Those few words have resonated with me again and again over the last few years. I found the quote and printed it out big and bold, filling a whole sheet of pink paper, and hung it in my home office soon after launching my consulting practice. Having been a sidelines observer of the blame game during my career, I was ready to embrace the full package of being on my own. From business opportunities that are big and challenging to the little stuff like choosing fax services, it’s all mine to move from concept to action.
One of my decisions has been to devote my energy and time to a ground breaking initiative for women. The Women’s Leadership Circle is the brainchild of Teresa Smith, an inspired AARP senior manager. Focused on the 50+ cadre that is actively engaged and aging with new commitments to society and self, this initiative soon went from concept to program through research that asked women what their issues were. The intention of the group of us who joined in launching WLC was to provide women with choices. Being the arbiter of your lifestyle and all that comes with it takes spunk. And it also takes shifting the paradigm for the three issues WLC research identified as the most critical: finances, health, and the images and language that represent about women as they age.
As we kick off the WLC’s first Summit this week in Tucson, the focus is on all the opportunities as well as the challenges that lie ahead. The women who have gathered here can rely on each other for encouragement and zeal — but in the end, we must choose to be personally committed and to act on the values, investments of time and resources, and the policy issues that ultimately shape the agenda for us as women of a certain age.
