There's no doubt. Since our last newsletter, America is in the midst of change. With change comes uncertainty. With uncertainty comes fear. We hear it in people's voices. We hear it in our own voices, in the words we choose, and the conversations we have.
As many of you know, I have been training and coaching women to live visionary lives for 20 years. In these uncertain times, women face more obstacles than ever. We can't allow fear and uncertainty to stop us from moving forward. Coincidentally, and possibly well-timed (we shall see), my newest book, Start with Vision, was released this month on Amazon.
I believe that having a personal vision will set each of us free—to pursue happiness, fulfillment, and the courage to follow our purpose—as the Japanese say, your ikigai (生き甲斐).
But it's times like these that my own courage wavers, and my vision needs a boost.
While courage is one of the seven tenets of successful women—the backbone of all my trainings and philosophy—I now realize that my own courage has been lacking. The results of the election set me spinning. In my conversations with others, I let my own fears infiltrate my thoughts.
Here's one stark example. I strongly disagreed with an opinion my close colleague and friend Christine Merser shared in her popular and highly-read blog We the People Dispatch on Substack. Rather than sharing my disagreement with her in the comments section where her subscribers would see it, I expressed my strong feelings in a private text I sent directly to her. She asked me why I didn't post it for everyone to read. Rather than sharing my disagreement with her in the comments section where her subscribers would see it, I expressed my strong feelings in a private text I sent directly to her. She asked me why I didn't post it for everyone to read.
I said, “I didn't want to challenge you openly and risk hurting your feelings.”
She scolded me and said, “What good will that do? Had you openly shared your disagreement, others might have agreed with you. You could have generated an entire conversation."
She was right. I was fearful that she would be angry at me for sharing my opinion publicly and that it would affect our relationship. Upon giving it more thought, I was also fearful that others might attack me. So, I kept my opinion private.
This “good girl behavior,” which I was taught by society and which I teach others to eliminate, is still a part of me. These good girl habits stop millions of women from speaking up and openly expressing our views and even our expertise. When women keep our mouths shut and don't speak up openly, while men let it all hang out without any fear of the consequences, it is women who end up losing opportunities and freedom.
This polite, nice girl stuff doesn't work in the world today. As women, we need to show our power, commitment, and opinions fully if we are to create a world for ourselves and the next generation where there is mutual respect between men and women.
That doesn't mean we should stop being empathetic leaders. Since the pandemic, empathy has been recognized as a key trait of outstanding leaders, and women have been leading the way with empathy for most of our lives.
What we really need now is more courage and a personal vision. We need courage to stand up for ourselves and for others. We need courage to set a vision for success for ourselves. Finally, we need a positive mindset—not a defeatist mindset. All is not lost. We need to be warriors in the best sense of the word.
A warrior's strength is measured by the size of his heart. He shows love, honor, and respect in the face of adversity. For the ones he loves, he will be their voice. He will be their shield. He leads by example, always remembering who he is.—Unknown
I'm Leslie Grossman, and I am a warrior for women. I hope you will join me.
Set Your Vision for Success and Fuffillment for 2025 NOW
Leslie's newest book Start with Vision makes it easy to get you on the right path to success.
And makes a great holiday gift for women of all ages!
Leslie Grossman is now booking selected speaking engagements for 2025. If you are interested, please contact Leslie@lesliegrossmanleadership.comwith specifics.
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