition". That is the inner "knowing" or feeling that guides us when we don't have all of the answers or information. "Be okay with not knowing...", she says. Instead take the position that 'I am smart and what ever I don't know right now, I can learn'. 

Yes, we are smart and we are capable of doing great things if we work hard,  totally believe in ourselves, recognize the nay-saying voice of fear within us and ignore the chorus of people who don't believe in us, 'just because'.

To see today's brief video featuring Jessica Alba, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.  

--Nona O., womenatliberty.com

Successfully Accomplishing Your Goals...Harvey MacKay

It doesn't matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general: The bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.

--Harvey Mackay

I Am Not A Quitter...Cicely Tyson

I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.

--Cicely Tyson

Becoming A Better You...Jaha Knight

“When you set a goal, you have a responsibility to yourself to see it through. No matter how impossible it may seem, resolve to accomplish it.”

--Jaha Knight, 30 Day Lifescape-Becoming A Better You

Image Credit: http://blogs.jabil.com/jabiljoules/five-steps-to-accomplishing-your-goals

Be Persistent and Accomplish Your Goals!...Tyra Banks

“If you have a dream and you have a goal, and you knock on that front door, and they won’t allow you in, go in through the back door. If the back door is locked, go through the cellar. If that’s all boarded up, climb your butt through the window, but get in!” 

--Tyra Banks

Never Give Up...Ruth Gordon

“Never give up. And never, under any circumstances, face the facts.”

---Ruth Gordon

 

Leadership Tuesdays: Be Persistent & Determined!...Suzanne Shank

“While education and talent are extremely important to attaining success, nothing can replace persistence and determination.”

 --Suzanne Shank, CEO, Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLC and Acting CEO, Siebert Financial Corporation

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today we featured Suzanne Shank, the 1st Black Woman to Head a Publicly Traded Financial Institution. In fact, she is heading two Wall Street organizations, Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLC and Siebert Financial Corporation.

Black Enterprise Magazine featured Ms. Shank along with two others women, Gale King, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer-Nationwide Insurance and Glenda McNeal, Senior Vice President and General Manager-American Express, on their February 2014 "Women Of Power" cover (see below). The article gives an overview of the two Wall Street firms that Ms. Shank leads as well as the challenges she currently faces. She discusses what strategies she is currently pursuing to grow business in each of the two firms.

Siebert Financial Corporation is a brokerage and banking business founded by the legendary late Muriel Seibert, the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLC is a black owned municipal bond underwriting firm. To the read article, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and our recent features on women like Karen Dale of Amerihealth and Michelle D. Freeman of the Carl M. Freeman Companies, please visit our website, womenatliberty.com.

______________________

Also, 

BLACK ENTERPRISE’s Women of Power Summit is an opportunity to connect with powerful women, develop professional strategies, and get expert advice from today’s leading female executives and decision makers.

To get more information on their upcoming conference, Embrace Your Power: The Moment is Now! Attend the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit hosted by State Farm, Feb. 26 to ­March 1, 2014, at Boca Raton Resort and Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, Boca Raton, FL, go to: http://www.blackenterprise.com/events/2013/09/12/overview-2/.

In The Right Place? Stand Firm...Abraham Lincoln

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

-- Abraham Lincoln 

Photo: President Lincoln's Cottage, Washington, DC

Don't Give Up On The Dream...Winston Churchill

Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.

— Sir Winston Churchill

Be Relentless...Halle Berry

There have been so many people who have said to me, 'You can't do that,' but I've had an innate belief that they were wrong. Be unwavering and relentless in your approach.

--Halle Berry