Author urges women to refocus
By MYRA McGRIFF
Saint Mary's Editor
Some women need to refocus on their lives in order to stand independently strong, said Esperanza Zendejas in her lecture "Success for The 21st century" Tuesday night.
Using references from her novel "The Tame Cactus" and experiences as the former superintendent of the Indianapolis public school system, she discussed what initiatives women might take to focus themselves on attainable goals.
"The most successful motivation comes from within," said Zendejas.
Zendejas first observed this trend while writing her dissertation at Stanford University about women serving on school boards. Zendejas noticed in her research women often feared standing on their own. Socialization kept women from doing activities they wanted to do but only talked about, she said.
To help women get up and fulfill the goals they want, Zendejas urged women to be willing to take risks and change their lives. In some cases, women would have to go out side their comfort zone.
"The more confidence the more risk one is willing to take, [the better]," said Zendejas.
More importantly, Zendejas recommends women must find what they are driven to do to choose their path. Women must find other women they admire and will inspire them, helping them stay better focused
She also urges women to "plant" themselves in a direction to help them know what steps to take to complete that direction. If women are able to complete a direction or goal, more confidence is built and more risk are taken.
"Those with feet that don't know where they are going are the ones that lack the confidence," said Zendejas.
On the road to empowerment, Zendejas also calls for women to keep two main points in mind. First, women must learn to complete the circles they start. The second point, Zendejas said, is that women should be aware of the issues that must have closure.
On the same note, she lets women know that in the effort to come full circle mistakes will be made. Some of those mistakes will have consequences that may motive us to push harder to reach a goal. Whatever the mistake or consequence, she stresses that those incidence can only make a person stronger keep women on their goal.
"We are going to make mistakes that are correctable," Zendejas said.
All News Stories for Wednesday, April 18, 2001
