Michelle Obama beautifully stated "We should always have three friends in our lives-one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we've cleared the way" I'm excited by what women will walk away with surrounding this workshop offering at the Beyond This Moment conference. On the one hand I have experienced part of the 3 Threads show up in my life and the difference it's made in my success. I've been blessed to have Sheroes that I look up to, that took me under their wing and modeled for me what it means to be mentor. I have had several mentors on my journey that have assisted me in my growth. I learned about the importance of working hard, staying committed, never quitting and what to do when I've had tough decisions to make. My mentors have done all of this through love and I didn't understand it to be sisterhood until I was much older and wiser. To date, I have two game changing mentors that I respect, look up to and who challenge me to be the greatest part of who I am. I also mentor young women and adult women based on what was modeled for me. Having the ability to truly 'see' my mentees and assist them with discovering and utilizing their gifts. My past and present mentors have a spirit of consistency and I learned the importance of this attribute being critical in developing mentor/mentee relationships. I understood that by paying it forward and back, that paving the way for another sister is what is required of all of us. It also meant that I had the responsibility to be emotionally well in order to mentor in a way that was helpful and not harmful. When we decide to take on the important role of mentor, it's important that we know where we are on our journeys. In sharing this, my hope is that women who are mentoring are setting examples for young women that are helpful to their growth and development.
The sister along the way...there is much I can say about this. Until more recent years, I haven't had a constant friend on my journey. I struggled with this as I entered motherhood at a young age. I've had great sisterhood relationships on various occasions but during the times needed, I didn't have that one best friend to push me through. What I learned from that experience is that it doesn't always require that we have one person on our journey consistently. We grow, people change and with that comes the opportunity to keep getting it right as much as we can. I can say that although I have maneuvered this life without a best friend, there were women and girls who inspired me and played a role in the "me" I am today. My 3 Threads are now in place but there are several women who are connected to those threads.
The 3 threads of sisterhood is a gift to any woman blessed to have this foundation throughout her journey. At the Beyond This Moment Conference: Authentic Sisterhood, our speakers will go in depth in how to build this foundation and how to honor the women in your lives that contributed to your growth and development. Lastly, the importance of paying it forward for other women and girls. The reflection for today is: Where would we all be if these important threads were a constant in our lives? In what ways can we ensure that our threads are not only in place, but are life giving and healthy.
Join us on March 30th to further explain this foundation!
