By Michelle Wolf
One of the best things about us, as women, is our ability to unite together as a community. Call it what you want; Boss Babes, or Girl Gang. Regardless, we can join together to help each other rise up against any adversity (big or small) that might come our way. And you all know I LOVE community, it’s one of my core values!
Becoming a Mother and having my own family is something I am deeply passionate about. Oh; how I longed to be a mom, I tried for three long hard and rewarding years to get pregnant and was devastated by the idea that one of my life-long dreams might not be fulfilled. If I look back on my life as a child the one thing I knew I wanted was to be a mom. I saw it as the most important job so much so that I chose to leave my job in marketing climbing the corporate ladder in hopes to find more balance. No matter how hard I tried to solve the mystery of fertility, it was the first time in my life no matter how hard I worked I could not control the outcome. A great lesson in life of doing vs. being. While science played a role, faith, fate and believing it led my heart to my beautiful girls.
In the light of the pandemic, mothers have been struck with challenging times and faced with difficult decisions. So many women have been forced to choose between their families and their jobs or careers. Several moms had to shift to take care of their families while we have all been working from home. Highlighting the tough obstacles of being a mom between job/career and motherhood. In fact, it was reported that the number of people who dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic started was four times greater in women than men. To give you some numbers, that 865,000 women to 216,000 men. The Washington Post also noted that “one out of four women who reported becoming unemployed during the pandemic said it was because of a lack of child care—twice the rate among men.”
Okay, so with these figures in mind, how can we use this time to rise up and help each other? I say that the best thing we can do for ourselves, as women, is to lean into our community. There are several benefits that come with joining a women’s group.
For starters, women who network and join women’s groups are better set up for success. Women’s groups act as a safe space to gather resources and create life-lasting connections with people who have similar goals, aspirations, and experiences. On a positive note, it can be a perfect time to focus on your dream, perhaps something you have been wanting to create; an idea, a business, a concept or project. Maybe all three! This is where a step by step process or working in a group with other women in similar positions can be helpful, plus have built in accountability.
10 Steps to Kick Start your Dreams-
- Determine What you want? What is the DREAM or goal? – A BIG question and process!
- Define your Why? What is your purpose for wanting to achieve this dream or goal(s)?
- Believe – you must believe you will manifest in order to reach your goal! Here is a great Ted talk from Brene Brown on the power of Vulnerability!
- Align the Goals with your values – another MAJOR step is understanding this!
- Set SMART Goals!
- Develop an action plan – with critical steps.
- Break down what you want or the dream or the goal into categories – personal, professional etc.
- Enlist an accountability partner or coach.
- Outline your obstacles – be honest.
- Reward your successes – dream big – let your goals come to life!
Forbes states that women’s groups, specifically online female communities, are thriving today. In their article entitled, Online Female Communities: Why They Matter And How To Build Them, they assert that “today is the time of niche platforms, such as those catering to mothers…built by the people whom it aims to serve. If you’re looking for a community to be a part of, but don’t know how to find one, I’ve got your back! Lucky for you, EmpowHer LA’s MemberHERship group is launching in February. I am giving women access to exclusive content and community including daily motivation, live coaching calls, expert calls, book and podcast recommendations, live yoga events, and more. Of course, you already know I’m ALL about community so if we look at the research it is a win=win!
It’s 2021. We’ve seen it all this past year, so it’s time to gear up and step in, not out to ALL that this year has to offer. As women, and mothers we need to join together to support one another during these difficult times. You are definitely worth living out your dream for. Yoko Ono once said, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” Be sure to check back in to join EmpowHer LA’s connected wellness community MemberHERship!