“Abandon all hopes of Utopia – there are people involved.“ -Clayton Cramer
Utopia was a word coined by the author Sir Thomas More’s in his book of the same name. It came from the Greek words ou (not) and topos (place) and literally means no place. It’s a double meaning, and a place left only to the mind. It is embodied in women’s constant desire to improve. We want to improve our lives, our children, our bodies, our environment, our world, make life simpler and our relationships better – in short – Utopia is the ideal.
Eventually the practical side realizes this Utopia requires some infusion of money from “some place” not “no place”. Practical knowledge, while still holding true to your vision of the ideal, is the goal of the Labyrinth Circle. Make the twists and turns about money unique and fun.
Having is All
“You can have it all” is right up there with the one the serpent told Eve, “You shall not surely die” as one of the greatest lies ever told. There is power in embracing the obvious. Your belief system or BS will be a determining factor in what you get. You can’t have it all, and you are going to die. There. We have faced the two hardest truths. Now how do we go after what we want without losing ourselves to some battle of good and evil that we didn’t start? How do we get what we want without falling for some “Secret” that isn’t anything more than another form of BS that doesn’t work?
Life is a Labyrinth
I like the metaphor set out by Harvard Business Review’s article “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership” by Alice H Eagly and Linda L Carly. They propose that that women don’t have a mere glass ceiling to contend with but more a labyrinth to navigate in the business world. I would extend that further, and contend that life is a labyrinth. There is a map, and you don’t need to navigate alone.
No shame, no blame and no mistakes – just learn and adjust. You come to the Labyrinth ready to work, ready to achieve your own Utopia as you define it and yet know that the Labyrinth will bring you to dead ends at times. In the Labyrinth we support each other. Women can come from any place in the maze. We have stories of love, betrayal, confusion, frustrations and ultimate success. Where ever you are in the maze and decide to join you are welcome!
Utopia is the ideal life we have created in our minds, and Practical is the taking action everyday. The practical side of life includes things that are much less glamorous than our Utopian ideal. There is no island, there is no secret potion, and there is no effortless magic to achieving Utopia. But without the hope of the ideal, life becomes stale and without passion and joy. Join the search!