EMERGING POWER WOMAN
 What determines power? How does power demonstrate in your life?
Emerging Power Women have used terms like, Bravery, Warrior Woman, Fierce Forward-Moving Thought, Courage, Human Dynamo, Fighting The Good Fight, etc….
Today I feel the power of the waves of glory that have preceded us, who have with their stamina cleared a path and left words, thoughts and ideas(ls) for us to follow. Sometimes I feel like Gretel on her happy go lucky walk in the woods unaware of what lies ahead but enjoying the adventure. Most of the time I feel like an awakened soul who is finally “getting it”, finally seeing the light of those who swept the branches off the path so the walk would be easier for me.
 I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar – My Mind Ignites So I Can Soar!
Every emerging power woman is unique with very unique values and ideas to express. Some will stay close to home developing herself within the family dynamic. Some will dare to reach into the workplace and perhaps into the community. Others, like myself, will want to build communities around what they value the most. The width and breadth of those communities will reflect the power that rumbles within wanting to break out. Then there are those amazing, eternal flames that have been gathering power over lifetimes, until… this one lifetime ignited a flame that will burn on in the heart of humankind for centuries.
Women of Power, here is my message and my compelling vision for us all: “To be all that you are and to love that which you are, to care and respect yourself and realize that you are a Worthy and Deserving Person; You Have A Right To Your Life and the Birthright To Have Your World Your Way”. AlixSandra
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To deeply illustrate this message, I have selected two women with different desires for change, who are saying the same thing. Both are angels guiding my thoughts today, and perhaps yours as well.
I will introduce you to Ann Richards first. Governor of Texas now passed, she took on the “good ole boys” with the style of a self-confident, I Know Who I am and I See A Need For Change, no-nonsense style. I am inspired by her fortitude to take on the Texas system and Create Her  world Her Way. Ann left this world a better place because of her fearless actions.
Ann Richards Quotations
- I'm not afraid to shake up the system, and government needs more shaking up than any other system I know.
- I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back.
- The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right it's all we'll need.
- I feel very strongly that change is good because it stirs up the system (especially mine).
- I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone.'
- Power is what calls the shots, and power is a white male game.
The bolded words are the ones that touch me and inspire my actions in the world. I can see the uniqueness of Ann and I can hear the universal wisdom in her words that in turn empower me. Bless You!
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 I don’t think I would have ever known Maya Angelou if it were not for Oprah Winfrey. I have been a fan of Oprah since she first went on stage in 1986. I was newly ordained as a minister and the pastor of my church in Las Vegas. I was amazed at Oprah’s originality and never missed a show. There is something about Oprah, I thought… she is a force of the Eternal Spirit that lives and propels each and every one of us forward. I believe that her integrity in handling each subject she chooses to express really fanned the flames that were, at that time, just embers within my soul. Maya Angelou was, and I am sure still is, Oprah’s Mentor and Spiritual Guide.
 As each of us Emerge as Power Women, taking a stand for our own compelling vision for change, whether it be personal, or on the world stage, we all have the Light of those who did it their way to inspire us. As history demonstrates, there are those who speak and then there are those who speak words imbued with eternal wisdom that we can choose to live by.
As my love for Maya grew, as I learned her story and felt the power of her spontaneous combustion in the Love of ALL, consistently emerging in all of her magnificence, sharing her Joy of Life.
Maya Angelou quotes I take to heart and strive to live by:
- "I believe that each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory."
- Interview with the Academy of Achievement (1990)
- "I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me."
- Phenomenal Woman, poem (1978)
OBITUARY: Maya Angelou, honored poet and essayist, dies at 86
- "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Interview for Beautifully Said Magazine (2012)
- "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."
- Excerpted from Letter to My Daughter, a book of essays (2009)
- "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."
- Angelou's Facebook (2011)
- "The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
- "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."
- Letter to My Daughter, a book of essays (2009)
- "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."
- Interview with Oprah for Angelou's 70th birthday (2000)
- "We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
- The Art of Fiction No. 119, the Paris Review
- "You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."
- Interview from the April 2011 edition of O, the Oprah Magazine (2011)
- "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."
- Interview in USA TODAY (March 5, 1988)
- "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."
- Angelou's Facebook (Jan. 11, 2013)
- "Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."
- Her last tweet, “Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.”
 Maya Angelou put it this way, “Carried forth by our ancestors, Your Crown has been paid for so put it on and wear it proudly.” Your job is to be joyous, to live in appreciation for everything, realize your very important place in the scheme of things and most of all to appreciate you!
So Power Women, see what song these women have written in your heart, and then sing your version, your way, and with abandon.
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