One thing that President-Elect Barack Obama is proving to us, is that a rising tide floats all boats.  This means, we are all in this together, so helping other people helps us all.

Recently, I had the opportunity to experience the results of efforts to help raise the tide. My heart was singing after providing a full-day self-esteem and financial literacy workshop  for 30 single moms, residing in a South Central Los Angeles shelter.

I did not accomplish this by myself. The workshop was a collaboration between, His Sheltering Arms, and the  S.M.I.L.E. (single mom international leadership empowerment) initiative of the Women’s Peace Campaign (WPC) . 

 

Sharine Love, Latrice Nichols, Dr. Neen, Jovita Jenkins, Eldonna Lewis Fernandez
Sharine Love, Latrice Nichols, Dr. Neen, Jovita Jenkins, Eldonna Lewis Fernandez

Three WPC-S.M.I.L.E. volunteers joined me,  to share their expertise with the ladies. We were supported  by Wells Fargo,  which provided a branch manager (pictured  in red above) to conduct the financial literacy portion of  the workshop, as well as sponsor copies of our training materials which included copies of my inspirational book for all participants and attending staff. We received pies from Marie Calendars for the reception following the workshop and Sparkletts supplied bottled water throughout the day. And of course, my intern LaTanya was there to help us feel special, stay organized and provide great video and still pics.

What was especially heartwarming for me, was to have my dream become a reality.  I have always envisioned  successful single moms giving guidance to struggling single moms. The participants   heard other single moms tell their story of how they had walked in their shoes as victims of abuse, neglect, alcoholism, poverty, environmental challenges, and hopelessness. The self-esteem of each woman in the audience was lifted as she realized there was no difference  between the presenter and herself.

Once this bond was established, the women were able to listen to specifics on how to achieve better results in their lives.  It was a miraculous experience for me to  witness the women stepping into their power and claiming the good in life, they now realized they deserved.

What changed?

The women began to see how they’d already taken steps to become successful people, to see themselves as leaders, and to start acting like leaders. They shared their strategic plans, their attitudes changed about problem solving and their questions turned to ones of  leveraging their resources.

As each woman stood up during the workshop and shared how she benefitted from the day’s event, it was clear that  when we see  ourselves reflected in others, when we acknowledge the greatness in one another, we can see we are all in this together!

If you are a single mom who would like to learn how to share your story with other single moms, please visit www.MomsWithAmessage.com.

If you would like to acknowledge others for letting you be of service to them, please try Dr. Neen’s Gracitude Experiment.

Feel free to leave comments below or post on the wall of  Manifesting Mavens fan page on Facebook.

Dr. Neen