Women who Inspire

• Could you find gratitude in your darkest hour? by Linda Anderson
  in Wellbeing for Mums, A Mum's View, Women who Inspire
  29 Feb 2012  | 3 Comments

  Last week I attended an event where the theme was 'Inspiring Happiness". I was honoured to be a recipient of Happiness Inspires Happiness program ... I will be setting up a 7 Day Happiness Challenge via Mums on the Go in the near future ... stay tuned.
  
  There were some terrific guest speakers but the person who most impacted my was Lori, mother of 2, from Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mum. She has a pretty gut wrenching story to tell ... On the 6th of January, 2011, one day after his birthday, her husband suffered a violent psychosis which resulted in him taking his own life. He hung himself in their backyard, in front of Lori and their 1 year old daughter. If you want to know more about Lori you can read her blog ... but I warn you, it is very powerful stuff ... Lori says it the way it is in her world. Have tissues on hand ...
  
  There were many things that inspired me about Lori ... firstly her willingness to stand in front of a room of people and share her very personal and difficult story. Lori suffers from depression and anxiety and she spoke of the role Forgiveness, Gratitude & Mindfulness has played in her ability to get through the last 15 months.
  
  I wanted to share a little of what she said about Gratitude, a daily practice she has held for around 10 years. Inspired by Oprah, Lori began a 30 second daily practice of reflecting on what she was grateful for each day. Big things, little things, trivial things ... it didn't really matter. She noticed over time she no longer had to "think" about the practice ... it would just happen ... every day. She found this practice helped her to feel happier no matter what other challenges were happening in her life. She joked that some days she felt a little "Pollyanna".
  
  Then on the night her husband hung himself she found herself lying on a mattress on the floor of a friends house. As she lay there she heard herself think ... I am so grateful to not have to go home tonight, to have a friend who is here for me. I am grateful my children are with their grandparents tonight and safe. As she realised she was expressing gratitude in her darkest hour she felt like kicking herself ... it was ridiculous she thought in that moment.
  
  Lori now talks about that moment and says she realised that if she could find Gratitude in that moment then she was going to be able to find gratitude in any moment and she moved forward from that terrible day. If she could find gratitude every day she knew that somehow she was going to be OK.
  
  I have tried to put myself in Lori's shoes, I have wondered if I would be able to feel gratitude in that moment. I have also thought about how important it was that Lori already had her Gratitude practice so well ingrained in her life that it was simply there, in support, when she most needed it.
  
  So, I have decided to try it out for the next 7 days ... take 30 seconds to reflect on what I feel grateful for. I think I will write it down.
  

  Would you like to join me?
• The struggle with fertility by Linda Anderson
  in Motherhood, Wellbeing for Mums, Women who Inspire
  19 Dec 2011  | 4 Comments

  Last night I flicked on the TV and came across 60 minutes who were doing reruns of stories from 2011. There was an interview with Nicole Kidman. She spoke candidly about her struggle with fertility which I found refreshing and touching.
  
  In my experience the emotions involved in a struggle with fertility are often not spoken openly about and yet more women than I think we realise are impacted. Nicole Kidman talks about "anyone that's been in the place of wanting another child, or wanting a child, knows the disappointment, the pain and the loss that you go through trying and struggling with fertility is such a big thing."  If I hadn't gone through my own struggle I doubt I would really appreciate the significance of these words.
  
  I am sure we all know people who have had a miscarriage, undergone IVF or taken a really long time to conceive but do you really know what that journey has been like emotionally for them? It is an uncomfortable topic, something that is hard to articulate when you are going through it and something people feel awkward asking about ... so conversation remains polite and matter of fact.
  
  My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 11.5 weeks - I was devastated by this at the time. Then it took a further 12 months of actively "trying" before we conceived again. During this 12 months I felt as though I would never fall pregnant, never become a mother. I found it hard to talk about my emotions during this time as I didn't want to be "tiresome" to my friends but on the other hand it was such a significant part of my life that I needed to be open about it.
  
  But I also wonder if this is just me ... perhaps there are groups of friends who do share very openly the pain involved when you struggle with fertility. I am really interested to hear from other on this.
  
  I believe that our journey as mothers is easier when we can be truly open with others about our experiences, our good days and our bad. It is through openness and acceptance that we see we are not alone.

  Linda x
• Happy Blog Day! by Linda Anderson
  in The Mums on the Go Journey, Women who Inspire, Helpful Hints
  31 Aug 2011  | 2 Comments

  Happy Blog Day to you!
  
  Apparently today is Blog Day. What is Blog Day I hear you ask? Well, it seems it is a day where people who blog (me!) take time to acknowledge and share other blogs that we like with our community.
  
  Here is a list of 6 blogs that I enjoy reading ... they are not all Mum/Parent orientated ... just things I like and perhaps you will too. These are in no particular order ...

  ---

  
  Motherless Daughter :  Once upon a time I invited a wonderful woman, Cheryl Strong, to write a guest post for Mums on the Go. Her post was all about what is was like to be a Mum without the presence of her own Mum, who sadly died 13 years ago. Her post touched many Mums who read it, and the comments left online inspired Cheryl to start her very own blog. It is beautifully written and a sacred place for all Motherless Daughters to connect.
  
  Write Change Grow :  I confess I have a soft spot for this blog because it is written by a coaching client of mine. When I met Thea several years ago she was doing a writing course by correspondence and dreaming of perhaps one day being a fulltime professional writer. She has shown great courage and determination n pursuing her dream and is now writing full time. I always enjoy reading this blog full of honesty, humour and interesting perspectives.
  
  Woogs World : - I am always uplifted by Woogs World. Humorous, intelligent and thought provoking. Written by a Mum, and often containing posts about family/parenting - however, the overall content much more diverse.
  
  The Modern Parent :  Mother to 5 boys Martine writes a blog focussed on supporting mums & dads thrive in their journey as parents. I have met Martine in person and found her to be a grounded, generous and interesting woman. Her blog contains all of these qualities too.
  
  Sphinxx :  sphinxx is a social enterprise committed to achieving gender balance in leadership. Their vision is to see women equally represented in leadership roles – in business and in our communities. This blog is informative, supportive and inspiring.
  
  Planning with Kids:  written by Mum of 5 and uber-organised Nicole Avery. This blog is a fantastic resource anytime you need inspiration about making life run more smoothly, simply or enjoyably in your family. There is an amazing wealth of information here.

   

  ---

  So these are some of my favourites? What are some of yours?
  
  Linda x
• Motherless Daughters by Mums on the Go
  in Motherhood, Women who Inspire, Relationships
  21 Mar 2011  | 9 Comments

  This blog post has been written by Cheryl Strong ... a valued member of the Mums on the Go community ...

   

  When you lose your mother, a piece of your heart (a BIG piece) goes forever. Well that's what happened to me when I lost my mum to cancer 12 years ago.

  Like most mum's my mum was my rock, my security blanket, my inspiration....I could go on!! She was the WORLD to me, and still is......and now after having my beautiful son, my admiration for my mother has increased 1 million fold (you know what I mean!?).

  I joke with my husband and say if my mum was still alive I would kiss her feet, bring her tea & toast in bed everyday, pay for a massage once week, buy her flowers all the time to thank her for all the sleepless nights, all her love & patience, the hours & hours of rocking me to sleep, for changing my smelly nappies, preparing & cooking all my meals,...as a mum I am sure you get the picture.

  It is just amazing how much you love you have for your children and I thought it was hard when I lost my mum but to think that she had to leave her four children (& my gorgeous dad of course) it must have been just terrible.

  There are a variety of challenges that come with being a mum, but for me the biggest one is not having my mum around. I have so many questions to ask her, so much tell her and you know what - now and then I just wish she could pop over and make me dinner, or do a load of washing or clean the house!!

  I often refer to myself as a "motherless daughter" and I know I am not alone, there are plenty of us out there. The promise I have made to my mum, as a loyal & loving daughter is to always seek out the happiness in this life that she wanted for me! This is what keeps me going on bad days and now allows me to smile (most of the time) when she comes to mind.

  One of my favorite quotes is "A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take" - Cardinal Mermillod. 

  
  Lastly, I don't have any sisters either but I am sooooo blessed to be have such gorgeous women in my life. I am surrounded by the most amazing, caring and inspirational women. Plus my husband, one of the most amazing men alive & my beautiful, beautiful 12 month old son.

  Cheryl x
• Julia Gillard - exposes cracks in the sisterhood by Mums on the Go
  in A Mum's View, Women who Inspire
  5 Jul 2010  | 0 Comments
  Trail blazers  seem to bring out the best and worst of us.

  Julia Gillard has certainly done that - even before she became PM.

  I think it is safe to say that having a female Prime Minister has been universally welcomed by the vast majority of rational Australians.  After all,  Margaret Thatcher, Helen Clark and Angela Merkel have proved the world is not going to end because the nation's leader has an additional "X" Chromosome. 

  The grumblings around Julia's ascension from the "left" of society are generally around the way she was elected to the job, and the conservatives just don't like her politics and policy decisions. fair enough on both accounts.

  But what really distresses me is the very personal attacks that have come from  FEMALES  in relation to Julia and gender. Some of the truth bending has taken the gloss off this historic moment for me.

  We brought to your attention Bettina Arndt's  view that by being unmarried Julia will influence "other women into making big mistakes about their lives." I am personally insulted that a woman is asserting that some women are not capable of making decisions about their own life and life choices.

  And then there are the viciously personal attacks on Julia.

  Liberal MP, Sophie Mirabella once labelled Julia Gillard as a "man hater" in parliament because of her marital status.

  Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop in parliament made a cat scratching gesture while being criticised by the PM for plagiarism.

  We all know how demonised Senator Bill Heffernan was for his comments about the PM being "deliberately barren." 

  But where are the screaming headlines repudiating these comments by other females?

  I am not advocating that because Julia is a woman we have to close ranks around her and pretend she is perfect.

  But why not play fair? Why get all grubby and personal? I just don't understand it. Even if we disagree with her politics, or the way she rose to the position, as women, dont we owe it to ourselves and our gender to keep the criticisms above board? And I don't understand why those women who have done this aren't household names for their actions like Bill Heffernan.

  Speaking of Senator Heffernan, last week our Poll gauged your opinions about motherhood and leadership roles. 60 per cent of you said that being a mother doesn' t necessarily stymie talent and ambition.  Someone who is a living example of this is Anoubha  Sahasrabuddhe.  She is an amazing example of someone who has been promoted through the ranks of a huge multinational since becoming a mother. You can be inspired by her opinions about being a working mother in our articles section. The woman should be cloned. She is that incredible.

  Hope you all have a great week, 

  Love Calli x

  PS I am still LOVING hearing and reading the words "The Prime Minister says SHE is....."