Written by Deborah Levine, Editor of the American Diversity Report

I was pleased, but puzzled, at the request to serve as an honorary chair for the WomenBuild project of Habitat for Humanity. Why me? When I was told that the invitation came because I had big dreams and persevered to make them come true, how could I say no? I have been very fortunate to be gifted with a combination of creativity, intellect and sheer cussedness that has given me the wherewithal to follow those dreams. I’ve traveled across the country and overseas, met distinguished colleagues, won awards and established several ground breaking initiatives: the Women’s Council on Diversity, my Global Leadership Class, the American Diversity Report and my diversity consulting business, Communication Prose Ink. I was delighted to smile for the camera with Marj Flemming and Dawn Stoike and encourage women across the community to get involved in the project.  What they didn't know but I decided to share, is that I was once a homeless woman with a small child.  What I learned from that time shaped how I see the world and might be helpful to others thinking about getting involved.

Many years ago, I found myself on my own with my young daughter and without a job. I lost my home and moved in with my parents. Unfortunately, my mother was ill with cancer and on the way down to one of her many surgeries, she sold the house. Again, I had no place to live as I looked for work. My friends, embarrassed for me, looked the other way. For awhile, we lived in someone’s attic and lived on food stamps. I swore that I would never be in that position again. I learned that I had more determination, courage and inner strength then I had imagined. I also learned that women and mothers are far too vulnerable in our society and that vulnerability extends beyond race, religion or ethnicity. It is far too universal.

You probably don’t picture me in some of the jobs I took as a single mother but they taught me life and leadership skills that no classroom ever did. I was a temporary secretary for many months. I was not a very good one and never got hired to stay permanently and was actually fired at one place. To the women who hold these jobs, my hat is off to you. You deserve far more than to be grouped in that anonymous, and strangely invisible, term “support staff.” I find society’s acceptance of such invisibility very disturbing and am determined to counteract it.

Even more challenging than my office work was my attempt to be a sales person. I took a job, working solely on commission, selling perfume. I was not behind the counter in a comfortable department store. Instead, I was in something you could call guerilla sales. I was part of a sales force that started off at 7am every morning making cold calls. What did that mean? It meant that we would accost individuals in stores, on the street and in their offices. I’m not sure if it was entirely legal and I didn’t stay long. But I did learn some street smarts which somehow I had missed. Every morning we’d greet the secretary cheerfully, no matter how we felt. If your greeting wasn’t upbeat enough, authentic and convincing, you had to go outside and try again. The idea was to control your attitude and your public face.

Next came the daily motivational speech which we took turns giving. Focus, Attitude and Timing – they were the keys. Then we’d go to a neighborhood we didn’t know that and sell to reluctant strangers. If we got a no we simply went on to the next. We would establish rapport in seconds and close the deal in minutes. At the end of the day, we’d come back and debrief by role playing to the hoots and hollers of our colleagues who had no mercy. When we improved, we were assigned to teams and a team leader; my team leader was Fred. Fred was a hardworking ex-military man who, in slow times, embalmed dead bodies. One day after role playing, Fred invited questions, about anything. So, I jokingly asked “what is the meaning of life?” I still remembered Fred’s reply, “We all fall down in life; can’t avoid it. The race isn’t won by the person who falls down the least, but by the person who gets up first.”

I appreciate this opportunity to remind myself about the lessons from that time. I want to remember that women are vulnerable and too often invisible. Yes, we need to pick ourselves up, choose our attitude and be cussedly determined to achieve our dreams. Greet every day as a new chance to focus on the inner strength we have in abundance. And lastly, giving back to women is a privilege to be savored, especially when we are older and wiser. Be grateful to serve.