A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to attend the Women in Publishing Summit by means of a scholarship I was awarded. A blessing for certain. It was a four-day event that showcased all areas of publishing: editors, authors, marketing companies, agents, speakers, designers, publishing platforms, printers, and more. It was fascinating. The overarching theme was women supporting women in their publishing journey, whatever that may look like. What a refreshing concept. And the best part about it was, it wasn’t just a concept. In every networking event I attended, women were genuinely interested in my life and my place in the world of publishing. There was enthusiasm and knowledge displayed and exchanged in session after session. And it was stated out loud that we were not competitors, but champions and cheerleaders of each other on this exciting journey called life. The theme woven through the week was that success for one of us was success for all of us.
Sadly, throughout my professional career, I've not always found that women support other women wholeheartedly and I’ve often witnessed women who enjoy tearing other women down, whether through untrue gossip, undermining, or just plain meanness. It’s been a determiner of my leaving or staying in an organization at various points in my life. Who needs toxicity in their life? Not me! Alternatively, my personal life has been blessed with a group of close friends who have shown me the joy of having women who genuinely want to lift me up. Instead of tearing women down in our professional or personal life, wouldn’t it be nice if lifting each other up was the norm?
March is the month we carve out time to recognize achievements of women in history. There have been monumental contributions by women that have touched every part of our history through accomplishments in fields too numerous to list and contributions too great to be adequately summarized in a blog. These women have been written about, movies produced about them, statutes erected, and acknowledged publicly. I thank them for blazing the trails and advancing our world.
And while the recognition of these famous women is thrilling, I want to take it a a step further and extend a thank you to all the women who are contributing in vastly important ways that never make it into a book or a movie or onto a social media post. You know who you are, and if you don’t, I’m talking about you. The everyday woman who gets up in the morning and works all day providing for their family, building a business, volunteering, being a daughter, a friend, a wife, a girlfriend, a mother, an aunt, a boss, a caregiver, or whatever role you fill. And I’m sure there are multiple rolls in a single day. I hope someone is lifting you up and recognizing what you do and who you are and supporting your dreams. Sometimes, all you need to buoy yourself through the week is knowing someone cares and they are standing by to offer a hand in case you stumble and to toast your accomplishments on the days you succeed. We all need cheerleaders and lifter-uppers (my own, favorite term) in our life, especially on those days when we doubt our worth or think, “what is it all for?” Having women who innately and without words understand your internal struggle can make a difference.
So, thank you to all of you regular women who may not ever have a statue erected in your honor or a movie with you as the star, your contributions are important. I applaud you. This is your social media post acknowledging you! And let’s make a conscious decision to be women who lift each other up instead of tearing each other down. After all, success for one of us is success for all of us.