YWCA ‘Taking the Lead’ series continues Wednesday

STEUBENVILLE -- The YWCA of Steubenville's "Taking the Lead" series continues Wednesday, providing an informal morning forum in which "women empower women," according to Sophie Spencer, executive director.

Held at the YWCA located at 320 N. Fourth St., the series offers Ohio Valley women in business and senior management as well as women starting their own business to learn, share and empower each other through guest speakers and building relationships and connections.

It begins at 8 a.m. and lasts approximately one hour. The cost is $15 and includes breakfast. For information or to register, contact Spencer at (740) 282-1261 or visit the Facebook page. The e-mail is Steubenvilleywca@comcast.net.

Wednesday's presenter will be Laurie Labishak, marketing manager at Trinity Health System.

Shari Jo Watkins, motivational leadership speaker, owner of Elite Pro Coaching and EPC360 and author of "Quit Whining & Do Something Different," was the speaker at the February program.

She offered a confession.

" I don't wake up a bundle of joy every single day. I don't find happiness in everything that I do. It's a decision," Watkins said. The book came out in December and is available for $10. Her number is (740) 275-7737. Her e-mail is sharijo@EPC360.org.

"I've said over and over again, there are plenty of times my husband and I hold arguments before I leave the house, and I win, but that's because he's not awake yet, and I'm having them with myself," she joked. "We all do it. We all have those converations, should have, would have, could have, but the fact is that I could have just as many things in my world to be upset about, to be miserable about if I chose to focus on them," Watkins explained. "I am who I claim to be and therefore I have to make a decision and take action that by the time I get where I'm going that I can actually be that person, and sometimes that means I have to stand in the shower and sing about joy. Truth of the matter is, it's physically impossible to not get happy if you sing about joy. I dare you to try it. It's impossible."

Watkins said she has been talking about the book for some time.

"I am an author and a speaker and a coach and educator, and over the last year, I have developed a technology division of my company, but all of those things are about engagement -- they're all about how do we connect with people in a different way, how do we reach people where they are and help them come to a different level, because you don't ever help somebody by going down where they are, you reach down and lift them up," she said.

Her book offers "50 easy things you can do any day, every day, all day, simply to make a decision to look at things different, prepare yourself for what could happen so you don't have a poor reaction or be able to help someone else see things differently," she said.

Watkins provided attendees with her "official biography" but noted, "I wasn't always this way. I was terrified to walk into a room, to walk out of a room. I was terrified that I was going to say the wrong thing, look stupid, be made fun of because most of my life -- all of my life -- I have been different. I've been different than what the world expected me to be. I was that kid who although I had straight A's, I came home with 28 to 30 checks for behavior, things like 'distracts other children,' 'can't sit still,' and for many years, I was trying to fit into a box that I didn't belong in, and the reason I was trying to fit in that box is because that's where I was told I belonged, and nobody meant to hurt me in doing that or hold me back -- it was just the norm," Watkins said.

"You were supposed to be this way so you could get along and get to the next step, to be this way and get along and get to the next step, and we always think when we get to that next level that it'll be different," she added.

"For me it took a very long time to realize and recognize that the things put inside me were not character defects -- they were things that God put inside me to make me amazing on purpose, for a purpose, so that I could have an impact on the lives of everyone I touch," Watkins said.

"I get emotional because this is real. We hold ourselves back from the blessings we're supposed to have because we're afraid," she continued. "We don't want to admit we're afraid. I'm afraid of success sometimes. Am I going to be able to handle it, am I going to let people down, will I look stupid, say the wrong thing -- if I allow that fear to come back in to me, I can go right back to where I was, or I can choose to set myself up so that I'm prepared to do it in a positive manner."

Watkins' biography notes "…I help people get energized about their life and business and become excited again over what they choose to spend their precious time doing. Sometimes…we simply make things harder than they need to be."

She provided attendees with several written questions to help them develop their personal stories. "Everybody has a story to tell, and the world needs to hear it, whether it's positive or negative or whether it's negative and you turned around," she said. "The trials you overcome, those things you have been resilient about, the impact others have made on your life," she cited as examples. "The reason I have these questions for you I want to challenge you to begin writing your story.

"Your story is important, you should tell it. Somebody needs to hear it."