In my post about Courtney Martin, I wasn’t shy in my admiration for her. I read every tweet, book, blog, or article she writes, watch every video she posts, and generally just try to keep up with how she is making the world a better place. I haven’t seen her for two years, so needless to say, seeing her in person this Saturday made for one amazing day. One of my best friends, Tiffani who is definitely not a morning person, was a great friend and got up early with me on a weekend morning to go to the CSU Women’s Conference: Broadening our Community: Beyond the Mainstream to see Courtney speak.
Courtney gave a wonderful keynote speech about activism and her book Do it Anyway. Here are some highlights from her speech:
- Every book she has written has been one she needed to read but could not find.
- After Courtney started working in the “real world” she felt that everything she was doing—protesting the war, volunteering, phone-banking, campaigning, etc.—didn’t seem to be making a difference. In this place of hopelessness, she confessed to her mother that she had a dark fantasy about writing a letter to the president about everything that is unjust in the world and lighting herself on fire on the steps of the white house. Her mom responded to Courtney’s melancholy by saying, “I will not stand for your desperation.” Courtney then realized it’s far better to do something than be paralyzed by being overwhelmed and just do nothing.
- When trying to figure out how to make a difference or what you should be doing with your life, Courtney suggested figuring out what neglect exists in your community, re-humanizing any de-humanizing system, and unpredictably, letting jealousy be instructive. If you’re not happy in your current situation, when you get that pang of jealousy in learning about what someone else is doing, pay attention.
- The happiest and most fulfilled people are those that find where their gifts and the world’s needs collide.
- But, don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. The world needs more people who are alive and passionate about the work they do. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep and settle into a boring adult life.
- Social change means creating a loving community who is invested in each other.
It was 10 o’clock on a Saturday morning, and I felt incredibly energized and empowered. After Courtney’s keynote, Tiffani and I went to a session on building trust between white women and women of color and then a workshop on navigating the non-profit world. Both those workshops were enlightening and interesting in different ways, but while I was in those sessions, my head was still buzzing with all Courtney said. I couldn’t wait for her to sign my book at lunch!
Courtney far exceeded my expectation of a one-minute conversation while she signed my book and actually sat by me during lunch. She patiently and genuinely listened to me tell her about where I am in my life right now and made me feel ok about not having my future perfectly planned. Courtney wears many hats. She is a blogger, consultant, writer, activist, philanthropist, founder/editor of feministing.com, speaker, author, founding director of the Solutions Journalism Network and The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy, and recently announced her new project, Valenti Martin Media consulting firm. It’s incredible how dynamic she is! She shows me that it’s not only ok, but advantageous to not only have one title and one career. She is a prime example of being successful, happy, and enacting change on a large and diverse scale by formulating your own mix of careers and passions.
Courtney signed my book and took a picture with me. She left me feeling inspired and ready to take on the world. She jet-setted to Puerto Rico the day after the conference to speak at another conference. For me, it’s back to the 9 to 5 for now, but after hearing Courtney, I can’t dampen the urge to make a bigger difference in more ways.
staying curious 