Women’s Independent Press

My Opinion
by Anna Marie Gire

The “super committee” has been charged with devising ways to cut the US debt.
This committee consists of only one woman and eleven men, including two men of color –
they are the 12-member panel charged with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in debt
savings over a ten-year period. The committee will have until Nov. 23 to propose ways to
reduce deficits and those proposals must be voted on by Dec. 23.

Republicans leaders picked six members who have pledged never to support tax
increases of any kind, and this unwillingness to compromise will surely complicate
the path to a sustainable plan.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (Democrat and committee co-chair) is the only woman
on this unbalanced committee. Murray is not just a senator; she also chairs the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee and is a member of the Budget and Appropriations committees.

Because women are over 50 % of the US population, half of the “super committee” should be women:
Critical programs — like Medicaid, Medicare, child care, education, food assistance,
and Social Security – disproportionally affect women and families and those are the programs
in danger of being cut.
It’s also a problem that there’s only one woman on the Super Committee because numerous
studies have found that when women don’t have equal representation at negotiating tables, the outcomes
are worse for everyone.

For example, NPR recently reported, “Psychologists have found that when groups are predominantly
male, individuals tend to act in increasingly aggressive ways… They show off.”
The Harvard Business Review recently reported, “If a group includes more women, its collective
intelligence rises.” According to NPR: “Who sits around the negotiating table can make a big
difference to how negotiations turn out. Psychologists have found that when groups are predominantly male,
individuals tend to act in increasingly aggressive ways. They take bigger risks. They show off.

“Any place in which there are more men than women, the men are becoming more aggressive
with each other and are competing with each other to attract women,” says Vladas Griskevicius,
a psychologist at the University of Minnesota.Griskevicius has found that cities in which men
outnumber women have the highest amount of consumer debt — the result, he believes, of men
buying expensive stuff to show off. Most of us don’t think the same dynamics affect professional
settings, but Griskevicius finds in experiments that when men are surrounded by other men, their
behavior changes without their awareness.

So, who will convince who? Will Republicans convince one Democrat to join them in support of a
plan that keeps taxes at their current rates and reforms entitlements or will Democrats successfully
court one Republican toward raising tax revenues? The country doesn’t need more drama from
this group of mostly men, instead we need solid ideas and positive action.

Not enough women will be included in this very serious and important discussion that
will affect your life or someone you know.

By Mary Foley

As we wrestle with life’s challenges, gain new awareness, and learn more about ourselves, words can take on new, deeper meanings. Words like forgiveness, love, boundaries, and joy, become attached to personal experiences that make them rich and meaningful.

Mary Cox Garner, author of The Hidden Souls of Words: Keys to Transformation Through the Power of Words, says words can stimulate us to make powerful transformations in our lives if we let them. These five words have empowered and transformed mine. My hope is that they will inspire you to identify the five words that have empowered and transformed you.

Empowerment Word #1: No. Of all the words in the English language, you might be surprised that the first, most empowering word for me as a woman is two simple letters. Learning to say no was a huge step in overcoming my internal good girl and claiming my boundaries as an adult woman.

Empowerment Word #2: Yes. When your No really means No, then your Yes can really mean Yes. That’s when yes has power. The idea of yes comes in many forms. All right, Okay, Sure, Why not?, No problem, Of course, Agreed, and Fair enough all communicate the essence of yes. Yes is life-affirming. Yes is people-affirming. Oh yes!

Empowerment Word #3: Choice. Another common word, but one we often skim right over and take for granted. Choice means you have the freedom to decide what’s best for you among options. On a national level, it’s nothing less than miraculous to live in the United States where the freedom of choice is a birthright. On a personal level, it’s incredibly empowering to recognize and act on the notion that indeed, no matter what, you DO have a choice! No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, each and every one of us can respond yes, no, or anywhere in between.

Empowerment Word #4: Woman. If you are a female over the age of 18, I know this news is going to blow you away: You are no longer a girl. You are an adult woman! You might be a scared woman, a worried woman, or an insecure woman at times, but you’re still a woman. You might also be a confident woman, an authentic woman, a loving woman, and a Bodacious Woman. Thinking of yourself as a girl only diminishes your personal power.

Empowerment Word #5: Bodacious. I never expected the word bodacious would become the word that represents my personal tipping point in my journey of being an empowered woman. In the midst of constant pressure to perform, dealing with a difficult marriage, and hitting the glass ceiling, being bodacious became a personal rallying cry during my ten years at America Online. Today, bodacious still gives me courage to make choices, small and large, that are good for me. Being bodacious gives me the courage to take risks. And on hard days, being bodacious gives me the courage to put one foot in front of the other.

About Mary Foley
Mary Foley inspires women with practical advice to create sanity for their lives and confidence for their careers – all while having a bit of fun! She is the author of three books including Bodacious Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Loving It!, a popular national speaker, and co-host of the Girlfriend We Gotta Talk! radio show. Get Mary’s eBook “5 Empowering Words for Women” where she shares more about these 5 words with personal stories and fun graphics. It’s part of her FREE Sanity, Confidence and Fun Action Pack available now at maryfoley.com

by Yvonne Phillips

Living amidst a challenged economy, everyone is looking for innovative ways to either increase or just maintain a steady income. The question so many are now asking is what can be done at a personal level to create our “own economy” and thrive?

Solutions can arrive from thinking outside the box and stretching into new territory, such as meditation, visualization and positive affirmations to supplement our efforts. An increasingly popular practice here in the west is the 5,000 year old science of Feng Shui, which is gaining new appreciation as an effective tool for attracting abundance.

Two areas that need attention for increased prosperity include good Feng Shui in your home and office, and harnessing the power of your mind and thoughts.

Feng Shui Cures for Prosperity

Your state of being is strongly linked to your everyday environment. Feng Shui is about working with the energy of your surroundings, and the intentional clearing and arrangement of objects to allow the circulation of positive chi, which directly affects and uplifts your own energy field; setting into motion the law of attraction.

An essential first step for kick-starting positive energy flow is clearing the clutter, which blocks the flow of chi. Embark on a thorough cleaning of your home and workspace. This means not just piling things into the corner, but clearing out home cupboards and closets, office filing cabinets, computer hard drives, organizing business cards and if possible, changing the color of paint and the artwork from depressing to uplifting, to shift the energies.

The next step is to work with the Bagua map in your home and workspace. When applying this map to your own space; the far left corner of a house and each individual room is the Wealth/Prosperity area, and this area in both your home and office deserves special consideration to power up the Feng Shui energy to attract abundance.

In analyzing this area of each room in your home or office to attract prosperity, consider the following:
• Ensure the area is clear of clutter, well maintained and has the color purple somewhere.
• Place crystals, lights or candles, and healthy flowers or plants there.
• Write down your intention(s) for more money and place this piece of paper in the area, which doesn’t have to be seen, but can be placed underneath or behind an object.
• Your office or workspace should have some type of action going on in the Prosperity corner, and along with being clean and orderly, have uplifting pictures, crystals or a lamp, and functioning equipment like a fax machine or computer is very good, generating a lot of energy happening in that area.
• Spruce up your book shelf to allow more prosperous energy to flow, with books about building wealth such as “Rich Dad Poor Dad” or other positive topics.
• To compliment the above mentioned Feng Shui cures in your Prosperity corner, another area to apply the same cures to is the corner of Helpful People, which is directly opposite the Prosperity corner. For example; from the entrance to a room, the Prosperity area is the far left corner and the Helpful People area is the corner directly to your right, forming a diagonal line across the room between the two corners.

The Power of the Subconscious Mind
When you want more money to come into your life, you need to be clearly focused to encourage the Laws of Attraction. Your conscious mind needs to see what your needs are very clearly, and the next step is to integrate those thoughts into your subconscious mind. Think of your mind like a magnet and know that your thoughts can help bring your goal to you faster.

An example of a positive, affirming statement is “I am happy that I now have additional wealth brought into my life.” Or “All of my needs are met, and more money comes to me every day.” A plan of action would then be writing down this positive statement or focus seventeen (17) times before you go to sleep, and again seventeen times when you get up in the morning. These times of day is when your mind is in the Alpha state, allowing your conscious thoughts to take root in your subconscious more easily. It takes twenty-one (21) days of repeated writing to shift your thoughts or habits.

The powerful combination of good Feng Shui and harnessing the power of your thoughts will boost your “own economy”. Try it and see for yourself!

Yvonne is certified with Feng Shui Institute International and has trained with world famous Feng Shui Master Lillian Too. As owner of Creative Color & Design, she incorporates Feng Shui principles into both residences and businesses, from small businesses to large corporations. Please visit http://www.fengshuiabc1.com or email yvonnephillips1@aol.com for more information.