Did you know that over 80% of all personal growth books and programs are purchased by women? Did you know that the majority of non-profits in the United States are started by women? Let's face it ladies, we don't shy away from change. As a matter of fact, we are putting ourselves on the front lines and making it happen!
I've been delving into what motivates people to create change in their community and through this research, one thing has become crystal clear, change, no matter how big or small, begins in the heart of a woman. The injustices and poorly run systems in this country could not be more frustrating to women. Systems that were created for the right reasons, but have lost all effectiveness and are now a bureaucratic disaster disturb us to our core. So much to the point that we devote our lives to creating detours around government policy so that children can be fed, education is made available and eventually, policies are changed.
Change IS a matter of the heart. When you look at some of the women who are "change-makers," you will often see that there is a personal story behind her work. Take Candy Lightner for example, she founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1980 after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender. Mothers just like her rallied to her side and helped cut annual alcohol-related traffic fatalities in half and have stood toe to toe with politicians to push policy change. Her story is personal and that's exactly how she pushed forward and created change, on a personal level.
Women gather around shared values, passions and common experiences which means if you're a change-maker, it's time to get the word out on your story and movement so like minded women can find you. In today's world there's no better tool than the web. Think about the technological advantages the change-makers of today have over past generations. Grass roots movements like EcoMom Alliance may never have been able to open chapters across the country if it had to depend on word of mouth and print advertising. The Internet is a change-maker's friend.
Women make it happen when they begin to share their story. Our homework is to decide how we want to communicate it and what end goal we have in mind. Do you simply want to share your day to day experiences? Perhaps build critical mass to push social change? Or to become a support network for those with a shared story. It's never been easier to build a free website, blog or social network, so I'm encouraging you to start thinking about how you can become the change-maker in your life.
I'm thrilled to be presenting a women's panel discussion on the topic of "change" at the annual Best Buy WOLF Conference in Boston this year. We already have four amazing women signed up and it proves to be an incredible event. I'll be back to report my experiences, but until then, I urge you to ask yourself, "How can I leave a legacy of positive change in this world?"
Until next time ladies,
Taiha Wagner
Taiha Wagner is Founder/Director of Build Her Dream, offering small business development services and marketing to women expertise. (http://www.buildherdream.com/)
