What women want.

So, I have been asked to help put on a Woman's Summit here in Colorado. And in doing so, we thought it would be great to hear from other women, what they want. So PLEASE share some of the following:

Do you know your purpose in your family, profession and/or society? If so, why is it important to you? If not, what do you find to be the challenge in determining your purpose?
1. Are you achieving or have you achieved everything you want for your life? What is lacking or missing?
What is important for you around self-improvement, self-discovery or otherwise? What other questions do you have of yourself and of life?
2. Do you know how to set and achieve effective goals? Would you have an interest in learning how you can set and achieve effective goals?
Are you doing what you love to do and are you getting paid what you're worth? Who decided what you're worth? Why?
How has your limiting beliefs and behaviors from the past, kept you from living your personal best today? What has it cost you and others in your life?
3. How would you rate your satisfaction with life, on a scale of 1-10, in all areas such as love, purpose, finances, career, personal growth, fun balance, spirituality, relationships and health?
4. Would you be interested in attending an empowering and motivational full-day event, if it could help you launch a new level of self-development? What would you expect to pay for an event like this (inc. a catered lunch)?
How would collaboration amongst women and in our communities in general, support women?
How has today's job recession (and lack of adequate jobs) affected you? How is it affecting your currently?
• I have a job - no affect, I'm satisfied with my job
I have a job - but because of the recession, I am not paid what I'm worth, unable to get a raise and/or promotion
I don't have a job - affected greatly, need more income immediately!
Don't have or need a job right now - doing okay but can always use more income
I am retired but could use additional income. However there are no jobs available to me.
5. What else are you focused on or looking for in your life? 
6. What do you need to feel fulfilled?

Shifting from Possiblity to Action.

What ideas or possibilities do you dwell in? What are they related to? What are they about? I'd love to hear what you're dealing with.

For me, I question when we move from discussions of possibilities and ideas, to a conversation about taking action, and then actually taking action. Many times there are great ideas that create possibilities. These are created with an end result or objective in mind. Sometimes, we merely discuss, have great conversations, and do nothing. Why do you find that is? What is it that can move you into action?

What do you do after you've taken an action? Do you look at what other actions you can be taken? How could the action been more effective? Or did you need to look at it from a different perspective?

Take for example, the Occupy Wall Street movement. What do you feel this has accomplished other than publicity and awareness? What else needs to be done with respect to our national economy and banking system? How do we put a stop to the greed and abuse of corporate banks?

I would love any and all thoughts/perspectives?

Tweeting for what?

Twitter has gained a lot of popularity. Either people have already started using it, or they are at least starting to pay attention.

With an overwhelming amount of information out there, why even post on Twitter? If you do, what do you tweet? Or, why is it that you tweet? What is important to you?

How are you creating a following? Why do you want the following? What has worked for you?

Do you respond to everyone that tweets about you or your business? How have you positively shaped relationships using Twitter?

I would love to hear the feedback, as well as what people struggle with or need support on around Twitter. I'm relatively new to Twitter myself, but given how much I'm being directed towards this micro-blogging site, I thought it would be good to create a conversation, and see what we can learn from each other, or how we can support each other in this platform.

What does it mean to mentor?

A troubled teen...his head is tilted down. What magic can I be? What brilliance can I speak...to change this? Because this life doesn't seem to work for him.

His tunnel is dark and there is no forward movement, because there is no beginning, nor end in sight. I now stand by his side as his mentor in this darkness, and together we tap into our other senses to find possibility. A growing light, bright and unfamiliar, appears and his eyes take time to adjust. As they focus, the color creeps in and he begins to paint something new.

Our youth reside here, but a new perspective awaits. A mentor can create something new for this young person. A new perspective about their life, that is different from their own story.

I chose to mentor a teen to help him paint something new. Would you do the same if it saved a life?

For me, life is different. I have connected with amazing people, discovered myself in a new way, and show up to life with more passion. It's not just my perspectives that I have for my mentee, but the perspectives that I have for myself that have helped him. He has also helped shape the way I see things, and it is a relationship for which I will always be grateful.

Please share your thoughts about the impact of mentoring, what your thoughts are about mentoring yourself, and what the potential impact could be beyond the person you mentor and yourself.

If you're interested in mentoring, there are many great organizations around. One of which is Colorado Youth at Risk, which I volunteer with. Visit them at http://www.coyar.org.

Changing Congress.

I received this email. What do you think? Forward this on, if you feel this is something to be addressed, or add what you know related to this subject. Personally, it seems to make good points, but I am open to hearing what other people know about this. Many times, we take what we hear as "The Truth". Yet is it? It seems what is said here about Congress, what they do and what we can do as citizens may be true.

Here you go:

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with  CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling: "I could end  the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that  anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of  Congress are ineligible for re-election.

The 26th amendment (granting  the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months&  8 days  to  be ratified! Why? Simple!  The people demanded it. That was in  1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.  Of the 27 amendments  to the Constitution, seven (7)
took 1 year or less to become the law of the  land...all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each  addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address  list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.  In three days, most  people in The United States of America will have the message.  This is  one idea that really should be passed around.

*Congressional Reform Act  of 2011*

1. No Tenure / No Pension.  A Congressman  collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out  of office.
2. Congress (past, present&  future)  participates in Social Security.  All funds in the Congressional  retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with   the American people. It may not be used for any other  purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own  retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress  will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by  the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current  health care system and participates in the same health care system as the  American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all  laws they impose on the American people.
7. All  contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The  American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.  Congressmen  made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor,  not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours  should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.  If each  person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days  for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is  time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS

If you agree with the above,  pass it on. If not, just delete.

The craziest thing you've done to get a job.

As of recent, I've been looking for a new job/profession, as many others are too. In the process of sending out many resumes and not getting very many responses, I wonder what else I might be able to do to get the interview.

I'm curious to hear what others have done to get a job aside from sending out there resume and networking. If you haven't done anything unique to get a job, what stories have you heard from others to get the job?

Was it something unique that you did in the interview process? Did you visit the offices of the company that you were applying with? Did treats, gifts or otherwise seem to help? Did you get involved with things that the company was involved with, like volunteering?

Please share what you've done, what worked, or maybe stories that you've heard. It may be something that could create a discussion that will help you in finding the right job, or simply help someone else out!

Conversations that might normally not take place.

Have you been in a conversation with someone that you didn't expect to converse with? What did it take for you to sit and "be" with this person in this conversation? What came up for you? Is it possible, that the time we take to be in a conversation with others, can have greater impact than we might expect?

So, I was sitting with a co-worker, after work today, and discussing various ideas including what it means to take a stand for what we believe in, how society and individuals of today differ from those of 50 years ago or more, to our teachers and what are kids learn from them, here in the United States, and more. We differed in opinion to various degrees, but what came to mind for me was what it could mean for her and for me to be in that conversation, in that moment.

With people that you normally spend time with, what has the conversations you've had with them, meant for you? Were you able to connect with that person? Is it possible for you to connect with people that you normally would not connect with? What would it mean if people the world over made the effort to connect with others that they normally do not connect with? How could it change the world? How do you think we can influence change in this respect?

How does it feel for you to feel heard by another, whether you are close to them or not? Particularly when you feel that they don't have an agenda in the conversation. In other words, what does it mean for you to just be listened to? Have you every been in a conversation with someone that truly listened to you, didn't judge, and didn't feel it necessary to get their two sense in? How did you feel afterwards?

Could we drastically improve international relationships by merely shifting the ways we look at others that are dissimilar from us, as well as the ways that we engage in dialogue?

Can the impact we have in this world, in our relationships, be even greater, based on HOW we show up in our interactions/conversations with other human beings?

Please comment with your experiences and how they address these questions?

Finding the right job.

What are you finding it takes to find the right job in today's work environment? What is it that you say, or is it, how do you say what you have to say, in both your cover letter and resume?

Aside from merely sending your resume and cover letter, what do you do to get the interview or connect with the right person at the company for which you are applying?

In an environment where employers are able to demand more, how are you making sure you can demonstrate capabilities in all of their required skills?

What are the other challenges you are faced with in finding a job?

The Purpose of Conversations for Meaning

I have created this blog as a way for people to share ideas that support each other and provide community. Of course there are other resources available, but the intention is for all to have a voice in what this becomes.

Please share your ideas, invite others to join in on the conversation, and let's create a space where conversations bring new meaning to everyone's lives.