What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
One of my first blog posts was about this TED video:
In the video, the presenter (Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO) made three recommendations for women pursuing a career:
- Sit at the table
- Make your partner a real partner
- Don’t leave before you leave
What she had to say resonated with me, which is why I shared the video in that early post.
I also knew she was the author of Lean In, and I knew the “lean in” concept was gaining increasing ridicule. The criticisms didn’t jive with what I heard in the video, so I told myself I needed to read the book (a book my sister Joanne had recommended when it first came out) to see if the criticism was warranted. But I never got to it.
Then Ms. Sandberg came out with the Ban Bossy campaign.
Again, I loved it. Again, there were critics. Again, I didn’t understand those critics. Again, I told myself to read the book.
Most recently, she posted to Facebook about the loss of her husband.
That one finally tipped the scales for me. I got the book. I read the book. I want my daughters to read the book. I want my husband to read the book.
She states
This book makes the case for leaning in, for being ambitious in any pursuit. And while I believe that increasing the number of women in positions of power is a necessary element of true equality, I do not believe that there is one definition of success or happiness. Not all women want careers. Not all women want children. Not all women want both. I would never advocate that we should all have the same objectives. Many people are not interested in acquiring power, not because they lack ambition, but because they are living the lives they desire.
How can you argue with that?
Like her TED video, the advice she gives and the insights she presents make sense to me. A frequent theme is encouraging women to take risks and asking “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
She makes frequent mention of her husband, which causes a twinge in light of her loss – this paragraph in particular:
In the coming years, our balancing act may get harder. Our children are still young and go to sleep early. … As the kids get older, we will have to adjust. Many of my friends have told me that teenage children require more time from their parents. Every stage of life has its challenges. Fortunately, I have Dave to figure it out with me.
I’m sure Ms. Sandberg will take on this latest (and perhaps biggest) challenge and succeed based on her definition of success – “making the best choices we can – and accepting them.”
And I’m sure there will be critics because of her success.
I refuse to listen to those critics.
