What an Awesome Wonder!

Machu Picchu

Here I stand in awe

Of your majesty and grace.

I have seen a few wonders;

Yet none as poignant as this place.

The discipline of the Incas.

Is evident everywhere.

You’ve transferred boring rocks and dirt

Into masterpieces built with intimate care.

Your rules of living,

And Sense of community is so relevant now.

Each of us has a purpose; A clear role to fulfill.

The more we help each other,

The better we all live.

Written 06/22/10 by Barbara McAllister

Inspired by the wonders and mysteries of Machu Picchu

A group of volunteers from across the US flew the friendly skies with the Women of Hope Project, Inc. to aid an underserved community in Wallecedene, South Africa.   At the end of a heartfelt experience and purposeful outreach, volunteers voiced introspective thoughts:

 “The people are wonderful, most humble and hopeful in spite of…”

“When you are working towards a meaningful purpose, it doesn’t feel like work.”

“This is why we do this.  It makes an immediate impact on all involved.” 

Community Members lined up for hours in advance and waited patiently to be served.  Roughly, 400 women and families left with care packages that included toiletries, clothing and food supplies.    In addition to providing care packages, a medical team was on board to screen for high blood pressure, HIV and tuberculosis.  Social Workers provided expertise in domestic violence counseling and other social concerns.   To make the waiting period as comfortable and fun as possible, we led many songs and learned new songs from the community including a stellar impromptu mini concert provided by a group of nearby school kids.  The eyes of the children told a story that touched us from the inside out.  

These volunteer experiences warm you and draw you closer to what’s really important in  life and why connections with people matter.  It melts away all of the petty concerns we have on a day to day basis.  When you find yourself in a rut, try being of service to others and you will be reinvigorated to walk through your challenges with confidence.

A big thanks to the Founder of this organization, Rev. Jessica Ingram as well as friends that aided in our package preparations in advance of this trip and my new group of friends met on this journey. 

While hard to describe, there is no greater feeling.  Being of service to others warms the heart from the inside out.  Stop reading now and get out and volunteer!!!

Stereotypes, framed pictures in our minds
Whether seen or unseen.
Constrain opportunities to collaborate or grow
And often demean.

What we’ve learned during this brilliant BDA* Fellowship,
An accelerated and safe environment to explore.
All is not what it seems; one size doesn’t fit all; to every story, there’s more.
The key nugget we will all take away from this experience is:
We are all human beings at our core.
We are all human beings at our core.

Whether we choose to wear traditional wrap , uncover or we’re louder than the others.
Practice religion strictly or liberally.
We are all fundamentally seeking peace and progress in this world.
We each want our kids to achieve more than we.

So, my sincere thanks to BDA*, Intel
My caring Arab and American Fellows
My new sisters and brothers.
The dialogue has been opened wide and so have our hearts.
Let’s continue breaking down barriers.
Let’s chart a fresh new start.

We are the leaders.
We have been chosen to do this work.
The change that comes about, our collective futures,
Will be simply that we never gave up.
It will exist simply because our work never stopped.

Written by Barbara H. McAllister ©
2009 BDA and YAL Conference
Stereotype Panel

BDA-Business for Diplomatic Action
YAL-Young Arab Leaders

2009 Arab and American Fellows

This poem was inspired by my 3 week fellowship and two way exchange between Arab and Americans as a part of the 2009 Arab and American Fellowship sponsored by DOW, Young Arab Leaders and Business for Diplomatic Action. It was read as a part of my opening and participation in a panel, “Breaking Cultural Stereotypes.” Fellow panelists included John Zogby, Nesrine Halima, Shk Sultan Al Qassemi and Moderator, Jeff Weintraub.

We are extremely excited about your Presidency and thank you for coming to Cairo so early in your administration. This speaks volumes to us and we hope you felt our warmth during your recent visit. In fact, please come again because your visit alone brought about some serious preparation and clean up in our city that was long overdue. We did this especially for you. We are very proud of our country and we wanted to make sure everything was super clean and intact for your very important trip.

The previous 8 years with the prior administration resulted in some mistrust, disgruntled spirits and many unknown fears. These were some tough times for us. However, we are a strong people with unending faith that can weather turmoil. As a result of our resilience, we are willing to turn the page. With your election, our spirits have been uplifted and the optimism is transmitting like a radiant sun.

We also wanted to share that there is a healthy bit of skepticism in our country and we want you to be alert and aware of this angst so that it can be effectively managed. Our country is clear that you inherited some heavy duty issues and your domestic challenges are nothing to take lightly.

Just know that we have expectations here in Cairo and we believe that 18 months is an adequate period of time for you and your administration to show some tangible results. We are reasonable and we know that you cannot finish everything in 18 months but can you please pick 1 key challenge that is mutually beneficial and show some substantive progress. This will alleviate what I believe you call in your country “haters.” This will show the doubters in our country that you are serious about all of those items you outlined in your Cairo speech.

We should also tell you that every NGO, school, private company, real estate developer, young entrepreneurs, students and teachers have all printed personal copies of your speech and we hold them in our wallets next to our driver’s license. This is our hope, key to our future and we review it daily. We want to see the transformation from the paper to reality. We want to make sure all of our efforts are orchestrated well so that we are not mismanaging resources but working in alignment. Our country’s growth is counting on all of these words and thank you for this vision.

We sincerely respect the work you have in front of you and if we can help in anyway, let us know. Remember, we need some progress and it has to be tangible and if possible, in the timeframe provided above.

Thank you again for your leadership. May God preserve you and may His peace be with you always.

If I could extend my reach to you in this moment
I’d have you in Cairo with me today.
You’d be horseback riding through the pyramids
Or learning why hijabs are worn a certain way.

If I could reach extend my hand to you
I’d offer you solid faith.
That kind of faith that powered the pyramid laborers
Without a detailed engineering plan.
The faith that drove mothers towards freedom
To rear their children in a peaceful land.

Reach.
My reach would transform this world including peace in the Middle East.
It would provide access and quality healthcare, education and jobs too.
Because at the core of our beings, whether east or west, brown, white or black
We all want success for our families.
Do we need to explain that?

Reach.
Reach of understanding and compassion towards others
Is the aim of what I’d like to impart.
Before criticizing or judging others,
Pause, reach deeper and have a conversation with your heart.

For as much as we are different, there is so much that is the same.
Peace and success in this world is up to each of us to grab and claim.

Written by Barbara H. McAllister 10/11/09 (inspired by multinational company visits while in Cairo, Egypt)

We started the day by touring the Egyptian museum and marveling at all of the astonishing King Tut artifacts. The detail in every item whether the coffins, jewelry, beetles or monuments highlighted the quality of work administered during this era. As we marveled at the work, we realized that the creators of these immaculate designs are the forefathers of all of the engineering disciplines. We took notes for most of our visit as the tour guide shared tons of key factoids and interesting trivia facts. In one of our question and answer sessions, a fellow engineer and I were having a side conversation about how amazing it was to see this level of architectural design and civil engineering details that were designed with perfection and with a lasting effect without formal training? The tour guide didn’t hesitate in his response to our question and left us with words that compel us to think beyond ourselves. He shared, “ The people of this era had faith. This faith provided the inspiration behind every design and it eliminated their fears about not being able to create and develop these great pieces of work. Their faith kept them active and moving every day and provided what they needed even without the formal engineering training.”

What a poignant word and so very timely. It is this same faith that has me traveling in the middle east to participate in a two way exchange between Arabs and Americans. It is this faith that both regions have to stay focused on to bring about improvements in the access and quality of education and healthcare. It is this same faith that keeps Dr. Alon Ben-Meir , Najla Al Awadhi, Young Arab Leaders and Business Diplomatic Action moving towards their visions. With this faith, we can move forward and individually contribute our gifts one action at a time. Where there is faith, fear moves aside.

Today we are meeting with international companies in this region. I’ll share more tomorrow. Have a nice day.

What were the notches in my mind?

1)Global awareness with key data and trends at her fingertips. My new sister friend is deep in research, knows her data and speaks to it with clarity. A few facts that stuck with me: Emirates (Dubai natives) represent s ~16% of people living in Dubai, 22% of Parliament is women and this is the 4th highest globally and while the country of Dubai is only 37 years old and is located in a complicated region, it has been able to move closer towards its vision and is a model for women in the Middle Eastern region.

2)She walks the talk. She is highly committed to education and believes strongly that we have to start with our youth, provide internships and uplevel skills. “Great attitudes are key,” she shared . Not only is she in parliament but is also leading DMI and in her spare time, partners diligently with Youth Arab Leaders. Go girl is all I can say. I just wish I could say that in Arabic!

3)My favorite item she shared . “Think for yourself!” The fact that this statement resonated with me will not surprise any of you that know me well. This has been a key life’s motto. Critical thinking in my view although rarely discussed in this fashion, may be the #1 skill set after attitude. We now live in an era and in particular our US news(media) is not as objective and our freedom of press on some days look more like freedom of mess. I will not blame themedia but rather believe that each of us has a responsibility to gather our own data and arrive at our own conclusions without the sensationalism. Don’t count on objective news. You have to to that critical thinking for yourself and never stop searching for the truth.

4)Finally, today was a win for women and sisterhood. I’m so proud of my UAE Sister! You make women all over the world proud. Keep carrying the torch, breaking down sterotypes and role modeling excellence. You inspire us all.

So, let’s all take it up a notch. Bam! Have a nice day. Tomorrow we fly to Cairo Egypt and I’ll be checking in with you later.

This described my last 2 days of the AABF(Arab and American Business Fellowship). The fellows had the opportunity to hear Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, PhD, an expert on Middle East politics and a diplomat that is extremely passionate about peace between Israel and the Arab states. What a great treat it was for us to hear him and experience passion in full bloom. Passion came to life in his voice but it was also backed up by his long lasting commitment and contributions to this very important body of work. He shared boldly without hesitation, “a solution must happen and there will be peace in the Middle East and it will take young, committed and devoted individuals like you to bring about this outcome and contribute.”

As soon as I heard the word contribute, the engineer in me went to a chart with my contributions flowed against consumptions. It left me with a key question, “Am I contributing more to this world than I am consuming?” Where can I contribute more based on the gifts and many blessings bestowed upon me?”

I wrestled with this some during my 12 hour flight to Dubai and I know it will sit with me for a little while more until a clearer plan evolves from my thinking. I will also enlist the feedback of others that know me best as well as my new friends met this week. I documented 3 key areas where I can contribute more to the betterment of our world while in flight. I’ll continue to marinate on them as this program evolves.

Passion is great, but is even a stronger package when combined with actions, commitment and contributions. Think today of one way you could contribute more to the betterment of our society based on your gifts. Are you a contributor or a consumer?  That is the question of today.

More from Dubai on tomorrow.

“You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose.”

 You choose.  That is the most powerful part of his statement.  What are you choosing for you?  What actions are you taking every day to aid in your personal growth and development?   What are you choosing by not choosing?  If an answer doesn’t arrive quickly for you, try reflecting on how you spent your time last week.  What percentage of your week did you focus on your personal growth and development strategies?    

The growth you expect will not naturally happen.  You create the growth you need by getting busy and staying actively involved in making this change happen. 

As Dr. Seuss eloquently says and I agree 100%  with him although I paraphrased his words slightly.  Sorry Dr!.  

“You’re on your own.

And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who’ll decide where you GROW!  

 Have a great week everyone.  Be very deliberate about the growth you want to see.

 Barbara

 While we do this for our companies and our big projects at work, many of us do not prioritize this very important annual exercise for ourselves and neither do we apply the same level of diligence in the planning for our very own personal goals or our longer term vision for ourselves.

What if you were asked about your company’s plan for the next quarter and in the same conversation asked about your own personal goals for the next quarter?  Many of us would be fluent on the company’s goals but would flounder on our personal goals.

Just supposed we took the same care and diligence this year to perform a strategic planning session for 2010 for us, for our personal goals.  What if we stopped to assess our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats in the way of our personal success?  What if we simply stopped ourselves to reawaken the vision within us that we’ve allowed to stay buried underneath layers and layers of fear?  What if we took some positive steps in the direction of  realigning our day to day activities towards those tasks and habits that will move us closer to our longer term personal goals and dreams?

Try the following steps as a part of your upcoming budget and planning process for you!

1)  First, draw up your vision board or key vision themes of what you want success to look like in a finite period of time.  Start with over the next year just to ensure the goals are tangible.  You may want to ask yourself some key questions that will aid you with your vision.  Ex.  What would I be doing if I knew I could not fail?  What am I crazy passionate about?  If I am being successful in 2010, what would that look like?

 2)  What are 3 things I can do in the next quarter that would move me closer towards my success goals? 

 3)   What does my support structure need to look like that will enable a faster speed and steady path toward achieving my goals?  Who or what things do I need to move out of the way that are no longer serving me?  Are there habits that need to be broken or new habits that I need to create to aid me in my journey towards getting closer to my end state goals?

 Once you’ve completed these 3 steps, consider enlisting a coach or a support buddy that will keep you on your toes and inquire frequently about your progress.  You do not want to share your vision with just anyone.  Make sure it’s someone you trust versus a vision buster. 

 This will be a great first start towards you moving closer to your dreams and I wish you well as you start this very important journey. 

 Unless you have a definite, precise, clear set of goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you. -Zig Ziglar