I am wrapping up my time in India and had the amazing priviledge of talking to the brilliant women at Adobe here about the power of choice. To frame this discussion I chose a quote from George Elliot.
What's mildly ironic, is that this quote was actually written by a woman. Mary Ann Evans was one of the most prolific and well beloved authors of the Victorian Era. She chose however to use the power of a man's name to release her work to ensure it was taken seriously.
How powerful our choices are. The choices made by our mothers and grandmothers to redefine societal expectations have created a better life for women. I am not a big "women's lib girl" but I've found myself swept up this week in realizing we all have a role to play in making the world a better place for ourselves, our daughters, and our granddaughters.
As I was preparing my talk for these lovely women here, I realized that this land is at a simliar transformation point as the US was in the late 1950's as more and more women began aspiring for something beyond the role of housewife. Given the backdrop of International Women's Day and the big release of Sheryl Sandberg's #Lean In initiative this week, the meeting seemed a poingnant moment in time to inspire this generation to chose to pursue their dreams, despite the challenges ahead.
I began my journey here in India visiting a school Adobe sponsors called Parikrama which provides an English first education to about 350 underpriviliged kids in Bangalore. At this school, a young girl - Divya, 16 years old, came up excitedly as she shared the newpaper article detailing the success of her film, 'Bicycle' in being chosen as one of the 25 finalists for the Adobe Youth Voices Film festival. Her dreams were being realized, and as I looked back on this, I was excited for this girl and her future, as this was the beginning of a new day for her...a day where possibilities become reality.
India has a lot of cultural and societal customs regarding women. Add to that lately, some huge issues over even the saftey of women in cities like Delhi after the December incident of a young girl who eventually died after being raped on a bus. These are things no one likes to talk about. These are things that have to change. But those changes have to be chosen.
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Airlines this week, committed to being one of one million men pledging to make one million promises to end domestic violence against women. The president of IndiGo airlines in India is another. One by one, there are voices stepping forward to commit to changing the lives of women. These are choices, public choices that will help make choices for women easier in the future. Believe it or not, men probably have a bigger role to play in this change than women. I'm happy to see such prominent figures standing up for change.
I have been so blessed to have been surounded by such eager, brilliant women this last few weeks. We are connected. We share the same hopes, fears, and guilt over our choices. We dream for more, yet sometimes take the safer roads because we fear failure. We apologize for our greatness, downplay our capabilities, and are so busy making sure everyone else has an oxygen mask on we are left without a lot of air to breathe ourselves.
This doesn't change overnight, but there are choices we can make to change, every day. Recently, I've been inspired, moved, and encouraged by another brilliant woman, Tara Mohr. I'm just getting to know Tara but I am already grateful for the way our lives intersected and her bravely calling out the things we need to do more of to help ourselves. Tara has 10 Rules for Brilliant Women that I think are SO practical, so spot on, and so powerful I made them the centerpiece of my talk today. Thank you Tara for your brilliance. Thank you beautiful women of India for sharing your vulnerability, hopes, and dreams with me today. I hope you chose to embrace all that you are and change the world around you, one choice at a time.
The future belongs to use, each and every choice we make. Let's chose to help each other succeed and to acknowledge that though the road is long... it's worth it.
"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice."
How powerful our choices are. The choices made by our mothers and grandmothers to redefine societal expectations have created a better life for women. I am not a big "women's lib girl" but I've found myself swept up this week in realizing we all have a role to play in making the world a better place for ourselves, our daughters, and our granddaughters.
As I was preparing my talk for these lovely women here, I realized that this land is at a simliar transformation point as the US was in the late 1950's as more and more women began aspiring for something beyond the role of housewife. Given the backdrop of International Women's Day and the big release of Sheryl Sandberg's #Lean In initiative this week, the meeting seemed a poingnant moment in time to inspire this generation to chose to pursue their dreams, despite the challenges ahead.
I began my journey here in India visiting a school Adobe sponsors called Parikrama which provides an English first education to about 350 underpriviliged kids in Bangalore. At this school, a young girl - Divya, 16 years old, came up excitedly as she shared the newpaper article detailing the success of her film, 'Bicycle' in being chosen as one of the 25 finalists for the Adobe Youth Voices Film festival. Her dreams were being realized, and as I looked back on this, I was excited for this girl and her future, as this was the beginning of a new day for her...a day where possibilities become reality.
India has a lot of cultural and societal customs regarding women. Add to that lately, some huge issues over even the saftey of women in cities like Delhi after the December incident of a young girl who eventually died after being raped on a bus. These are things no one likes to talk about. These are things that have to change. But those changes have to be chosen.
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Airlines this week, committed to being one of one million men pledging to make one million promises to end domestic violence against women. The president of IndiGo airlines in India is another. One by one, there are voices stepping forward to commit to changing the lives of women. These are choices, public choices that will help make choices for women easier in the future. Believe it or not, men probably have a bigger role to play in this change than women. I'm happy to see such prominent figures standing up for change.
I have been so blessed to have been surounded by such eager, brilliant women this last few weeks. We are connected. We share the same hopes, fears, and guilt over our choices. We dream for more, yet sometimes take the safer roads because we fear failure. We apologize for our greatness, downplay our capabilities, and are so busy making sure everyone else has an oxygen mask on we are left without a lot of air to breathe ourselves.
This doesn't change overnight, but there are choices we can make to change, every day. Recently, I've been inspired, moved, and encouraged by another brilliant woman, Tara Mohr. I'm just getting to know Tara but I am already grateful for the way our lives intersected and her bravely calling out the things we need to do more of to help ourselves. Tara has 10 Rules for Brilliant Women that I think are SO practical, so spot on, and so powerful I made them the centerpiece of my talk today. Thank you Tara for your brilliance. Thank you beautiful women of India for sharing your vulnerability, hopes, and dreams with me today. I hope you chose to embrace all that you are and change the world around you, one choice at a time.
The future belongs to use, each and every choice we make. Let's chose to help each other succeed and to acknowledge that though the road is long... it's worth it.
So inspiring, Ellie! Although I've just been in the workforce for 1 year, I already feel so obligated to be part of the efforts to make the world better for women by making the right choice. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteIn China, although working women are widely accepted, there're still few business/political female leaders. Women are still required to take care of most household chores. Especially in the rural areas, girls get much less education opportunities than boys. I'm the lucky one. My parents never thought I should receive less education, and now I'm in Adobe, and be able to read your blog...
To start, I think I can do something to make Adobe China a better place for professional women. :-)