The Passion of Women Bloggers

"I write because I have something to say. I blog because I have to say it."

It is amazing that in less than a year, we have listed over 300 women bloggers on the W Magical List of Women Bloggers wiki. It has been so empowering for me to have fabulous conversations with other women who blog on everything from being a mom, to running a business, to dealing with difficult life issues. Yet, this is only a fraction of the female blogging talent in the blogosphere. Women bloggers are still an unrecognized entity.

One of my dearest of friends, Kathy Russell, knowing my own passion for blogging, emailed me an article from today's New York Times entitled, “Blogging’s Glass Ceiling.” The article talks about the disparity between men and women bloggers. On the heels of the recent BlogHer conference in San Francisco, the article quotes the Pew Internet and American Life Project that among Internet users, 14 percent of men and 11 percent of women blog. A study conducted by BlogHer and Compass Partners last year found that 36 million women participate in the blogosphere each week, and 15 million of them have their own blogs.

As the Assistant Organizer of the New York Bloggers Meetup Group, of the 250 plus members, there is a definite mix of guys and gals; and the Organizer and I are both female. Why the disparity? From my own humble observation, unless blogging has some monetary value attached to it, there is no real incentive to do it more than as a hobby. Life happens and the blogs fall by the wayside. For women, life is more urgent than posting the latest news on a blog.

Two of the loveliest ladies of the blogosphere are my Facebook buddies, Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, known as the Blog Squad. These ladies revolutionized blogging for me and taught me so much that brought such a deep passion for the genre. Not to mention, they are two rockin’ gals! Now I eat, sleep and dream of blogs. And yes, I do have a life! I post about it regularly.

No doubt there will be more to talk about on this topic. Would love to hear what you think about this. And if you are a woman who blogs and have not yet contributed your blog to the wiki, please pop on over and register to list your blog.

Here's to blogging with a purpose!

Coach Carolyn

Purposeful Service

“If you dedicate yourself to service, the doors will open.” ~ Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan

Today’s society seems to be so focused on the “what’s in it for me?” attitude. One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was, if you want to make yourself happy, go and make someone else happy. In the end, you will be happy too.

Living a life of passion and purpose means giving yourself in service, filling a need when you come across one; and there are no shortages of needs to be met. Offer a smile, a word of encouragement, a genuine compliment, or go the extra mile. Offer to shop for someone who cannot get around as much, especially if you are going already. It is in the little things that great things can happen.

To love is to serve,
Coach Carolyn

Soul Guidance

“People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a résumé than to craft a spirit. But a résumé is cold comfort on a winter night, or when you’re sad, or broke, or lonely …” ~ Anna Quindlen

Letting go of my own ego-driven thoughts and allowing my soul to guide me is what really empowers me. I can tell when it’s my soul speaking because she always speaks without any negativity and I always feel a sense of peace and tranquility. Usually, whatever she wants me to do not only helps me grow spiritually, but also helps someone else along the way. My ego, on the other hand, is often selfish, negative and critical.

Bad habits are hard to break, but when I allow my soul to show me the best way and when I allow myself to be aware, I know I'm going in the right direction. My ego still takes over sometimes and when I listen to it instead of my soul, there’s always a lesson to be learned afterwards.

Listening to my soul empowers me. Looking inside myself isn't comfortable when I see the shadows as well as the light. But then I stop and realize that without the shadows, I wouldn't know about the light. ~ Diana Brunson

“The place where I am most at home, the place where my soul resides, feels located in and around my heart and a little below, in my solar plexus. When I am aware of that part of my self, attend to it, and act from it, I am at home.” ~ Patrice Vecchione

From Women at Heart.

Ignite your heart passion!

Coach Carolyn

A Purposeful Inconvenience

"I imagine that the present is as it should be. It is perfectly unfolding even if I don't understand why." ~ Evelyn Rodriguez

I constantly speak about living a life of purpose and passion. We are the authors of our lives and can create what a passionate and purposeful life looks like for us. This includes living in some of the inconveniences that may become quite purposeful. I will share a story.

Last week, I was on the bus and in the seat next to me was a planner that someone obviously left behind. Well, being a person of purpose, I know how extremely important our planners are to us. I took the planner and put it in my backpack. When I arrived at my destination, I checked the planner and found the email of the owner. There was also a phone number; but I thought emailing was less intrusive. The owner emailed me in return and followed up with a phone call. She looked me up! We spoke and arranged a meeting.

I was greeted with one of the loveliest and warmest of women. Elaine and I chatted for about fifteen minutes and we shared some of our mutual interests. Turns out we are both on a spiritual journey.

Now, this could have been a tremendous inconvenience. Yet, I am a lover of anyone who fully utilizes a planner; so I merely saw this as an opportunity. I instinctively knew that the owner of the planner was a woman of purpose and passion. In our conversation, this was verified. Elaine even rewarded me with chocolates! Now, that’s living with passion!

The next time you find a planner, remember, it could be an opportunity to meet another traveler on the spiritual journey to a life of passion and purpose. Take advantage of the opportunity.

Live in the moment; live passionately!
Coach Carolyn