When a woman rises up in her glory, her energy is magnetic and her sense of possibility contagious. – Marianne Williamson
What do Marianne Williamson, Saida Desilets, D’Anna L’am, Chameli Ardagh, Margot Anand, Tosha Silver and Lisa Schrader all have in common?
They are sacred stewardesses for a new paradigm of feminine leadership, featured in the 2016Â Shakti Summit.
What do they have that make them so magnetic and powerful, selling millions of books as in Marianne Williamson‘s case, and attracting thousands upon thousands of followers?
Most people get stuck in fear, doubting themselves and worrying about what others think. But not these women. As Marianne Williamson said in the quote above, each of them has said yes to a calling … they have risen in their glory. This is what separates these women from the masses. This is what makes them prominent feminine leaders.
Each of them embody the following three qualities that I believe are critical for any woman who wants to make a bigger impact and successfully carry forth her mission.
Conviction.
noun. AÂ firmly held belief or opinion.
Each of these women has taken a stand for something that they believe in despite it not being the status quo. As an example, D’Anna L’am has taken a stand for menstrual empowerment knowing that so many woman are disconnected from their womb as she spreads the red tent movement all over the world.
If you are struggling to find conviction for something, it’s time to get in touch with what gets you fired up. What can you talk about for hours without planning what you are going to say? Is there something that happened to you where you overcame adversity — a tragic accident, a horrific incident? Usually our biggest messes are our most powerful messages when we let go of any guilt, shame or judgment that we hold about the messy part.
Courage.
noun. Strength in the face of pain or grief.
Not everyone is successful at what they do because it takes courage to stand in the face of obstacles and dissent and most people give up. Our society has conditioned us to be obedient and not stand out in the crowd. We fear being an outcast or somehow ousted from community. But the greatest leaders have stood in the face of opposition no matter how much it pained their hearts.
Saida Desilets was not even 10Â years old when she put on her first workshop to the little girls in the neighborhood, teaching them about “the spot.” When an older sister caught them and told on them, she didn’t let that stop her. She’s now a world renown expert on the jade egg, standing for women’s sexual empowerment.
Courage starts with willingness … to take action without thinking about it. When we start to overthink it, we get stopped by the fear that arises.  Courage is an act of surrender in the face of the fear, which is the third and final piece.
Surrender.
verb. To cease resistance.
I love Tosha Silver‘s story of surrender in her book Outrageous Openness when she was barely able to get out of bed for a couple of years. From that experience she learned a valuable lesson to “let go and let God(dess)” and wrote two best selling books on it.
If you think about it, we are constantly resisting life. Life gives us an apple and we want a banana. We want things to be our way and so we struggle to accept things as they are. This is where surrender comes in. To say yes to life, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Tosha gives a practice called Change Me Prayers that can help you when you are resisting the act of surrender:
“Change me Divine Beloved into one who willingly embraces what You send (the easy and the hard) as if it had come from My own heart. And let me trust that even the most unfathomable mysteries will be revealed over time. Change me into One who can trust what’s unfolding.”
The world needs more women to rise up in their glory and stand for the empowerment of women around the world. When you find what you are passionate about and stand with conviction and courage and then keep surrendering to let a higher power guide you in your actions, you find your flow. You become magnetic. You become contagious. Your stand inspires another woman to stand … this is how we create change. And goddess know, we need it.