I have been counting down the days. Yes, I will wake up at 3:30am tomorrow morning for a 6:30am flight to New York City to attend MY Superbowl. Truth is, I live for events where rockstar women bring their A-game and discuss what makes them thrive, successful, happy and fulfilled. This is MY Superbowl – The WIE Symposium.
Here is why I decided to go– below is only a taste of this year’s speaker lineup. When I saw Lee Woodruff tweet about it just four weeks ago, it took me 20 minutes to get my conference ticket and book my flight to New York. For real. Check out all the speakers: https://www.wienetwork.org/nyc2013/speakers/
I.AM.SO.EXCITED.
So, when I told a few people where I was going, for some odd reason, they ALL asked me the same one question, “Erica, who are you going with?”
“Um, I’m going alone. Why?”
I’m gonna be honest here. It bothers me that we still live in an age where it’s still not socially acceptable for a happily married woman to take off and go somewhere on her own. She can go on girls trips, or family vacations, or romantic getaways, but if she ventures out into the world by herself, there is a stigma attached.
This trip is a gift FOR me, BY me. Some women like spas, others like shopping. I enjoy learning, and I am proud that I am going alone. I booked a hotel that I’ve never stayed at before near the conference center in Chelsea, I will have a beautiful dinner in New York City, and wake up in my favorite city ready to learn.
So, I leave you only with one thought (which echoes a recent blog post slightly): whenever I go somewhere and do something alone, it usually ends up being one of my greatest experiences. When you have no choice but to talk to strangers (cuz let’s face it, you’ve got no one else to talk to), and you simply go where the wind takes you, without a plan, that’s when the magic happens. All simply through the law of attraction.
You might challenge me and say, “Erica, it’s easy to react quickly and do what you want to do when you work and make your own money.” Ahh, while this might be true, this is not the point. The point here is, we can all be independent within a loving relationship or marriage, without making our own money. And we can do things in our own way, on our own terms. In fact, I think every woman SHOULD preserve her independence within the framework of a loving relationship – but I’ll save that for another day. The point is simply that going somewhere new and alone sometimes, is one of greatest gifts you can give yourself. Honest.
I’d like to challenge you to try one outing alone– a coffee date by yourself, a dinner, a movie you’ve been dying to see. It doesn’t take a plane ride or a women’s symposium, and what you will discover, which at first will feel weird, will probably end up being something you will enjoy. Something you will wish to try again.
I cannot wait to touch down in New York, alone, tomorrow morning, and go where the learning takes me.
I hope to bring back and share loads of knowledge, strategies, and advice from the top.
Stay tuned…
I love this blog post and it’s so relevant for me at the moment. I booked a ticket for my local theatre to watch a 1950s inspired musical. I went. Alone. I was the youngest person by at least 10 years and I was sitting between two older couples. However, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I spoke to the couples. I enjoyed getting dressed up for me. I enjoyed my own company. I too, think it’s incredibly important for woman in particular to venture out into the world alone sometime. Be it a theatre or coffee shop or even a vacation. As you’ve said, embrace the unknown and that truly IS when the magic will happen.
Good for you C!! Sounds like you are mature, enlightened and have learned from this experience. Thank you for reading.
I enjoyed this post. You are so strong and independent it’s admirable.
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