Dare to Live Your Biggest, Boldest Life

As many people are shining a spotlight on Women’s History Month, I have been reflecting on the attributes of great women — past and present — that we can all be aware of and aim to amplify in our lives.

We might not rise (or care to rise) to leading a nation, like Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico. We might not aspire to be President of the European Commission like Ursela von der Leyden. Even with great physical talent, we might not care to aim for Olympic glory like Alysa Liu or Hilary Knight. 

What I dream of for women everywhere is that we step into our power and create lives that are bold, satisfying and impactful.

The path to living your greatness

Great women know what they really care about.

What means so much to you that you feel a deep desire to pursue it?

Your answers may well include personal and professional things.

Think about what matters for you. Your deep personal desires could be health-related. They could center on your family. They could be related to supporting a cause that’s close to your heart. They could be about pursuing a passion that brings you joy. 

Think about your professional life. Maybe you want to rise to new levels of leadership, shift your career direction entirely, or launch a new enterprise. Maybe you want to nurture and guide the next generation or focus on your legacy.

Maybe you dream of impacting your community, or the world!

Take time to note the things that really light up your heart now.

Great women fully appreciate and own their gifts, their genius!

Too many remarkable women I have spoken to and coached over the years fail to believe in their greatness. They may have lived in the shadows of others. They compare themselves to other people and feel less than. They may have had a hit to their confidence. They question themselves, they doubt, they feel like impostors.

A focus on self-love can make a world of difference.

Remind yourself every day of how capable you are and how meaningful your contributions are. Pause to appreciate yourself as often as possible.

Make time to do things that delight you, and do as many of those things as you can. When your spirit is fueled you will find it easier to see all the ways you shine, and routinely celebrate yourself.

Great women set bold visions for themselves.

Sit back, get quiet, and imagine yourself a year from now and what you wish your life to look like.

What will you have experienced and done?

Envision having reached that moment.

Where are you? What do you look like? How do you feel?

Also imagine yourself looking back at the risks you dared to take, and at the  adjustments you made along the way as you navigated toward the wonderful outcome!

Journal about all of it and reread your descriptions periodically.

Living your best life matters

Each of us has talent, intellect, spirit and passion we can tap into and amplify. Each of us is full of incalculable amounts of creative power. 

And no matter what stage of life you are at right now, what you do with that amplified passion and creative power makes a difference.

It counts. 

When you live your fullest most satisfying life you are not only happy and inspired, you touch others in meaningful ways you may never become aware of. The positive energy you bring into the world ripples far and wide.

So whatever you choose to make your focus now, when you pursue it with clarity, belief and passion, creating in myriad ways as you live day to day, be sure to appreciate the journey.

The way you move toward your vision is the gift.

It’s is the path to a life of enormous satisfaction.

And no matter what challenges show up, which are inevitable, you will know that there are always ways for you to create and overcome them.

I want women to take the lead to making this a better world.

Live the biggest brightest version of your life for yourself, and for all of us.

A summer of superb art and surprises

It’s hard to believe that the spring melted into summer, and now summer is coming to an end. As I have been busy coaching, conducting workshops and revamping my studio space for lots of new fall events, I have also visited museums and found inspiration of many kinds that has excited and propelled me all season.

Boston museums have hosted many marvelous exhibitions in the last months. Among my favorites was the Quilt and Color exhibition at the MFA. Having entered the gallery with the idea that I'd take a quick look at the Pilgrim/Roy quilt collection and move on to seeing other works in the museum, I was astonished at what I found. The exhibition was organized brilliantly by color and captivated me. I felt as though I was reliving color theory as I’d learned it in college — but this time in a delightful and unique way. The color lessons were provided by groupings of work done by brilliant artists, women who worked in isolated rural communities over a century ago. Their work was never appreciated as fine art or lauded for its brilliance of design, color, imagination and fabulous craft. I loved the variety and the beauty of the fantastic collection, and loved that this art was being seen and appreciated in a major museum exhibition.

The work of a young, contemporary woman artist, also working with textiles, resonated for me this summer, too. I was taken by surprise at The Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum when I saw the exhibition, Carla Fernández: The Barefoot Designer: A Passion for Radical Design and Community. Fernández is a Mexican artist and fashion designer who has documented indigenous Mexican textile making techniques and has honored that heritage by incorporating the materials into striking contemporary fashion designs and accessories. The exhibition also included drawings, photographs, videos, performance and source materials, all of which were fascinating and marvelous.

It was a delight and yet another surprise to discover the work of Lesley Dill at the Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum. The 20-year survey of Dill's work was a revelation for me. Her materials, concepts and integration of text in her drawings, sculptures and mixed media pieces were marvelous to explore.

On a visit to Maine we made two trips to the Portland Museum of Art because there was so much to see and enjoy. The retrospective of Richard Estes’ Realism was fantastic, and the museum's extensive permanent collection was wonderful. 

Of all the work that inspired me recently, one exhibition I loved will be on view until November 2. If you can get to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston this fall, I recommend you spend 64 minutes experiencing the video performance, The Visitors. The film, on multiple screens in a large space, documents a durational performance by Ragnar Kjartansson and musician friends. It transfixed me, both with beautiful and moving music and with visuals that are quietly compelling.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to see such marvelous and brilliantly varied work at great museums in my area. I hope that wherever you live, or wherever your travels take you, you too have the opportunity to experience creativity that opens your senses and fills your heart.