During past year, I have been on many different journeys – connecting with more and more people both personally and professionally, building on my business projects and reaching more people who would like to be phenomenal message makers. But one of the journeys I began last year was a program to become published in a book.
I have been writing all my life and I being someone who can get to the bottom of a story and write it so that it is more understood by a larger group of people is important to me. When I was 11, I took some school snow days and created a newspaper for my parents and grandparents to read while we were stuck inside. It was quite entertaining for them because our points of view on what was important during those days were quite different. We agreed the snow had to stop but food supplies, the amount of shoveling and how my stuffed animals and I were coping were not exactly all of the same concerns my parents and grandparents were staying up worrying about.
Granted, 2020 was not what any of us expected. Having your normal routine derailed took some adjusting and maneuvering but it was all workable. There were opportunities that I had not been seeing previously and, being stuck at home, maybe this was the time to move on them. Bringing together my love for writing and bring home, I decided to join a program run by the publishing division of Women Speakers Association. I would be able to see a book with my name on it within 12 months!
The result? “Voices of the 21st Century: Resilient Women Who Rise and Make a Difference” – our collaborative work highlighting individual stories from forty women, based on challenges they have had in their lives that served as pivotal game changing moments. Stories about domestic violence, breast cancer survival, family issues, moments of realization – surviving any storm in our lives, both literal storms and the figurative ones as well. It is truly a collection of the resilience these women all found, in various ways and how they survived and thrived through those challenges.
If you want to read these stories to help yourself get past issues you might have or if you know of someone, man or woman, who is struggling and needs some words of encouragement, please think about purchasing a copy of this book. And when you’re done with it, leave it on a shelf so you can return to it again and again for a pick-me-up or pass it on to someone who might benefit from its uplifting message.
Our voices, combined, can bring about change – small or large – just by touching the life of another. Knowing you are not alone can make all the difference in the world!
Jane Parmel, Chief “Change It Up” Officer and Business Resiliency Coach, helps men & women to powerfully transform their businesses by creating a more profitable business through authentic marketing and efficient operations. She helps make micro, mini and small businesses a BIG DEAL! Jane is also the NY Global Business Connector for the Women Speakers Association, hosting events connecting women with resources to amplify their role as a “Phenomenal Message Maker” – clarifying their message, increasing their visibility, and growing their audience. Jane’s articles have appeared in BrainzMagazine.com; her collaborative book, “Voices of the 21st Century: Resilient Women Who Rise” is available at janeparmel.com.
