The Far East IS far away from the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
During my almost 15-hour return flight, on March 12, 2019 from Hong Kong to Washington, D.C. these reflective words above came to me: Teams, Temples, Thought & Action.
The 10th Annual Women’s Leadership and Empowerment Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, March 1-3, 2019 (thank you to the visionaries of Tomorrow People Organization!) was attended by 70 inspired women (and a few brave men!) who gathered to share the collective goal of being more, learning more, and doing more in our world.
We arrived from many corners of the globe.
We shared how young women in Ethiopia, Japan, Macao, China, Uganda, Kenya, Palestine, the USA and Oman are being empowered by individuals and teams of people dedicated to changing the world one empowered action at a time.
During my stay, I had opportunities to visit sacred temples in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, where I was privileged to visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, an ancient, richly spiritual complex, the largest in the world.
And, at that moment on the plane, it all came together for me. What a powerful combination – like-minded people (teams) positive belief systems and inspiring faith (temples) and an internal drive to be better (thoughts) and to do better in our world that is desperate for change (action).
To transform takes an intentional shift of all the above. Individuals and collectives of individuals, who are empowered by faith in their Inner Wisdom, the Universe and a Higher Purpose; who use their thoughts, and desires to take intentional actions toward what matters most in their lives and the lives of those we serve.
Many conditions, principles, ideas, plans, goals, desires and results matter. In fact, so many that we often walk away not knowing what to do next. We can become overwhelmed by all the needs and possibilities that it can cause us to freeze.
Yet, walk on we must, because the world is depending on us to make it to the top of all the hills and across the oceans and lands that stand between where we are and where we want and need to be.
To quote Jean Case in her inspiring book – Be Fearless
“To live in a world worth living in,We have to let challenge inspire us. We have to take risks, be bold, and fail forward. We have to Be Fearless.”
Here’s a plan:
Let’s hold on to our dreams and continue to act on them with courage and conviction.
Let’s stay connected as best we can. Here’s how!
Let’s take action, no matter how small the step, to encourage someone else to hold onto their purpose and dream and to act definitively on them.
Let’s remember the stories and put our hands together in that powerful gesture so common in many Asian countries and salute the divinity in each one we meet along our paths.
And, if we do nothing else – let’s silently bless and wish each other well on our journeys.