I have so much to learn...

Today was our semi-quarterly management meeting and I heard our new Director of Training speak. She is truly amazing. For one thing, she has so much confidence and is an AMAZING speaker. She is also a good decade older than me (at least) but she and her husband recently adopted two little boys - it's wonderful. As I listened to her speak and admired her truly amazing confidence, I realized that I could learn SO MUCH from this woman.

I had lunch with my former boss this week - she's another woman who really inspires me. As a matter of fact, as ironic as it sounds, she's a big part of why I decided to leave - I wanted to be more like her and I knew that if I remained where I was, I would not have much of a chance to learn to be a leader like her.

So - all of a sudden, I'm realizing that I have so much to learn. I want to be confident (and to inspire confidence!) and I want to stand up for myself when I'm faced with tough situations. These women are both great models of that.

The first woman who really showed me all of that was my own mother. I remember when she went to the Southern Baptist Convention and fought for women's rights. That was no minor effort in the 1980's. I can't even IMAGINE fighting that one...and I'm a lawyer - I should be programmed to fight! (But I'm not....)

I suppose I'll always have a lot to learn. Right now I'm quite sure that what I'm supposed to learn is confidence in myself as a woman, as a mother, and as a professional. Wow. That seems like an almost impossible dream. Isn't that weird?