Celebrating International Women's Day

On March 8, 2024, we celebrate International Women's Day. It's a day we honor the achievements of women and focus on the work remaining: gender equality, reproductive rights, and ending violence against women.

On March 8, I will be on my way to New York for the annual Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, where 45 nations will be represented. I am more hopeful than ever as I see people from all over the world, from all demographics, rising to meet the opportunities of our time to connect, collaborate, and create solutions from an elevated level of consciousness and commitment.  

Tears filled my eyes last summer on my way to Spain as the plane departed the airport in Washington, D.C. I was beginning the next chapter of my life to be closer to my daughter and her family, who live in Europe. 

Yes, I felt sadness departing the country my parents were born in, where they are buried, where I was raised, along with my three siblings, where I had raised my daughter, and where most of my friends and family still reside. There was something else, though, that tore at my heart. 

I was leaving a country where women had only one constitutional right—the right to vote—STILL! I had begun working on the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in my mid-20s, and almost five decades later, the U.S. remains one of just a handful of countries where women do not have equal constitutional rights as men. I felt the failure at my very core. 

I soon had an aha moment as I attempted to hide my tears on that flight to Spain. Thirty thousand plus feet above the Atlantic Ocean, I felt my heart open wide and head clear, and a very important message came to me, "It's not over. There's just a better way."

With elevated consciousness, we move from despair and hopelessness to hope, optimism, and creativity. That was the moment I thought of RISE and its definition. Today, I am hopeful that we can accelerate the work toward peace and equality for all—first, within ourselves. 

RISE 
Co-creating an extraordinary life through heightened awareness and elevated consciousness, uplifting every word, thought, and action for self and all existence.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated and loved. Yet, from our past experiences, pain, and limited perspectives, we find ourselves making a crucial choice at critical moments: whether to be a builder or a destroyer.  

A builder appreciates the challenging situation or the person in front of them as an opportunity to RISE, become a better person, and bring their best to the party. They choose to respond with the intention of unification and soul consciousness. 

A destroyer allows the challenging situation or person before them to get the best of themselves and succumbs to ego consciousness, resulting in fear, lack, or doubt. They choose sides and being right at the expense of happiness, unity, and love. 

I could see clearly that when I worked on a political campaign or issue in my life, I was more often a destroyer. I came into conversations with a fixed agenda. 'I was right.' I participated more times than I can ever count, fueled by anger and fear; fear, in actuality, of my weaknesses and inability to measure up. It’s clear. That mindset results in sub-optimal choices and decisions that create sub-optimal results for ourselves and others.

So, what would it look like if I had pursued matters in my life as a builder? For one thing, I would have confidently met with those with an opposing viewpoint and asked questions to understand their positions better. Builders seek understanding rather than being understood and are confident that love and unity are the ultimate goal.

In that space, I would need to grow—to RISE because the old behavior patterns can come swooping in at any time with mismanaged emotions derailing the whole darn thing. 

I know I will not always get it right. A couple of weeks ago, I failed miserably and felt miserable afterward. Going low matches the energy that creates the divide, which does no one any good—starting with ourselves and rippling its way out to the world. 

What if we focused less on the 'issue' and more on the divide? Only together can we close the divide and solve our greatest challenges. Doesn't it make sense then to seek an understanding of what exactly it is that divides us?

What separates us on this issue?

What are your greatest concerns?

Are you open to hearing mine?

Asking questions like these move us forward. I understand today that I wasted time and energy focusing on being right, angry, impatient, and resentful, leaving little to no energy to grow, heal, and co-create solutions that are best for all of us.

What if we imagined one side? Just one side with differences to be understood for the best outcome possible. And an understanding that without those differences among us, we'd all stay stuck in complacency and mediocrity. 

As we leave fear and ego-based consciousness, we leave our thirst for power and domination behind. Builders do not desire these things. Builders desire power for connection, for building trust, and unity. In this space, unjust gaps disappear automatically—gender, income, legislation, housing, safety, etc. 

Domination and prejudice go by the wayside as we heighten our awareness and elevate consciousness, individually and collectively. Our energy naturally becomes transformational, one of a builder rather than of a destroyer.  

Aah, that sounds like freedom! It feels so good not having to have all the answers and staying open to co-creating solutions that are best for all concerned, that on one side or the other, could never be imagined. 

On the RISE, we will co-create a world that doesn't limit anyone's potential. On the RISE, we will co-create a world filled with appreciation for self and one another, compassion for all in need, and loving kindness to light our way forward.

Imagine that. Commit to that. Let's build from a collective consciousness of unlimited potential. Let's become builders.

Here's to a better way, for a better world, the one we truly deserve, and to International Women's Day!