Hey, you girl, resurrect your dreams today!

I said on my last post “March is said to be our Month around the World”. I really believe that every day is our day!

I was raised to be an independent woman, with parents that taught me to be thirsty for knowledge and excellence. And more than anything, I learned with them that God is for me and I could do anything, that nothing was impossible for me. That did not make my life an easy life, but certainly gave me internal resources to fight the good fight.

I used to love sitting around the table whenever we had a family gathering and listening to the male conversations about the big projects, they were working in. The new hydroelectric my uncle was managing the building, as a part of the State Company for Electricity, or the amazing Rio-Niteroi bridge the other uncle was projecting, as Civil Engineer, or the Navy nuclear submarine project Dad was involved as Physicist and his different inventions. At the other side, I would love to sit down with our Missionary friends and understand how they would devote their lives to help people in need around the World or sit down with my uncle who was in the Politics, and more in Arts, Music, Culture. They all did not do all that without strong woman in their lives, or as part of their teams.

And I had another strong woman around me that showed me I could do it. I had my Grandmother, who was a controversial figure, as she was an entrepreneur, in a time that woman would be home or would be embroidering…She was the first woman entrepreneur I have met, and a successful one. She showed me that the feeling I grew up with, of nothing is impossible when you really want something, was real. She did not know how to sew a button, and she learned to be a renowned Fashion Designer of High Couture of her time. The average woman was happy in their roles at home at their time, despite all the Hippie revolution. My generation wanted more. I wanted more. I did not want to settle in the role of a housewife only. I would love to have a family, a husband, kids, a nice house, but my biggest ambition was to make a difference like those man and woman in my life, playing roles that would be significant for my Country and my Community. The first step was to run away from a beautiful marriage proposition, that would make me feel so comfortable at home that would stop me to be the woman I wanted to be. I wanted to learn about different cultures, I wanted to travel the World and see the wonders of God, natural beauties, the marvellous works of man in architecture, their works of engineering, their cultural production. I wanted to see History, and History in the making! I wanted to learn how people are in different countries, and towns, languages. I was eager to grow in knowledge, in experience, and I needed to do that firsthand, on my own! Since I left the University, I started building a career and occupying executive positions in significant Corporate jobs, so it would take me to travel the World. And it did! As the challenges of being a competitive professional did not seem to be enough for me, I had the fact that I was a Woman competing with the most likely professionals to be chosen, my Male colleagues. Many times, it was not a fair dispute, but I never let myself being intimidated or limited by that.

I decided I wanted to be a girl that would make a difference for other girls to be accepted and have a fair go.

I became one of the few females in management positions in the automobile industry and in the Oil & Gas sector in Latin America, two industries dominated by man. I have to say it was fascinating to be one of the few women in those markets! One of the things that make me feel proud of was to participate in the making of industrial policies for my Country government, helping national manufacturers to be the first-choice suppliers for the Oil & Gas chain. Or to be one of the first persons, and a woman, to bring together the Academy and Private Sector, implementing robotics in schools…

Like a foot of a ballerina, my life was not easy, and I had many challenges that I thought I would succumb, like being a single Mum of two kids, like losing my hearing, like having my heart in a roller coaster most of my life, like moving to a different Country and having to start from scratch, after all… My battles were fierce, but it worth every sweat! I did not let any tentative of intimidation taken me down. That actually worked as the fuel to keep me going. And that is how I got the support of fantastic male and female colleagues, from the lowest to the highest positions, who are still part of my life.

I believe Girls can do anything they want! I am a living proof of that! Those challenges had a special flavour when you start seeing your life from afar and knowing you did get where you wanted. In particular when you see the seeds you’ve planted thriving, even though the ones enjoying the shade of the tree you planted might not know you were there before them. You know you were, and you know who you are.

Ask yourself, what are your biggest dreams. Think about who you want to be, what you want to achieve, where do you want to go. It is YOU who I want to celebrate today. YOU that are still dreaming to be who you always wanted to be. I want you to know that YOU can do it! Resurrect your dreams today and go for it.

Like I always say… If I could do it, you can do it! #womanpower #girlspower #womaninleadership #womansday #womanentrepreneur #business #entrepreneurs #purpose #mission #vision #justcause #backontrack #extendeddisc #extendeddiscteams #teamwork #teambuild #collaboration #growth #workplace #workplacedesign #thriving #alignment #monicasweeneycoaching