We want to thank Jean Shinoda Bolen for writing books that have healed and empowered women.  We also want to thank her for her untiring work in inspiring women and girls to start and nurture women’s sacred circles and her lobbying efforts to bring about a United Nations 5th World Conference on Women.  Through the Millionth Circle initiative and the global women’s movement, a tipping point is on the rise.  CLICK HERE to access a video taken at the UN CSW meeting where our dear Jean was one of the panelists.

Today on our Circle Connections Blog Talk radio show  Marilyn Nyborg was our honored guest to help us celebrate International Women’s Day.  It was a powerful show full of valuable information and resources, so be sure to listen to the archived recording. Marilyn is one of the co-founders and helped to grow Gather The Women.  To access the archived show, CLICK HERE. Marilyn has helped to foster hundreds of women’s gatherings over the year and today gathers over 250 women to celebrate this very important day in her home community of Grass Valley, CA.

We remind you to enjoy your International Women’s Day and give yourself a special present of time to celebrate being a woman.

Namaste!!!  Ann

All of these media tools help us to transform thinking.  Gloria Felt has good advise for all of us.  CLICK HERE to access a video taken at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women events.  The Panel is presented by Women’s Intercultual Network.

Namaste!!!

Ann

In Jan 2010, Jalaja Bonheim led the first healing retreat for Palestinian women in the West Bank. This 19 min video combines slides, narration, and video clips in which participants speak about their experience. Jalaja Bonheim is an author, leadership trainer, and the founder of the Institute for Circlework. For more info, visit instituteforcirclework.org . I welcome you to take the time to watch this short video to learn more about circles and Jalaja’s work with the women in Palestine …

Retreat for Palestinian women with Jalaja Bonheim, Jan 2010 from Jalaja Bonheim on Vimeo.

Ann Smith with Circle Connections and WAYS WOMEN LEAD will attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Meeting starting this Friday.

Ways Women Lead: Women and Girls in Leadership for the Common Good

http://www.WaysWomenLead.net

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Collaborating at the 54^th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Inviting you to participate in a weave of “ways women lead”:

Pre-conference:

Friday, February 26th, Women’s Circle, 2:00-4:00 pm, Episcopal Church Center, 815 2nd Avenue, in the chapel, between 44th and 43rd streets.   A time to get to know one another, our women’s organizations and CSW activities.  Sponsored by Ways Women Lead, Anglican Women’s Empowerment, and Millionth Circle.

Sunday, February 28^th, Ways Women Lead Fundraising Event, 7:00-9:00 pm.  Soldier & Sailors Club, 283 Lexington Avenue, between 36th & 37th Streets.  Reception, cost $20, Bulgarian food and cultural festivities, including world-renowned opera singer, Valentine Peytichinov, silent auction for inspiring art and beautiful Bulgar pottery and weaving, and segments of the film “The Heart to Lead: Women as Allies for the Greater Good”.  Meet members of Ways Women Lead planning team and leaders from around the world who are making a difference.  Proceeds to benefit the upcoming WWL training-of-trainers program in Bulgaria, May 2010.   Sponsored by Ways Women Lead and The Young Marine Corps.

During CSW:

Tuesday, March 2nd, Interactive Workshop on Conscious Leadership, 1:00-3:00 pm. International Catholic Organization, 323 E. 47th Street.  Featuring social entrepreneur, Donna Hadjipopov and a segment from the movie “The Heart to Lead. Women as Allies for the Greater Good”.  Sponsored by the International Public Policy Institute, Ways Women Lead and Anglican Women’s Empowerment.  (Supporting organizations include: Millionth Circle, Circle Connections, Gather the Women Global Matrix, Women Waking the World, Women’s Learning Exchange, and Imagine the Good.)

Wednesday, March 3rd, International Panel on Sex Trafficking, 4:00-5:30 pm.  UN Church Center, 11th floor, 777 United Nations Plaza, corner of 44th and 1st Avenue.  Sponsored by Soroptimist International, Ways Women Lead, and Anglican Women’s Empowerment.

Friday, March 5th, Reception and information discussion on Beijing, UN Fourth World Conference on Women, 6:30-9:00 pm. Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, Fifth Avenue and 90th Street.  Reception, 6:30 pm, panel and informal discussion, 7:30-9:00.  Invitation from Anglican Women’s Empowerment.

Monday, March 8, Millionth Circle Workshop, 6:00-7:30 pm. UN Church Center, 10th floor, 777 United Nations Plaza, corner of 44th and 1st Avenue.   Sponsored by Millionth Circle and Pathways to Peace.

A word that caught my fancy recently was one we hear far too often these days: overwhelmed. Everywhere I turned, I hear the word in conversation, experience it in everyone’s attitudes, and witness the result on people’s faces.

Honestly I, too, had a week that tempted me to concur, however, I remembered the words of Mother Teresa:

“I know God will never give me more than I can handle, I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

Her cantankerous commitment to optimism reminded me to take a deep breath and look again from a different view-point.

I insist on believing there has to be a better way than despair and somehow had it in me to refuse to succumb to this overwhelmed perception that only leads to feeling worse.

These feelings caused me to ponder what exactly is the “whelm” we are “over”ed by? Hmmmmm.

whelm
Pronunciation:
\ˈhwelm, ˈwelm\
Function:
verb
Etymology:
Middle English
Date:
14th century

Definition:
transitive verb 1 : to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something : cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect 2 : to overcome in thought or feeling : overwhelm <whelmed with a rush of joy — G. A. Wagner> intransitive verb

When we get attached to the way we think life “should” be, we resist what is, even miss it all together. Life then moves forward about as easy as a car with the parking brake on. Our creativity and compassion shut down, prohibiting us to see all the alternative possibilities for joy available to us, even amidst challenging circumstances. Life becomes a pain in the rear to endure rather than an adventure to be explored.

Although perhaps better than living life in “reverse”, stuck in the rut of ruminating about how we have been victimized by the circumstances of our past that we cannot change, grumbling about what is causes our energy to get depleted and misdirected. We find ourselves even further from joy, baffled by how we got lost.

With a world that moves as fast as ours, it is easy to get caught up in feeling like we “should” get everything on the TO DO list done.
Holding tight to this belief, we actually “should” all over ourselves with expectations and anxiety. When we take this detour, believing it is the main road, every time we find ourselves in the land of “whelm” that comes the in “over” proportions. Refusing to turn back and admit our error, we try to instead to manipulate the future into being what we think it “should” be. Failing to follow our inner global positioning device that knows the power of grace and ease, we forfeit being happy now and miss the joy that is present in each moment.

Now, what was it that Albert Einstein said?

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Sound familiar? Feeling overwhelmed makes it seem like the universe is conspiring against us, and yet we keep assuming we can overcome overwhelm. We keep assuming that happiness is somewhere out there. When we chase happiness, it acts like a mirage. Relief comes when we have the ‘a-ha’ that there is no “there” there. When we set aside our insane tendencies, joy is right here, right now, and the trick is to have fun in the process.

So, who would you be if you did not waste all your energy on worry? How would you show up differently in your personal and professional relationships if you learned to appreciate the subtleties of each moment? What if we leaned in the direction of what we want, but remained unattached to the form of the blessings and miracles, trusting that the Universe is a generous companion for the journey who conspires with us instead so wonderful things will happen?

We have a choice point. When tempted by the adrenaline of drama and too much to do, will you take the high road or the low road? Will you be a human ‘DOing’ or a human ‘BEing?’

Imagine. What if life truly were an adventure where the “win” came from savoring the journey regardless of the circumstances rather than getting everything done on the TO DO list? What if that were the challenge of a life well lived, to focus on the beauty and wonder that is sometimes hidden between the cracks of life.  What if the point was to find joy and be intrigued by the process. How would you respond differently if life were a game to be played in an unfolding design full of interesting clues and opportunities destined to lead to joy? What if the game of life was to be played without the agenda to arrive at a specific destination in a specific way at a specific time, but rather a journey with the intention that in each moment joy is possible and love is the answer to every question.

Take a deep breath at each choice point. And, if you are overwhelmed with anything today, choose happiness instead.

I have been in long time appreciation of Marianne Williamson. She is committed, articulate, a powerful and inspirational speaker, and touches in all of her breadth of work upon the key areas of conscious leadership that we embrace and promote through Circle Connections, to Act-Up, Act-Out, Act-In and Act-Connected With Others to make a meaningful difference.

I look forward to joining Marianne Williamson at her Sister Giant: Rousing the Sleeping  Giant of American Womanhood event in Los Angeles, CA February 26, 27 and 28.

To learn more about this event, CLICK HERE.

Please benefit from and enjoy this video.

Don’t miss our Blog Talk Radio Show Monday:

February 15th, 2010 ~ Inspiring Girls, Transforming the World: A Social Change Movement to Value and Invest in Girls

Jin In joins us in an important conversation about the mission of 4GGL, to provide girls’ leadership development training to trainers, co-creating culturally appropriate programs for girls carried out by their partners. More importantly, TOGETHER, we build local 4GGL networks to foster community change in the attitudes towards girls.

Their goal for 2010 is to impact over 10,000 girls in Pakistan and 10,000 girls in Nepal. We need YOUR ACTION to raise $60,000 ($30,000 for each country covering three-phased in-country trainings and follow-up mentorship and technical assistance). They invite YOU to become a 4GGL member. Your membership fee of $50 per year ($25 for students) will build stability for our projects. More importantly, your commitment to girls is the spark igniting the social change movement that 4GGL truly represents. Imagine a world where this one simple vision to value and invest in the world’s poorest girls, becomes a reality. Be part of our social change movement for girls.

To learn more, join our conversation on Circle Connections Blog Talk Radio:

Monday, February 15th, 2010
12:30 p.m. Pacific/3:30 p.m. Eastern
Circle Connections Blog Talk Radio Show
Act In, Act Up, Act Out, Act Together
Call: 347-215-7136
- or -

CLICK HERE

]]> http://circleconnections.com/circles-connections/inspiring-girls-transforming-the-world/feed/ 0 http://circleconnections.com/circles-connections/a-woman-should-have/ http://circleconnections.com/circles-connections/a-woman-should-have/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:58:53 +0000 Rhonda Hull http://circleconnections.com/?p=1526 by Maya Angelou

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to….
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

a youth she’s content to leave behind….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

a feeling of control over her destiny…
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship….

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW….

when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect….but it’s over….

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more….
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it….

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .

whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

The campaign is a partnership of visionary donors and Women’s Funding Network, a global movement of 150 women’s and girls’ funds that invest in women-led solutions to critical social issues like poverty and global security.

In May 2009, Women Moving Millions announced that more than $181 million has been raised through partnerships between 101 donors and 41 women’s funds! This groundbreaking achievement exceeds the original goal of raising $150 million!

To read more and view an informative video, CLICK HERE