International Women’s Day 2022 (IWD 2022) - Mind Management as a Tool for Change
by Dr Linda S Spedding
Opening Remarks
The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2022, according to the UN, is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. Evidently this includes recognizing the contribution of women and girls globally , who are leading the battle regarding climate change adaptation, mitigation and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. This is a vital endeavour that requires awareness, wisdom and commitment. Above all, sound mind management is required to find solutions for pressing problems in today’s World.
Wherever we are, whatever our age and stage in life, we are able to self empower through mind management and thereby realise our potential in key ways. We can then apply our most positive qualities to create more opportunities for positive change. Self control and mind management can be so helpful - they can be achieved by different methods including the practice of yoga, pranayama or breathing techniques and mindfulness. One simple useful tool is colour therapy and visualisation. Colours are everywhere in our wonderful World. Colours have been recognised as having a huge impact on our minds, moods and thinking. Just contemplate, by way of example, being in a natural lush green forest, being at the beautiful calm blue ocean or in faraway green fields filled with gorgeous multicoloured flowers. It is both inspiring and interesting to note that Purple is the chosen symbolic colour for IWD 2022, which is known to be the colour for wisdom, bravery and spirituality. Meanwhile the selected colour combination of Green, Purple and White is intended to represent women's equality. According to various sources, Green is known to mean calmness, peace, security and prosperity while white represents wholeness, peace and purity. By sitting quietly and visualising these colours we can feel soothing energy.
Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is indeed one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. Taking proactive steps and applying perennial wisdom that calm the mind to allow solutions to come are important at individual and collective levels. Women are very well placed to review, contemplate and make change in my experience. As an International Environmental Lawyer and Responsible Business Adviser this has also been one of the key themes of my career over the last thirty years, including in discussions within Womeninlaw International and with so many colleagues and friends.There is no doubt, moreover , that wisdom, bravery and spirituality are absolutely vital. As the UN declared, when announcing the IWD theme:
“The issues of climate change and sustainability have had and will continue to have, severe and lasting impacts on our environment, economic and social development. Those who are amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized experience the deepest impacts. Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources which climate change threatens the most.
At the same time, women and girls are effective and powerful leaders and change-makers for climate adaptation and mitigation. They are involved in sustainability initiatives around the world, and their participation and leadership results in more effective climate action. Continuing to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.”
Female Qualities and Leadership
Women are often at the forefront in facing repercussions of global challenges. They have had to deal extensively with the impacts of the Pandemic in terms of balancing their personal and professional lives, as well as their own health. It is a time and World where women have to be mentally strong in order to manage the anxiety that is disturbing so many. It is a priority that women are supported in order to cope with many increasing responsibilities in difficult times. Gender equality is paramount so that the best feminine qualities can be nurtured and assist, even flourish, through effective global leadership. This extends to true equality among the responsible players and stakeholders - whether in public, private or third sectors - during this uncertain era . We can then see how the same qualities can help leaders in business, male and female alike, to lead effectively in crisis. When considering the crises, it is also helpful to consider feminist perspectives and practice as they relate to leadership in order to achieve positive and sustainable change.
Since our primary understanding of leadership generally comes from traditional male forms of authority, it is important to examine more collaborative and creative models and innovative approaches. These are emerging from those interested in participation for a sustainable future. Gender equality is paramount in this discussion. Moreover, by analyzing or assessing different approaches to leadership and how they contribute to social transformation, we can define the qualities and behaviors that emerge as being most crucial to leadership for a sustainable future. Creating a shared definition gives us a vision that can guide our own personal change and development process. At Womeninlaw International, where we have offered a resource to support women’s personal and professional development for many years, this has been an ongoing priority. The dialogue, information and reflection can help us identify areas and skills to acquire and strengthen in order to develop more effective leadership practices for building healthier and stronger, balanced individuals. This is both vital and timely for a sustainable future.
Even though government and business goals may obviously differ, some leadership principles are universal. Over the years female leadership qualities have been debated and some have been identified as being foremost. These include: humility, selflessness, empathy, compassion, deliberateness, thoughtfulness, decisiveness, inclusiveness and communicativeness. When considering gender equality and leadership it is helpful to cite the following identified features regarding women leaders. They, for instance, are:
~ more likely to value work-life balance;
~ intuitive and empathetic;
~ good listeners;
~ nurturing and make their jobs seem effortless, defying the odds.
~ motivated by challenges to handle crises well;
~ in favour of cooperative teamwork;
~ good at multitasking and able to wear many hats;
~ strong and clear communicators;
~ visionaries with big dreams;
~ generally less egotistical with high emotional intelligence; and
~ flexible and lead by example.
Mental Complexity and Mind Management
In order to take advantage of these natural qualities in the context of gender equality and to realise our full potential in life as individuals it is very useful to understand the mind, mental complexity and how to achieve clarity through mind management. Through mental clarity solutions can be found for many challenges. We can be in touch with our emotional intelligence, intuitive and subtle aspects. We can then balance our heart and mind.
I have always been interested in the mind. From a very young age I noticed that people’s moods often changed without evident reason and regardless of their material quality of life. When I was sent to a Convent junior boarding school aged seven I was surprised that some of the nuns, who were said to be loving God, non-material and even married to Jesus, could be quite cruel, critical and unkind. Why? Then at Senior Boarding School I noticed the prevailing gossipy nastiness of girls from extremely privileged and luxurious material backgrounds and homes. I realised that something other than material wealth brought more inner peace, outer wisdom and contentment. This was reinforced when I travelled in many so called undeveloped countries during my childhood holidays, and later for my professional experience and work. I saw many people with very little materially living in a lighter, happier and kinder way. My experience triggered exploration into the entire question of inner peace, balance and mind management. In a nutshell, how could those with almost no “success” according to the usual measurements or standards that we had been taught appear often calm and less troubled, despite so many evident challenges.
This question led to more curiosity about mind management, specifically how to manage the mind to achieve consistent inner peace and balance, whatever life challenges us with. As individuals this is so important - and this has been a key issue in managing my personal and professional life, as well as for others I have met with along the way. I began to study Vedic Philosophy, noticing the wisdom and spirituality that is taught as a tool for mind management. Moving on, I wondered about watching my own moods - which I now know to be affected by the three Gunas Rajas, Tamas and Sattva - and developing this approach to mind management. Further, I learned about powers of observation and Maya - the Cosmic force and great illusion - and this made sense in a rather senseless world*.
Through the tools of positive detachment, mind navigation and management - ingredients for a happy, healthy life enabling one to contribute to the solution of key issues of the world in my humble opinion - positive change is truly possible. We are here to develop true understanding as individuals and contribute to the positive progress of the World as a whole to the best of our ability. Through inner peace we can achieve so much externally and by working on ourselves we can develop a calm approach that allows the mental space to deal with the issues and challenges. A simple visualisation practice is a lovely start - an individual daily framework, however flexible, can enhance the mind and health in a way that can help oneself and others (see Balanced Health for Women available at www.Adhyatmik.org publications). With such tools, moreover, gender equality can benefit and assist towards a more sustainable future.
* For more information see www.Adhyatmik.org or www.balancedlives.info or do contact the writer at [email protected]
The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2022, according to the UN, is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. Evidently this includes recognizing the contribution of women and girls globally , who are leading the battle regarding climate change adaptation, mitigation and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. This is a vital endeavour that requires awareness, wisdom and commitment. Above all, sound mind management is required to find solutions for pressing problems in today’s World.
Wherever we are, whatever our age and stage in life, we are able to self empower through mind management and thereby realise our potential in key ways. We can then apply our most positive qualities to create more opportunities for positive change. Self control and mind management can be so helpful - they can be achieved by different methods including the practice of yoga, pranayama or breathing techniques and mindfulness. One simple useful tool is colour therapy and visualisation. Colours are everywhere in our wonderful World. Colours have been recognised as having a huge impact on our minds, moods and thinking. Just contemplate, by way of example, being in a natural lush green forest, being at the beautiful calm blue ocean or in faraway green fields filled with gorgeous multicoloured flowers. It is both inspiring and interesting to note that Purple is the chosen symbolic colour for IWD 2022, which is known to be the colour for wisdom, bravery and spirituality. Meanwhile the selected colour combination of Green, Purple and White is intended to represent women's equality. According to various sources, Green is known to mean calmness, peace, security and prosperity while white represents wholeness, peace and purity. By sitting quietly and visualising these colours we can feel soothing energy.
Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is indeed one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. Taking proactive steps and applying perennial wisdom that calm the mind to allow solutions to come are important at individual and collective levels. Women are very well placed to review, contemplate and make change in my experience. As an International Environmental Lawyer and Responsible Business Adviser this has also been one of the key themes of my career over the last thirty years, including in discussions within Womeninlaw International and with so many colleagues and friends.There is no doubt, moreover , that wisdom, bravery and spirituality are absolutely vital. As the UN declared, when announcing the IWD theme:
“The issues of climate change and sustainability have had and will continue to have, severe and lasting impacts on our environment, economic and social development. Those who are amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized experience the deepest impacts. Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources which climate change threatens the most.
At the same time, women and girls are effective and powerful leaders and change-makers for climate adaptation and mitigation. They are involved in sustainability initiatives around the world, and their participation and leadership results in more effective climate action. Continuing to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.”
Female Qualities and Leadership
Women are often at the forefront in facing repercussions of global challenges. They have had to deal extensively with the impacts of the Pandemic in terms of balancing their personal and professional lives, as well as their own health. It is a time and World where women have to be mentally strong in order to manage the anxiety that is disturbing so many. It is a priority that women are supported in order to cope with many increasing responsibilities in difficult times. Gender equality is paramount so that the best feminine qualities can be nurtured and assist, even flourish, through effective global leadership. This extends to true equality among the responsible players and stakeholders - whether in public, private or third sectors - during this uncertain era . We can then see how the same qualities can help leaders in business, male and female alike, to lead effectively in crisis. When considering the crises, it is also helpful to consider feminist perspectives and practice as they relate to leadership in order to achieve positive and sustainable change.
Since our primary understanding of leadership generally comes from traditional male forms of authority, it is important to examine more collaborative and creative models and innovative approaches. These are emerging from those interested in participation for a sustainable future. Gender equality is paramount in this discussion. Moreover, by analyzing or assessing different approaches to leadership and how they contribute to social transformation, we can define the qualities and behaviors that emerge as being most crucial to leadership for a sustainable future. Creating a shared definition gives us a vision that can guide our own personal change and development process. At Womeninlaw International, where we have offered a resource to support women’s personal and professional development for many years, this has been an ongoing priority. The dialogue, information and reflection can help us identify areas and skills to acquire and strengthen in order to develop more effective leadership practices for building healthier and stronger, balanced individuals. This is both vital and timely for a sustainable future.
Even though government and business goals may obviously differ, some leadership principles are universal. Over the years female leadership qualities have been debated and some have been identified as being foremost. These include: humility, selflessness, empathy, compassion, deliberateness, thoughtfulness, decisiveness, inclusiveness and communicativeness. When considering gender equality and leadership it is helpful to cite the following identified features regarding women leaders. They, for instance, are:
~ more likely to value work-life balance;
~ intuitive and empathetic;
~ good listeners;
~ nurturing and make their jobs seem effortless, defying the odds.
~ motivated by challenges to handle crises well;
~ in favour of cooperative teamwork;
~ good at multitasking and able to wear many hats;
~ strong and clear communicators;
~ visionaries with big dreams;
~ generally less egotistical with high emotional intelligence; and
~ flexible and lead by example.
Mental Complexity and Mind Management
In order to take advantage of these natural qualities in the context of gender equality and to realise our full potential in life as individuals it is very useful to understand the mind, mental complexity and how to achieve clarity through mind management. Through mental clarity solutions can be found for many challenges. We can be in touch with our emotional intelligence, intuitive and subtle aspects. We can then balance our heart and mind.
I have always been interested in the mind. From a very young age I noticed that people’s moods often changed without evident reason and regardless of their material quality of life. When I was sent to a Convent junior boarding school aged seven I was surprised that some of the nuns, who were said to be loving God, non-material and even married to Jesus, could be quite cruel, critical and unkind. Why? Then at Senior Boarding School I noticed the prevailing gossipy nastiness of girls from extremely privileged and luxurious material backgrounds and homes. I realised that something other than material wealth brought more inner peace, outer wisdom and contentment. This was reinforced when I travelled in many so called undeveloped countries during my childhood holidays, and later for my professional experience and work. I saw many people with very little materially living in a lighter, happier and kinder way. My experience triggered exploration into the entire question of inner peace, balance and mind management. In a nutshell, how could those with almost no “success” according to the usual measurements or standards that we had been taught appear often calm and less troubled, despite so many evident challenges.
This question led to more curiosity about mind management, specifically how to manage the mind to achieve consistent inner peace and balance, whatever life challenges us with. As individuals this is so important - and this has been a key issue in managing my personal and professional life, as well as for others I have met with along the way. I began to study Vedic Philosophy, noticing the wisdom and spirituality that is taught as a tool for mind management. Moving on, I wondered about watching my own moods - which I now know to be affected by the three Gunas Rajas, Tamas and Sattva - and developing this approach to mind management. Further, I learned about powers of observation and Maya - the Cosmic force and great illusion - and this made sense in a rather senseless world*.
Through the tools of positive detachment, mind navigation and management - ingredients for a happy, healthy life enabling one to contribute to the solution of key issues of the world in my humble opinion - positive change is truly possible. We are here to develop true understanding as individuals and contribute to the positive progress of the World as a whole to the best of our ability. Through inner peace we can achieve so much externally and by working on ourselves we can develop a calm approach that allows the mental space to deal with the issues and challenges. A simple visualisation practice is a lovely start - an individual daily framework, however flexible, can enhance the mind and health in a way that can help oneself and others (see Balanced Health for Women available at www.Adhyatmik.org publications). With such tools, moreover, gender equality can benefit and assist towards a more sustainable future.
* For more information see www.Adhyatmik.org or www.balancedlives.info or do contact the writer at [email protected]