Happy Birthday to us

JSP is celebrating seven years today.  I decided to pen seven lessons I have learned in that time.

 It only seems like yesterday I decided to create JSP and now thanks to so many women in our community it continues to grow and thrive.

Thank you to all the women and collaborators who have helped tell the JSP story while sharing theirs.

1.         Women teach other women important life lessons. Every woman I have been fortunate to cross paths with, I always find something of value about their story, that motivates, makes me think deeper and leaves me in awe. JSP in the past 7 years has collaborated with hundreds of women in the Greater Whitsunday region.

2.       Taking a leap of faith outside of our comfort zones leads to magic, mostly magic found within ourselves, that we have wanted to share or release for some time.

3.       Trusting our intuition. When our guts tell us something, it is better to listen to it rather than ignore it.  Women’s intuition is a powerful force of connection, it helps us find joy, strength, and purpose. It guides us to have boundaries and to warn us.

4.       Making space for women to share their stories is important.  To hold space for other women is vital to make sure our voices are heard.

5.       When life gets a little overwhelming and it seems too much, it is better to rest than to quit. There have been a few times since JSP started that I wanted to give up, but found I needed a rest to restart.

6.       Collaboration is the key to success. Surround yourself with likeminded people who want to be part of your vision and help it grow.  And also, be the woman who supports other women and their work and vision. There is room for us all. The more women building their own tables, the more seats we create for each other.

7.       Celebrate your successes. Celebrate other women’s wins. Don’t make yourself smaller to fit in. Find the beauty that is you and realising you are your own standard of beauty.  Instant external  validation and gratification, will only last for a short while, but our internal validation and love can last a lifetime.