Ever need inspiration to infuse your business and your life with new ideas, hope, and a sense of camaraderie (especially when you work alone)? On Wednesday, I found all that and more when I attended the Texas Conference for Women in Austin with my two pals, Melanie and Alicia.
Here are five (of the many) cool things I learned:
1. We need two things in life and work to handle difficult relationships: Know who you are. Know how to be an artful communicator.
“Leaders speak clearly and memorably, and they go overtly for persuasion.”
– Charlotte Beers, Ogilvy & Mather advertising genius, former Undersecretary of State, and author of I’d Rather Be in Charge
2. It sounds counterintuitive, but we must be vulnerable to lead.
“In 12 years of interviewing leaders, I’ve never met a transformational one who wasn’t engaging in vulnerability.”
– Brene Brown, speaker, researcher, author of Daring Greatly
3. I participate in The Arrival Fallacy which is, “I’ll be happy when…my kids are older; I land that new client; I lose 20 pounds.” BUT…
“Now is Now. Happiness is a way of being. Not a destination.”
– Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home
4. Does something bring me more joy or less joy? If it’s more, do it. If it’s less, dump it.
“Go for more joy, but be with what is.”
– Carrie Contey, Slow Family Living and Early Parenting
5. Texas women are a force to be reckoned with and they are enormous supporters of one another.
“If all 5,000 women from the Texas Conference for Women went to work on Monday and did it differently, it would change the WORLD.”
– Danielle LaPorte, author of The Fire Starter Sessions
Want more nuggets of wisdom? Visit my 2012 Texas Conference for Women Storify to view all of my tweets from the sessions I attended.
Sounds inspirational. Next year I need to get my self there.
Michelle, it really was inspirational. There are business sessions too, which I wanted to attend. But I stuck with the personal development track this time and I was not disappointed. Let’s get a big group from San Antonio to go together next year.
I love Gretchen Rubin! When you hear what she says it seems like common sense, but clearly we need to be reminded!
Sarah, you’re so right. Much of what I heard from these amazing women was common sense…things we should already be doing. But we get so busy that it’s nice to be reminded. Now I just have to remember all of the great, inspiring advice and put it to good use. 🙂
It was an amazing day, wasn’t it! I left there fully charged up and ready to rock things both at home and in my work.
The energy was incredible!!!
Yes! The energy, alone, made the event worth attending. But, like you, I came away with so many great ideas and tips to re-energize my life and work. I’m already putting them to great use.
I loved your Slow Family Living session with Carrie. Thanks for commenting, Bernadette!