Women Inspiring Women; Women Supporting Women - The Caribbean Women's Power Lunch (Trinidad)

On Sunday March 30th I attended this event called The Caribbean Women's Power Lunch hosted in Trinidad for the first time. It featured six successful female entrepreneurs who shared their experiences and advice with the room full of ambitious, beautiful women. It was certainly an event I wouldn't have missed and one that has inspired me. Each woman on the panel told a story that spoke to me in some ways. Therefore, in this post I would like to share Six things I've taken from the event.

"When personality and purpose align, it is then that we find our Authentic Power" - Hema Ramkissoon

We are often told to be ourselves, but also to be perfect, relatable, always know what to say and when to say it, always be politically correct, don't offend anyone. This is especially so for women who are in media or in the public eye as part of their career. We feel as though we are never good enough, we doubt ourselves when put in front of seemingly better counterparts, and we rob ourselves of that peace of mind that reassures us that our best is good enough. However, at the lunch we were reminded by more than one of the women who spoke on the panel, as well as a few other inspirational women seated as guests, that when we find our WHY, our purpose, and put everything we are and have towards realizing that purpose, this is where our power lies; our Authentic Power. This is the power we possess individually, that no one else has and no one can strip it away from us. When we take full responsibility for the power that we possess, this is when we can make amazing things happen.

"Fear will drown you" - Angela Hunte

Where do I even begin on this topic? Fear, that which has killed more dreams than failure ever did... That which holds us back, at the exact time when we should take that step forward. That which wedges a lump in our throats when we need our voices to be heard. So, why are we still holding onto fear? At the lunch we heard of all kinds of fear from the panel of women, fear that created doubt, anxiety, tears. Fear that they found ways to overcome. Natalie Fonrose, one of the successful women on the panel, talked about her decision to leave her highly respected and well paying career as a Civil Engineer to pursue her passion to design and create. A huge leap that was initially hindered by fear, but she explained that when she handed the reins over to God, the fear of it all faded away. Letting go of that fear opened the gates to the career of her dreams with endless opportunities ahead of her.

I would like to introduce a different type of fear that may have been touched briefly at the event. That is the fear of never taking the steps that would bring you to achieving your dreams. The fear that you would be trapped in a monotonous life in a field or job that doesn't make you happy, with persons who don't elevate you, but rather constantly discourage you and make you believe that your dreams are far-fetched or even crazy. Use that fear to motivate you. Invest your energy in the things that you want to achieve, and let nothing and no one discourage you from your path.

"Start walking with the power that you have, the power of YOU" - Candace Guppy-Sobion

Have you ever heard the saying "No one else can be you and that's your superpower"? This certainly applies here! Instead of wondering what others would think of you, how you dress, how your hair looks, how your social media looks, what parties you attend, focus on what YOU WANT. What makes you comfortable? How do you feel most comfortable wearing your hair. It might vary if you're into fashion and style, but even if you are not, that's okay. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. We all don't have to wear what's considered to be "In Style" to be liked or accepted. Once you feel comfortable, you can be yourself, and your authentic self is the person that everyone would come to love, because your most authentic self is the most genuine portrayal of YOU. Be confident in that power you hold, that superpower that is YOU. BeYOUtiful.

The negativity that you see in the world is each and every one of us.

Isn't it alarming that most women firmly admit that most of the issues they experience on a daily basis are at the hands of a woman or several women? I myself have experienced it time and time again. Perhaps they feel some sort of twisted power taking the opportunity to bring another woman down. Maybe it is a product of women engaging in unhealthy competition with each other, where toxic insecurities play a major role in the thought process behind those actions. Whatever the reason, we need this to stop. Women should celebrate other women, cheer other women on, vote for other women, help other women. We are natural nurturers and we need to direct that energy towards our own kind the same way we nurture our children, husbands, boyfriends or friends. Learn how to deflect the negative energy that is surrounding you and remember that you get back exactly what you give out. and you give out exactly what you consume. Adjust your focus, become the embodiment of positivity.

Surround yourself with the right people.

Each and every one of us has something that distracts us or gets in the way of us achieving our goals. Dr Shenilee Hazel, one of the wonderful women on the panel at CWPL spoke so honestly about one dreadful habit we may all have at some point along our journey... That monster is called Procrastination. It's no question whether we do or don't procrastinate. Some more than others perhaps, but I would think that we've all done it at some point in our lives. Shenilee made that very practical suggestion that, based on her personal experience, having the right people around you can help you to combat and subdue the monster. So she suggested telling the RIGHT person or persons what your goals are, what you want to achieve. This is firstly an act of declaring what you intend to do, putting that out into the universe, and secondly, allowing someone you trust to check in with you to help you keep track of your progress, or just send you a reminder - or a few reminders - of the small or even larger goals you have set for yourself.

With that being said, it is important to note that the people you surround yourself with play a major role in influencing you positively or negatively, although we may think that we have strong minds and that we have control over how we think and what we do. Sometimes keeping bad company may not seem like it is actively affecting your progress, but the difference is unmistakable when you spend your time with persons who encourage you with their words and lead by example. When I look at my coworkers at the Real Estate office, their drive and determination, their willingness to learn, I am inspired daily to adopt those positive habits and reminded to stay focused and keep pushing forward. They teach me the importance of embracing the time I have now and seeking all opportunities to succeed at the job, and by extension, at achieving the goals I set for myself.

In addition to this, it is important to master the trait of decisiveness. Learn to make a decision quickly, take action promptly and react in a timely manner. This can offset the destruction of the Procrastination monster. I've spoken on my Instagram about a book I've just started reading, and something that stood out to me while reading the summaries prior to getting the full book was that one of the lessons taught was the Mastery of Procrastination. Trust that knowing that you have someone checking up on you would encourage you to actually get things done.

Take care of yourself.

Often times women are seen as weaker than their male counterparts, which influences us ambitious women to downplay and hide any and every weakness we may have. I am one to do so myself. Just imagine some time ago while working out in the gym my instructor asked me "is that weight too heavy?" and as I could visibly not lift it, I had to admit that it was indeed too heavy for me. He then comments that I have an impeccable Poker Face because I was not showing and sign of struggle on my face. I would never forget that moment because it is then that I realized that maybe the pride I had working out in a room full of men, being trained by a man, and not wanting to show any sign of weakness, I was certainly not doing myself a favor by acting like I could do it all with no problems. Of course I had to swallow my pride and go back to the weight that I was more comfortable lifting.

This just illustrated to me why and how women would feel like they need to put aside their personal needs, even their emotions, in an environment where they are usually seen as the weaker sex. But what I learnt from one of the strong, successful women on the CWPL Panel, Wendy John, is that you can work work work all you want, but you cannot neglect your health. She spoke about her busy lifestyle, how hard she worked and how far her hard work and faith in God took her in her field of work. Being one of the few females in a male dominated field, being dark skinned, and being Caribbean put her miles outside of her comfort zone, but she never let the discomfort put her at a disadvantage. She overcame it all and is excelling. But she also spoke about realizing that her health is important and she reminded us, by touching on the topic of illness and living with those illnesses that make it difficult to actually live and enjoy life, that we need to appreciate the time that we have now and don’t waste any moment of it.

BONUS

We were given the opportunity to listen to some additional stories from a few other amazing women in the room. A few things I learned from them are that you may not find your calling or your ideal career instantly. It may take some time. But remember that the journey is important because the lessons you learn, the people you meet and the changes you undergo along the way are what makes the difference. We cannot achieve great things or receive in abundance without first having gratitude.

I am so thankful to have been able to attend such a fulfilling event and to receive such encouragement and inspiration from these wonderful, caring women. I hope I was able to impart some of what I’ve learned in my post.

xo

Gabi