{"id":1262,"date":"2017-01-19T06:50:05","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T11:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alexiazigoris.dskncte0-liquidwebsites.com\/?p=1262"},"modified":"2017-02-02T13:32:04","modified_gmt":"2017-02-02T18:32:04","slug":"the-significant-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alexiazigoris.com\/the-significant-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Significant Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
Last fall I attended a women\u2019s award luncheon. \u00a0You know the kind: fancy\u00a0venue, mediocre food, but\u00a0inspiring women who are making a difference in the world. \u00a0These award-y things often\u00a0leave me conflicted.\u00a0\u00a0On one hand, I admire\u00a0these\u00a0women. Who wouldn’t?<\/p>\n
But, if\u00a0I am completely honest, there was a tinge of jealous in me. \u00a0I want an award too\u2026\u00a0or maybe to be placed on an\u00a0important list or something. \u00a0Heck, I\u2019ve done some pretty cool stuff in my career.\u00a0\u00a0I co-owned a company that went from a tiny blip on the map to a well-respected, profitable leader in our industry.\u00a0\u00a0I was at the helm of a highly visible non-profit during a time when funding and staff were in upheaval. I made hard decisions that proved good and turned that\u00a0organization from being broken to thriving. I\u2019ve led very worthy endeavors, from compelling\u00a0video storytelling projects to raising funds for organizations that are impacting the lives of thousands.<\/p>\n
I don’t get awards. \u00a0I go to luncheons where other women get them. <insert pity party emoji><\/p>\n
Even though it was a\u00a0fleeting thought, it forced me to be honest with myself. \u00a0What really motivates me?<\/p>\n
Is it honors, awards and recognition?\u00a0\u00a0Or is it doing my best work? What if I do great things and never receive public accolades?<\/p>\n
On the drive home, I unpacked my feelings. In the end, I\u00a0landed squarely back where I started my day: My greatest joy is\u00a0living out my mission. That means helping people discover theirs and live a life of greater purpose.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s because of great women in my life that I am motivated\u00a0to do my best. Watching them step up has raised the bar for all of us. The diversely\u00a0talented women I know completely rock my world! If I were to tell you about them all, we\u2019d be here a while.<\/p>\n
There is a fine line between admiration and envy, though. When mutual respect (and admiration) is the center of a relationship, we can work together in solidarity\u2026 and with that comes unity. Nothing steals progress more than\u00a0envy and greed. Get a group of motivated, sacrificial, mission-driven people together, and you have the beginning of a revolution.<\/p>\n
You and I\u00a0didn’t\u00a0have to fight for women’s\u00a0right to vote.<\/p>\n
We certainly haven\u2019t faced the hardship our mother\u2019s did with workplace inequality.<\/p>\n
Today, we can work in any field we choose and achieve our very highest potential.<\/p>\n
Yet, we\u00a0still have work to do.<\/p>\n
This weekend hundreds and thousands of women (and men) will gather for the Women’s March on Washington. \u00a0Collectively, they’ll\u00a0defend\u00a0women\u00a0and\u00a0minorities under the mission:\u00a0\u201cWe stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.\u201d (www.womensmarch.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n That is a beautiful description\u00a0of a unity.<\/p>\n When one of us hurts, we all hurt. When one wins, we all win.<\/p>\n