International Women's Day

Happy Women's Day to all my strong, beautiful women out there. I just wrote a note to my Aunt the other night, telling her this:

"I'm reading a book called Circle of Stones right now - and in the opening it talks about what life would be like if every young girl had a strong circle of wise, nurturing women around them. I had that. I had two incredible Grandmothers, amazing Aunts, intelligent older cousins, an indescribable and a determined, passionate older sister. I found a woman mentor in my first adult job in business and only ever worked for women bosses before that. On top of that, I had a strong network of female friends in high school and college. Everywhere I look, there women who continue to amaze and surprise me."

I get how lucky I am.

Now I want to work with / read about / uplift / empower women like Suma. When Suma was six, she started work as a servant where she was abused daily. At 16, Room to Read (still my favourite organization!) paid Suma's school fees, introduced her to a mentor and gave her life skills training to build confidence. She will graduate secondary school in two years. After that, her dream is to become a health educator to help empower more girls in her community. This is Suma's song.

Goosebumps? Si, si.

In honour of International Women's Day, I'll spotlight a story about a strong, smart Indian woman I had the pleasure of meeting while I was in Ahmedabad late last year for a wedding. Seemab is a beautiful woman living in Ahmedabad, where she was born and raised. She didn’t come from an impoverished, horrible childhood, but she grew up with odds against her – simply by being a woman raised in India. However, she has worked hard her whole life and recently graduated with a Masters degree in Human Resources. She works for a company called Openxcell Technologies in Ahmedabad, one of the three HR employees in a company with 100+ employees.

I attended the wedding of one of her colleagues, so I got to see Seemab around quite a few colleagues / friends. I also had a chance to visit their office and see her at work.

Seemab struck me as such an intelligent woman when we had a few chances to chat. She was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but had so much to say. You could tell she really cared about her employees and colleagues, helping them on their path to career success. She was very interested in psychology and I have no doubt we will hear big things from this woman one day. She’s a dear friend to me.

Here she talks about moving out of her comfort zone to attend Management College in Mumbai:

Seemab: Starting off with my childhood, I was born and bought up in Ahmedabad. I did my Bachelors in Business Administration and whilst pursuing it I developed a liking for Human Resource electives. I started identifying my flair in interpersonal skills and how well I identify with people and this knack of helping them when in need. I totally felt I am here to help big corporations understand how humans actually feel at work and so I decided to be the BIG link between employees and employers. 

I then started to wonder if I could do a Masters degree in it. I weighed all the available options and started preparing for entrance exams while graduating. I had to appear for some 10 odd entrance exams, as well as give a couple of presentations and group discussions. I then had personal Interviews conducted and finally managed to get into a B+ Management college in Mumbai.

The thought of moving out of my comfort zone was thrilling, but at the same time very scary.

I lived with two roommates and made friends for a lifetime. There I got an opportunity to interact with students from all sides of India. It was a very cosmopolitan batch; a mix of East, West, North and South of India. And it makes me wonder how much fun it would be to meet people all over the world. It’s so enthralling to meet new people everyday, to be able to talk to them, identify with a few, and understand their ideas. Some leave their imprints on us and we leave ours on others. Social learning is something I thrive on. I believe we humans are here to see and observe and learn.

My years in Mumbai were the most memorable ones and have shaped me to be a much better, confident and more intellectually mature individual. I am thankful to God for giving me that opportunity because it did change my life in so many ways. My mother was the force behind my moving out. She always encouraged me to study and be independent. Today, whatever I am I owe it so much to my mother. (Ohh, I love that.)

In the next five years I aspire to gain a much deeper understanding of the dynamics of the industry as well as the field I work in. I want to interact with a variety of people and learn and grow into someone who is a master of human psychology.

I believe my mastery will help me help others and together we can shape a better future and better lives.

Just re-reading her words makes me remember the power of a woman who seeks a great life for themselves and those around them; who acts with intention. Women are connected to the Divine, to Mother Earth, and we can create any reality we so choose. If anything, I hope Seemab’s words push you forward down any path towards a goal you have. Take the first step today.

Love to you on this "día de la mujer" i.e. Day of the Women