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I am not sure I had ever seen five thousand women in one room before. It was definitely striking. As I looked out over the crowd at breakfast, my first thought was what an extraordinary accomplishment for the organizers of the conference. My second thought was what an extraordinary event for the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts. Five thousand women gathered for a day to focus on growing personally and professionally, to meet and connect, and to be motivated and inspired by speakers who represent the tops in their field, be it writing, business, media, healthcare, or not-for-profits. What would each person do differently as a result of this day? How would that change benefit her, her family and our community? Would it be a subtle, minor change—maybe a new perspective on a topic or a renewed resilience to connect more with colleagues. Or would it be a major change---to make a professional shift, to become significantly more engaged in a community organization, or to commit to taking more control of personal finances. What if we could measure the cumulative effect of all the big and small changes that come from this day? Conceptually, it has to be incredibly powerful. So, you ask, what am I going to do differently as a result of this day? To answer this, I have to go back to a coffee conversation with René Syler where she talked about why she wrote her book, Good Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting. She said that while it would be nice if it became a best-seller, if she could just make one working mother out there feel less guilty and feel better about just doing her best rather than by "perfect," then the book was worth it. I was struck at how the goal of just influencing one person made the daunting task of writing a book more feasible. The conversation turned to how we were both trying to live life as a "greener" parent. I shared the travails of trying to go green while remodeling a very old home; and just how hard it has been, but how much I've learned in the process, and we laughed over some of the complete green fiascos, like the day my brand new cork floor bubbled and my eco-tiles melted. She looked at me and said, "You need to write a book about this!!" While I work at a media organization, the only things I actually write are e-mails and performance reviews—the other side of the building handles the real writing tasks. But her point was that when we have struggled and learned, our opportunity to share that learning is huge and doing so only makes it easier for those who are facing a similar challenge. René is right. I have learned an enormous amount about going green and have an opportunity to share and encourage others who are trying to be greener as well. How others respond to the opportunity and challenge laid down at the Massachusetts Conference for Women will unfold, in some instances quickly and in others more slowly over the coming years. However, as the New Year begins, my own perspective is that many resolutions will be highly influenced by attendance at this past year's conference. And the cumulative effect of these resolutions, on the attendees, their families and our community, will be immense. |
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