Praise for The Twelve Secrets of Highly Successful Women
“Gail McMeekin is such a gift. Her 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women gets right to the loving heart of how women are redefining success and building lives that are wildly creative and creatively successful! I'll be recommending this book for many years to come.”
—SARK, author of Succulent Wild Woman, PlanetSARK.com
“Reading The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women, you gradually discover the one real secret of a successful life: it is yours—and yours alone. You get to find and define it. You get to create it. You get to fall in love with it. And you get to live it on your own terms. That's exciting, yes, but daunting, too. Be not afraid. Between these covers, Gail McMeekin has distilled a rich array of wisdom from thirty brilliant and successful women and her thirty years of coaching experience into 12 essential ingredients. Take them, sift them, stir them into your own brilliant and successful life.”
—Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul
“What looks like a practical guidebook quickly reveals itself to be a fireworks display of inspiration and encouragement. In The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women, Gail McMeekin not only gives women a map toward clearer success for themselves, she also offers the wisdom of other women to reinforce her message that success hinges on heeding the voice of inspiration. She's let the cat out of the bag in her latest book: creativity is not only a part of success . . . it's the heart of success. Whatever part of the journey you're on, McMeekin's book will help you tune in, turn on, let go, and shine brighter in order to create the life that defines success for YOU.”
—Mary Beth Maziarz, songwriter and author of Kick-Ass Creativity: An Energy Makeover for Artists, Explorers, and Creative Professionals
“Gail has done it again. What a powerhouse of practical, inspiring stories. I have flagged, underlined, and highlighted many, many passages. You will be dipping into this wisdom for years to come. Buy it for yourself and for all your friends who wonder, ‘How does she do it?’”
—Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Comfort Book and The Life Organizer
“Gail McMeekin's new book on success secrets for creative women is even better than her first (which I loved)! She shares real stories of successful women—not just the glory but the details of how they got up from the falls, got past the slams and insults, and got through the fear. This book is a toolkit for the kind of success that comes straight from the soul.”
—Barbara Sher, New York Times bestselling author of I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was
“This book weds access to meaningful work and heart-based action with practical, actionable steps toward business fulfillment and success. With precision Gail calls out the chronic undermining elements in a woman's career and elevates the models for satisfaction and reward. She extracts the very best gems from her generous successful guides. It's a treasure box: open it.”
—Mary Anne Radmacher, author of Lean Forward into Your Life
“The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women is a book for anyone who values the feminine perspective as an agent of change and healing upon the planet. Gail's creative inspiration to give voice to women, whose leadership is needed now more than ever, is pure genius.”
—Brenda Michaels, radio talk show host, Conscious Talk
“Because it draws from the lives of successful women and because it identifies the strategies that any woman can employ to become more successful, Gail McMeekin's The Twelve Secrets of Highly Successful Women is a must read!”
—Eric Maisel, author of Coaching the Artist Within
“Gail McMeekin is a trustworthy and experienced guide for any woman wanting to cultivate her highest creative potential. She writes with warmth, wit, and wisdom. She draws to her women who are seasoned on the path of making their dreams come true. Gail knows what questions to ask, how to get to the heart of anyone's true desire, and how to guide them toward fulfillment.”
—Lucia Capacchione, PhD, Visioning® Coach and bestselling author of Recovery of Your Inner Child and Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams
First published in 2011 by Conari Press, an imprint of
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
665 Third Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94107
Copyright © 2011 by Gail McMeekin
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.
ISBN: 978-1-57324-493-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McMeekin, Gail.
The 12 secrets of highly successful women : a portable life coach for creative women / Gail McMeekin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-57324-493-0 (alk. paper)
1. Women—Psychology. 2. Creative ability—Case studies. 3. Success—Case studies. I. Title.
HQ1206.M3697 2011
646.70082—dc23
2011017722
Cover design by Barb Fisher
Cover art © Yulia Grigoryeva (smilewithjul)
Interior by Dutton & Sherman Design
Typeset in Warnock Pro text and Argenta and Nexus Sans display
Printed in Canada
TCP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).
To my husband, Russ Street; I thank him for his unconditional love and support—these are priceless gifts.
To my parents, Elizabeth and Herbert McMeekin; I am blessed that they taught and modeled for me a life of integrity, good works, tenacity, optimism, a strong love for family and friends, and dedication to community.
To women everywhere; claim your creativity, be your true self in the world, and trust.
Contents
Express Your Creative Gifts and Life Purpose
Sift Through Your Ideas to Get Heart-Focused