I care about changing women's lives…to help women have better lives. I care about equality and justice. I feel stronger, more centered, better when I am making this kind of difference. It's my passion.

We all have different gifts. Some women can create art or music, others can plan a financial portfolio, others can take care of children and home with joyfulness, others can practice law or medicine. My gift is to know what hurts a working woman at heart and what can be done to heal it. The choice to do it is always up to each of us ourselves.

I want to ask women and have you ask yourself…what path do you want to take your life, what road do you want to travel? How do you restructure and negotiate your life, create your own standard in order to have and be what you want? What do you need to change? Are you on the right track for you? What is really going on? How do you take responsibility for your past actions and future changes?

How did I get involved in this? This work is about the quality of a working woman's life with success, or while striving and struggling to achieve success. It is about the willingness to take chances, to stand up when we have fallen, to seek support, to sometimes do things we don't want to do because they are the "right" things to do. It is about the need and intention to go beyond the ordinary in ways that bring lightness and joy to our hearts and our lives.

How did I make the choices I did and, for heaven's sake, why? How did I handle being on my success path and its stresses without going over the edge? What do I do each day to overcome those nagging negatives that seem to want to take the better of many of us even when we are succeeding, doing what we love and care about.

Women's lives are simply often more complicated than most men's. And, while they are also often more well -rounded being intertwined with family, friends and community it also brings added responsibilities, expectations and demands.

For the past quarter of a century women have made great strides and tremendous efforts to fit into the world long ago designed by men. And, while it has become apparent that men need to do business with women and women with men, both know men have missed out on many relationship connections and pleasures.

We came through this century of change wanting first to fit into the existing structure, then wanting to rebuild a business world that was more women friendly, fair, and just. Working women have managed to survive and thrive in spite of some relentless demands and huge challenges placed on them by others, and by themselves. We have managed to have a significant impact on the US economy bringing billions of dollars into the marketplace and hiring

But there was much more. It brought me back in touch with the traditions, the heritage, and history of my connections and relationships. My grandmother gave me unconditional love as we shared some candle lighting Sabbath's. My father taught me generosity in ways that still have such an impact on me today. He often would tell me, "feed someone who is hungry, don't just give them money. Generosity doesn't always need huge acknowledgments from others, more from within yourself."

My children have given me endless affection and hopefulness. I believe it is mutual.

Visiting Israel several times taught me, reminded me, I am surely not alone in my spirit or my soul. I am deeply connected to my traditions and heritage because I find it beautiful and even magnificent in its centuries of survival. I know like so many others whether it be a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Jewish Holiday, that at the moments I may be experiencing a tradition or a celebration it is being shared with thousands of others across the world and across time itself.

Some people have a single moment of sudden enlightenment. I think more come by asking, searching, studying, exploring with an intention of finding a way to be connected to what feels right and true to each person.

There are people who behave badly and bring that into their workplace and their business life and the people with whom they are associated. How do you survive people you have to work with and who behave badly? How do you not give away your power to people who try to diminish or degrade you by their attitudes and behavior?

There are times we rationalize. There are times a working woman rationalizes her situation because she needs the work, the money. So she compromise with herself, and with others. She understands behaviors that she knows are inappropriate and should be unacceptable. I once had a conversation with a therapist who said, "We can understand many things however, we don't need to tolerate them."

How does a woman who has achieved success in her business and professional life or on the path toward such a goal maintain a quality of being that is fill of integrity, generosity, and kindness?

Every woman needs to bring positive actions and behaviors into her workplace if she is to receive them in return. She needs to pay people fairly and on time, and she needs to be paid fairly and on time. She needs to offer employees respect and motivation and provide, or expect a suitable work environment.

What I'm very clear about is the essential ingredient in our well being begins with our connections. Working women need connections that are meaningful to them. Connections to others who truly support who we are and what we want to accomplish. They need to connect to their role models and mentors. They need to connect to their history, traditions, passions, dreams, ideas, talent, ambitions, choices, and their secrets and real truths. They need to not ignore their feelings or beliefs, their instincts or desires.

I want to see working women feel connected to their successes and accomplishments, to take whatever actions required to bring happiness and contentment into their often overwhelming, busy, challenging lives.

My ambition is for any and all working women to not be paralyzed into inaction, to never give up, to never stop being hopeful, and to never stop believing in possibilities. I know that some days none of that matters because you may be too tired, or sad or concerned. Then it's so important to get on the phone again and call someone you know who values you, and talk, or make plans, or just chat, or maybe even risk being vulnerable and ask for help.

I have long thought so many working women are heroes in all that they do and how they live their lives. They go into business and careers with a determination, with a vision. They bring courage and hope. They bring hard work. In order for you as working woman to truly create your own destiny, to live with you own ideas and ideals, search for the sacred inside of you and bring this empowering code of conduct to your work, your career and yourself.

Marcia Glenda Rosen