The Challenge of Accepting Significance

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

~Nelson Mandela

In April, one of my life goals of becoming a published author was accomplished.  It has been an exciting and scary journey but I, along with 21 other women coauthored a leadership book called, “Significant Women: Leaders Reveal What Matter Most“.  As we wrote our chapters and got to know one another, we discussed how uncomfortable we were with calling ourselves “significant”.

Now, from my perspective I could easily see how significant they were.  They were a diverse group of amazing leaders, entrepreneurs, and C-levels from around the globe. They have overcome loss, poverty, racism, and other challenges to get where they were today. 

To put it bluntly, they are a group of bad ass women. (Excuse the language -there is just no better way to describe them!) They are significant. I just wondered how I fit in? To my surprise though, it seemed everyone was feeling the same way.

The Shift to Significance

One day, we met on Clubhouse to discuss the subject of “significance” and our roles and the definitions.  In the conversation, there were many aha moments for me. I believe maybe for the others as well.  Being a “significant woman” took on a different meaning after this conversation.   

One of my coauthors brought up in math terms, significant meant a digit that provides value, and something that does not occur by chance. This was an important view as we knew we all provided value and very few things in our lives had occurred “by chance”. Most of our accomplishments were because of our hard work and determination to push through the challenges.  

We reviewed the definitions in the Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries of importance, influence, and effect in detail, trying to find fault with calling ourselves significant.   But then, we discussed how many younger women and men would learn from our stories. This was the purpose of the book after all.

We thought about how many would possibly not have to go through some of the same challenges we did as they rise through the corporate ranks. We discussed through our stories how many could be influenced to persevere against the odds or push back against a seemingly unbeatable system to come out on top. We talked about how many young ladies entering the workforce feel they are alone today, when they do not have to.

It was a powerful conversation in just a short hour.  We concluded we should accept the term “Significant Women”.  If not for ourselves, for the younger generations that are too, Significant, and should be proud of the title.

Significant for the Next Generation

So now we proudly vocalize it and encourage others to share their significance as well.  There are so many people who are significant in this world, and they should be proud of their influence, importance, and effect on the world and those around them.  

Through this journey I realized I did have a story to tell, and I want to help others. It is the reason I started this blog in the first place. I am honored to be one of the Significant Women among this amazing group of leaders.  I believe that there so many Significant Women and Men out there who do not recognize themselves.  As one of my coauthors, Karen Bullock, writes in her own blog, “Are You Significant,”

“I challenge you to embrace YOUR significance today.

Go Be Significant Managing It All Readers!

If you are interested in reading “Significant Women: Leaders Reveal What Matter Most” it is available in digital copy on Amazon for just $.99 or print for $9.99. All proceeds benefit Elimu Girls, a non-profit in Kenya who’s mission is to empower Her to become community leaders and entrepreneurs ensuring financial freedom, self-worth, and equality.

Cheers to my Best Selling Coauthors and fellow Significant Women who helped make one of my dreams come true!