Take a Sip from the Commencement Cup

Over coffee this morning, I came across a post about eight inspirational take-aways from commencement speeches.  It reminds me (as I am seduced of late by the temptation to settle into the status quo and stop pushing so hard to forge my own path) that striving to create, and trying to make a difference in this world, is worth the effort.   

The speakers' advice, in a nutshell, is listed below.  Don't bypass the original post though, it is worth the read - and you absolutely deserve to take a few minutes for some personal inspiration....


(1) Persevere.
Have bold, innovative ideas...keep trying to disrupt the status quo and usher in a better way. 

(2) Be a Kirk rather than a Spock. 
In pursuing business success, do not neglect the emotional side of life.
  
(3) Venture out of your comfort zone (regularly)
Make bold bets and focus on what you love. "Not a single successful person ... has ever done great things because they played it safe."

(4) Stay curious.
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." -Chinese proverb

(5) Value human connections.
Meet others, network and connect not for the sake of having a network, but because it inspires us to do something, to take action and to make a difference in the world.

(6) Join in the dance of uncertainty.
Uncertainty compels us to unfold our power.  "Uncertainty means that the future is yours to shape, with the force of your will, the force of your intellect and the force of your compassion."

(7) Redefine success.
"There will be plenty of signposts along your path directing you to make money and climb up the ladder, there will be very few signposts reminding you to stay connected to the essence of who you are, to take care of yourself, to reach out to others."

(8) Make the world a better place.
"At the end of your days when you look back...it's about what you created, about what you did to make the world a slightly better place because you were here."

Not Just a Girl...No Doubt!

Hello Inspiring Girls!  

So, I just came across this fantastically inspirational post by Jaime Moore.  The images are, of course, lovely, but it's Jaime's reasons for choosing to do this that grabbed my heart - and head! - especially as the mom of beautiful five-year-old Luji.  

Here is what Jaime has to say about the photographs....see the full post, complete with photos and quotes from these brilliantly unique women at Jaime Moore Photography.

not just a girl…..

05.09.13

So my amazing daughter, Emma,  turned 5 last month, and I had been searching everywhere for new-creative inspiration for her 5yr pictures. I noticed quite a pattern of so many young girls dressing up as beautiful Disney Princesses, no matter where I looked 95% of the “ideas” were the “How to’s” of  how to dress your little girl like a Disney Princess. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Disney Princesses, from their beautiful dresses, perfect hair, gorgeous voices and  most with ideal love stories in the mix you can’t help but become entranced with the characters. But it got me thinking, they’re just characters, a writers tale of a princess (most before 1998)…an unrealistic fantasy for most girls (Yay Kate Middleton!).
It started me thinking about all the REAL women for my daughter to know about and look up too, REAL women who without ever meeting Emma have changed her life for the better. My daughter wasn’t born into royalty, but she was born into a country where she can now vote, become a doctor, a pilot, an astronaut, or even President if she wants and that’s what REALLY matters. I wanted her to know the value of these amazing women who had gone against everything so she can now have everything. We chose 5 women (five amazing and strong women), as it was her 5th birthday but there are thousands of unbelievable women (and girls) who have beat the odds and fought (and still fight) for their equal rights all over the world……..so let’s set aside the Barbie Dolls and the Disney Princesses for just a moment, and let’s show our girls the REAL women they can be.

Summer Snow Globe

Since my personal leap into the arena of daring greatly, I've found myself over and over reflecting on the powerful, inspirational energy created when women come together with genuine intent, and share their light.

My most notable reflection on this point came at 2 AM last Saturday morning as I sat on our boat at Lake Powell under a pitch black sky blazing with the brilliance of a zillion stars.  The moon had yet to rise, and the 360 degree view, from horizon to horizon and as high as I could imagine, was mesmerizing.  Sandstone cliffs were dimly lit in the distance, the sound of gently rippling water tickled the night, and I was all alone in the conscious silence of this heavenly place. 

I felt like a tiny creature looking up from the base of a summer snow globe. 

Ahhhh....breathe....

Breathe in the powerful light of so many individuals coming together....feel it....absorb it....remember it....

Immense, natural, brilliant.  

Just like SASI.  

The coming together of sparkling individuals to create a palpable power; sharing it; reflecting it; being it.

I realized in that moment that defining and living our SASI is important for us as independent, powerful women, yes; but the importance is magnified thousands of times over when we stop to consider (and allow ourselves to be a part of and touched by) the coming together of so many individually sparkling beings.  

So in the spirit of IGE and SASI, I invite you to continue to step into the arena with me and help harness the power of our individual SASIs. Together, we will light our beloved globe with our collective brilliance.

Define Your SASI - Oh So SASI !

On April 26-27, I spent the weekend at stunning Zion National Park with a group of amazing women who rocked the world with their powerful honestly, sincerity, and willingness to share some pretty personal stuff in the name of Defining their SASI.   

To each of you - for allowing the rest of us to bask in your unique brilliance and share in your journey - thank you.  To those who could not be there this time, here are some comments from our inaugural participants...I hope they will inspire you to join us at a future retreat.  It will be my distinct pleasure to welcome you!

• "I didn't know going into it what I needed to get out of it, and was surprised and impressed with the process to discover and define my SASI."

• "Thank you for the retreat. It was really powerful for me." 

• "It was fun to make new friends who are also growing and trying to make sense of our world."

• "You don't charge enough!"  

• "This is an incredibly valuable process and approach. I learned a lot about myself."

• "Well organized, thoughtful, and timely." 

• "It's great to formulate my purpose in a fun, easy to remember way."

• "You are inspiring. Thank you!"

• "I'll definitely be back."

Stay tuned for details on our next date and location, and thanks to this first group of Inspiring Girls/SASI women for sharing your awesome sparkle!

On Dolphins and Dreams

REPOSTED FROM Utah Women and Eduction Initiative Blog

When I was 10, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to study whales and swim with dolphins. I knew it would require getting a college degree, and while I did not fully understand what that meant (no one in my family had gone to college), the idea was cemented that college was the path to the work I wanted to do. 

My marine biology dream was put on the shelf a couple years later because, at the ripe old age of 12, I decided that since I did not live by the ocean, being a marine biologist was not a realistic possibility.  And while my logic for not pursuing that dream was flawed, looking back I realize my commitment to going to college was cemented.  What I could not have anticipated at the time though, was just how much I would gain from my college education.  It was so much more than a necessary step down a career path.

A college education is not simply a means to an end.  It is part of our individual evolution, and what we get out of it is personal and unique to us.  Consider this:

In college:

•  We choose, often for the first time, what we will study. 

•  We are introduced to new ideas, different perspectives, and challenging situations that require us to analyze how we feel about certain issues, and why.

•  We get to practice integrating new concepts and unfamiliar approaches with familiar ideals in a safe environment where learning is what is expected of us.

•  We develop tools to cope with these challenges, and to continue to grow into them as time goes on.

This daily practice of integrating what we learn - from professors in class, from new friends with diverse backgrounds, and from the extracurricular activities we choose to be a part of - into our personal and professional choices, impacts our future decision-making capability in immeasurable ways.

Like so many others, I approached college as the first step to building a career. Thankfully, though, I also embraced my college education as more than a means to an end.  The critical thinking, concept integration and decision making skills I put to the test in college have helped me every day since in my quest to be my best self: as a woman, a mother, a partner, a successful professional, and a life-long learner. 

Unlike that naive 12-year-old girl who put her dream of swimming with the dolphins on the shelf for what, at the time seemed an insurmountable obstacle, I now know how to consider, analyze, and make the best choices for myself and those I care about.  And I have my college education to thank for it.  

Define Your SASI - REGISTER TODAY!

Hello Inspiring Girls and Guys!

I am thrilled to announce that Q3's first event is scheduled, the amazing venue is booked, and registration is open!  

Define Your SASI - A Women's Leadership Retreat will take place at the Cable Mountain Lodge in Springdale, Utah, on April 26-27, 2013.

Inspiring women will come together against the inspiring backdrop of Zion Canyon to explore what is absolutely most important for each of us to live a full, soulful life. And we will use what we learn - about ourselves and from each other - to define a very personal version of "SASI."  

Learn more about "SASI" and the retreat at q3international.com. And please, share the event info with every woman you know. The more amazing females with diverse interests, backgrounds, professions and experiences who join us, the better!  Several of the original inspiring girls are already committed and we can't wait to welcome you as well! 

If you would like to receive the PDF flyer to share with your family, friends, and professional network, please leave a comment here or email me at shirlayne@q3international.com.

Register today and we'll see you in Springdale in April!

Family Day 2013!

Last year at this time, I posted Threads of Family in tribute to our amazing family and the friends who have become family over the years.  

Today marks our Sixth Family Day, and that insightful, attentive 8 1/2 month old little girl is a bustling, book-loving, violin-playing kindergartner.  It's hard to believe we have been "3 Quayles" for five years already. Amazing!

While our family grew officially by one on that February day in Nanchang five years ago, Luji's spirit and wise old soul have brought us so much more.  So many have come together  all because of this this one little girl!  Our family has grown in ways we could not have possibly imagined before, and we are so glad you are each a beautiful part of it.

In the spirit of celebrating five years with this inspiring, sweet, smart, kind, thoughtful, fun, beautiful, amazing child who has forever changed our lives, and brought us unending joy and laughter, please join us in a big, warm, extended family hug!

Thank you for sharing this extraordinary adventure - and Family Day - with us!  

Love, 
3 Quayles 

Dare Greatly

Happy Sunday, Inspiring Girls and Guys.

There is a new book in my life. I learned about it at the International Leadership Association annual conference in Denver last fall when I heard Dr. Brene Brown speak. I came home, bought her book, and have "finished" it more times than I can count over the last few months.  It's called Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. I'm reading a couple of books right now but this is the one I keep coming back to because each time I pick it up, I absorb some new insight about a current situation, future plan, or recent action/reaction that sheds light on my personal path to living a soulful life.

It's a book perfectly timed for me. Perhaps it is for you, too. If you have a chance to read it - and I hope you do! - please share the pieces that inspire you with all of us.  On the highest level, Daring Greatly has driven home for me the bare naked fact that having the courage to pursue my dreams really just comes down to being, and believing, in me.  And sometimes that is the most intense kind of vulnerability.  

The quote by Theodore Roosevelt that inspired the book's title is worth sharing. It's written on our chalkboard at home with some of my other favorite quotes, and has become the theme for the way I wish to approach the million and one cool things on my radar - for 2013 and beyond. I hope the quote, and the book if you read it, inspires you, too, to dare greatly!

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
                                                                                      - Theodore Roosevelt