Saturday, 25 August, 2007 11:15 PM

Does Society Overlook the Courageous Acts Real Women Make Everyday?

Whether you love her or hate her, Senator Hillary Clinton has proven her mettle as one tough cookie. She’s faced adversity time and time again; as First Lady to a philandering president and now as she makes her own bid for the White House. As Americans are faced with the option of electing the first female president, the debate about women, courage and their ability to handle adversity takes on a more urgent tone.

“In my mind there is no debate,” says business columnist and acclaimed life skills coach Sue Mackey. “Throughout the ages women have confronted challenges and overcome adversity to help the people they love and to protect their families. I don’t think courage and resilience are traits that are relegated solely to one gender.”

Mackey, author of the new book, “Women Navigating Adversity: The courage they didn’t know they had,” believes that society often overlooks the courageous acts real women make every single day. Perhaps that’s because so many of us define courage by such narrow constraints, using the word only when a person is threatened by physical danger or violence. Mackey believes we need to re-evaluate that definition and consider the fortitude required to face the oppressive, bleak and traumatic situations that many women endure in the course of ‘normal’ life.

“Women all around us are facing tremendous challenges in their daily lives,” says Mackey. “Whether they’re juggling children and jobs on their own, struggling to climb out of acute poverty, escaping perilous and abusive relationships or trying to prove their worth in male-dominated fields, women from all walks of life are persevering in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.”

While the national spotlight tends to focus on ‘female firsts,’ such as the fact that for the first time in American history, our nation has a female Speaker of the House, Mackey thinks we would be well-served to take a closer look at the impact of the tough problems average women face every day. That’s why “Women Navigating Adversity” profiles 12 real women who’ve faced and conquered enormous burdens. For example, one woman suffered heart-wrenching personal tragedies with the death of two children, another struggled to conquer crippling health problems, and another teetered on the brink of utter financial ruin while her husband began to spiral into an abyss of depression. The women are honest and gripping when describing the ordeals that they lived through and readily admit at times they didn’t know how they’d survive. But they did—reinforcing Mackey’s goal of reminding readers that we don’t know how strong we really are until our resolve is put to the test.

“No one is going to deny that women in top leadership positions had to overcome adversity to get where they are,” says Mackey. “And that is truly something to be proud of. But we can’t overlook the battles that many women—our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends-- face day in and day out, often behind closed doors without a team of people in their corner rooting for them. We should look to them as portraits of courage and determination. I think we can all learn from their experiences to enhance our own ability to assess a problem, work out a solution and stay the course.”

Mackey believes by sharing the struggles of ‘average’ women, it helps the rest of us understand that our feelings are normal when we’re faced with problems. “When we’re faced with life-altering problems or issues, it’s normal to initially feel stunned and to think ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me,’” says Mackey. “I want people to understand that there aren’t always instant solutions; that’s why courage is a process. And tackling adversity is not a one-time event; it takes many steps to climb above, around or under that obstacle.”

About the author:

Sue Mackey is the founder of The Mackey Group (TMG), a nationally recognized skill-based development firm. She is an experienced business columnist whose work has been featured in The Washington CEO Magazine, The Bellevue Journal American, and a number of prestigious law journals.

Mackey is also a highly-sought after National Lecturer and Keynote Speaker, whose workshops and seminars teach management, decision making and problem solving skills, as well as life skills and how to resolve conflicts.

Women Navigating Adversity is her first in a series of ‘navigating’ books and workbooks. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated to charities chosen by the women Mackey featured in the book.

Source: Event Management Services, Inc.

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