International Women’s Day: Celebrating Achievements

March 8 is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world. It is a day to recognize their socioeconomic, cultural, and political achievements and celebrate the advancements in women’s rights and gender equality issues.

The number of women trailblazers is numerous, so this article will focus on high-achieving female entrepreneurs and famous female educators. Women entrepreneurs and educators paved the way for women today who have jobs or businesses in academic education, education consulting and freelancing, and workplace education.

Successful Women Entrepreneurs

This article highlights the achievements of entrepreneurs such as

  • Real Estate
    • Zhang Xin
  • Biotechnology
    • Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
  • Workforce Management
    • Janice Bryant Howroyd
  • Entertainment and Media
    • Oprah Winfrey
    • Beyoncé
    • Arianna Huffington
  • Fashion and Beauty
    • Tory Burch
    • Sara Blakely
    • Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields
    • Rihanna

How many of these women do you recognize? Do you know a rock star female entrepreneur who should be added to this list?

Successful Women Educators

This article highlights the achievements of educators such as

  • Schools and curriculum
    • Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori – known for the Montessori philosophy of education. 
    • Mary Jane McLeod Bethune – started a private school for African-American students in Florida.
    • Buffy Sainte-Marie – founded the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an educational curriculum devoted to better understanding Native Americans.
    • Silma Ihram – pioneer of Muslim, founder and former school Principal of the ‘Noor Al Houda Islamic College’ in Sydney.
    • Septima Poinsette Clark – developed the literacy and citizenship workshops.
  • Professors, teachers, and consultants
    • Roberta Bondar, a female astronaut and the first neurologist in space, was a consultant and speaker in the business, scientific, and medical communities.
    • Elizabeth Ellery Bailey professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
    • Jesmyn Ward, associate professor of English at Tulane University, assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama.
    • Susan Hockfield sixteenth president (and first woman to serve as president) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor of Neuroscience in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
    • Cathleen Synge Morawetz, mathematician and professor emerita.
    • Patricia Hampl lecturer, and educator who teaches in the MFA program.

How many of these women do you recognize? Do you know a rock star female educator who should be added to this list?

Amazing Insights on Listening Skills

Effective communication is an important skill at the workplace. Our ability to advance in our careers, build a business, or develop relationships depends on how we articulate words.

Here are some amazing insights into our listening skills. Take a moment to think about what these insights mean to you and how they impact your life.

  • How much are you truly listening to the words that you hear? We hear about 20,000 to 30,000 words a day and listen at a rate of 125 to 250 words a minute. However, we think at a speed of 1,000 to 3,000 words a minute. That means we are filling in the gaps if we don’t hear all the information we expect the speaker to convey. What could that mean about our potential for misunderstandings or jumping to conclusions?
  • Do we remember everything that we hear? Most tests conclude that we only remember about 25% of what we hear. The majority of the time we are listening, we are distracted. Immediately after listening to someone speak, we remember 50% of what that person said, but we will remember only around 25% two days later.
  • What is active listening? Active listening involves more than just nodding while you listen to the other person speak. When we listen actively, we give the speaker our full attention and ask for clarification if needed or more details. Also, we restate what the other person said to show we were listening. 
  • What is a tip for being a great listener? Great listeners know how to follow up on conversations by recalling facts and starting a conversation with openers such as “How is X doing?” or “I remember that you said you were….” They are open-minded about what they will hear and will not have preconceived ideas about what the speaker is about to say.
  • How does positioning affect the conversation? Getting the right conversation environment changes the conversation dynamic. For example, a dialogue with one person behind a desk and the other person standing up will have a different tone than two people sitting next to each other. Similarly, one person speaking while the other is looking down periodically at their phone will also have a different dynamic than two people talking face to face with appropriate eye contact.
  • Importance of listening at work: People with effective listening skills build strong relationships at the workplace. They can build rapport with customers by developing relationships and showing an interest in their needs. Workers who are good listeners understand their work assignments and create trust with their team. Managers improve morale and productivity by listening to their employees and building trust.
  • How do you develop listening skills? Focus on being curious when you listen. Don’t just listen to respond. Use proper eye contact and body language and listen to learn something new.

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Self-Editing Resources for First-Time or New Writers

Ask anyone who writes professionally or personally, and they’ll say that it’s hard – really hard – to find their own writing mistakes. When you are your editor, it’s tough to remain objective and read your work with fresh eyes.

Difficult is not the same as impossible, however. You can self edit if you know what to look for, and you develop a process. If you’re a first-time author or new to writing professionally, you may have many questions about how to edit, what to edit, and when (what stages in your writing) to edit.

We’ve got the answers you need with resources recommended by professional book editors.

Here are some fabulous self-editing resources to invest your time in. If you want a break from the written word, this list includes podcasts to check out as well.

Self-Editing: The Writing Process

Self-editing for Self-publishers: Incorporating: A Style Guide for Fiction by Richard Bradburn

Indie authors looking to self publish will find this resource particularly useful. It describes a three-stage editing process similar to the traditionally published one, from structural to sentence level to proofreading.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition by Renni Brown and Dave King

Two professional editors have written this book which teaches you editing techniques on exposition, point of view, and dialogue. They provide many examples taken from manuscripts that they have edited.

Understanding Show, Don’t Tell And Really Getting It by Janice Hardy  

This award-winning author uses examples to demonstrate the difference between showing, not telling, when writing a story. She helps authors understand the balance between backstory, description, and narrative. 

Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft: A Step-by-step Guide to Revising Your Novel by Janice Hardy  

This book tackles the big picture problems that can go wrong with a novel. It shows how to review character and point of view issues, plot structure problems, and setting problems. You will learn to write stronger prose and build better character arcs and compelling plots.

Cover to Cover What First-Time Authors Need to Know about Editing by Sandra Wendel

After writing your first book, read this book to learn what to do next, before you work with an editor and prepare the book for production and publication. This is an important resource if you know little to nothing about the publication process.

Troubleshooting Your Novel Essential Techniques for Identifying and Solving Manuscript Problems by Steven James  

This hands-on guide takes you through the steps that will increase your chances of selling your manuscript to a publisher or gathering an audience for your book. Topics covered include story progression, character development, narrative techniques, and troubleshooting common issues. 

Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell 

If you struggle with creating a plot that engages your readers, this is a resource to add to your library. The book tackles common plot problems, developing story structure, and how to create strong beginnings, middles, and ends to your story.

Keys to Great Writing Revised and Expanded Mastering the Elements of Composition and Revision by Stephen Wilbers and Faith Sullivan 

The writing process can be daunting. This book provides helpful techniques for the entire writing process, from prewriting to proofreading. It also has exercises to strengthen your writing skills from the sentence to the paragraph level.

The Magic of Fiction Crafting Words Into Story: The Writer’s Guide to Writing & Editing by Beth Hill 

This handbook to the writing and editing process is a valuable resource on all aspects of writing and editing. It covers writing and self-editing your own stories, whether you are a first-time or experienced author. 

Self-Editing at a Sentence Level

The Best Punctuation Book, Period by June Casagrande 

Whether you write for an online, print, academic, or business audience, this quick reference guide covers your questions about punctuation for all styles, including AP (Associated Press), MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago Manual of Style.

Editing Fiction at Sentence Level by Louise Harnby 

This book teaches you how to self-edit your manuscript at a sentence level, from narrative to dialogue. Examples are also provided to demonstrate the lessons.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss 

This resource covers grammar and punctuation insights using humor and history. It is clear from this book that a simple comma or apostrophe can completely alter the meaning of a sentence – sometimes in a hilarious way.  

Artful Sentences Syntax as Style by Virginia Tufte  

This book breaks down standard sentence patterns and forms to show how they convey meaning. New writers and those who love language will find this book fascinating.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk and Elwyn Brooks White 

Among writing manuals, this book is considered a classic. It even has its own Wikipedia entry! This guide covers good writing and composition principles, lists commonly misused words and expressions, and lists often misspelt words.

Self-Editing Resources: Podcasts

The Midnight Quill Podcast hosted by writers T. C. Emerys, M. J. Glenn and Maisy Osbon

Listen to discussions about writing techniques, worldbuilding and self-publishing, with new episodes every week.

The Editing Podcast hosted by Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle

Explore practical tips and insights for editors and proofreaders. This podcast is available in 60 countries. 

Key Takeaways 

New writers published authors will find value in self-editing resources. These books cover important topics in the editing and writing process. 

Experienced writers will benefit from the review and the checklists, and new writers finishing their first manuscript will benefit from the insight and tips. 

For some of the latest advice on editing, writers and editors can stream podcasts from multiple sources, such as YouTube and apps.

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Work Life Balance: Good or Bad?

What is work life balance? How do you define it? Whether you have work life balance and whether you view clear boundaries between the two depends on how much you love your job. Here are some rare points of view to consider.

Remote work has made it easier to blend home life and work life into one room (or the same building). Employers and clients may have the expectation that you’ll respond to messages or complete work tasks between 9 a.m. to … well, 9 a.m. the next morning. 

Ambitious people and work culture may set up the expectation that you’ll answer work messages and do a small work task while you’re on vacation. Emails and various apps on smartphones have made it easier than ever to blur the lines between the office and personal time.

The constant plug-in to workplace communication and work tasks can be exhausting. People need a break from work to recharge and return to their tasks with fresh eyes. But is it bad to blend work and home life together?

Some people love their career enough that working is as enjoyable as watching Netflix or playing video games. I’ve met some of these people (so they do exist).  

If you enjoy your work as much as you’d enjoy a hobby, then is working extra hours synonymous with workaholicism or overachieving? Does it make a difference whether you’re designing a graphic for a client or painting a picture to hang on your wall?

Some self-employed people live in their business. They are always reading or watching videos for self improvement, or brainstorming new ways to increase their income or expand their products and services. Would this be considered overworking? It depends.

Everyone should be learning new things, whether it is a new hobby, new skill, or general-interest knowledge. People challenge themselves with fitness goals, reading goals, or social goals. How is investing more time in your career or business any different, if you love what you do, and if you still have time for friends and family?

If you enjoy what you do, then perhaps a job or business is no different than investing time and energy in a hobby or pastime. With this perspective, would work life balance be… “balanced”?

What are your thoughts on work life balance if you have a job or career that you love?