Advice for Adult Women, African-American Women, and Professional Women from a High Achieving One
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/05/21
Dr. Margena A. Christian was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She has a background of African American, Cherokee Indian, and German. I was lucky enough to interview her about some of the work done by her. Christian founded and owns DocM.A.C. write Consulting. Full interview here. Part 1 of this GMP series here and part 2 here, and part 3 here. These can be read as a series. However, they are stand-alone article interviews as well. Here we look at Christian’s advice for women tied to experience and experiences.
When I set the chat on the path of advice for the younger people or for those in particular demographic representations or in professional life, Christian provided some more advice based on further consideration.
It was near the end of the conversation, but it seemed to add more depth to the conversation. She said journalists should read, write, read, write, and find a mentor who can guide them.
Because those relationships and connections are crucial for this particular profession. However, this advice differed from those for girls. Where she stated, “The advice I have for girls is to discover your passion and then you’ll find your purpose. Ask yourself, “What would I do for the rest of my life even if I never got paid to do this?” That’s usually your answer.”
Then I queried about women in general. She noted a nuanced point about the still and quiet voice inside each grown woman. That voice that women should listen to and develop when they make “any type of decision.”
Christian described the need to trust your own individual instinct as a women because “you can’t miss what is meant for you.” This then built into a line of questions about African-American women and professional.
Of course, every woman is different. Every African-American or black American is different. At the same time, one should extrapolate trends based on statistics and then apply advice to yourself based on that framework if within a particular demographic within a country.
“The advice I have for African-American women is to never forget that you are a queen,” Christian said, “Wear your crown with pride and know that you are wonderfully and divinely created.”
When it came to professional women, and many of these levels of analysis and advice can overlap with one another, she explained the importance in having multiple streams of income and the independence of finances.
The independence of finances through not relying on only one job. As well as the crucial advice, no one will work harder for you than you.
Now, I wanted to ground some of this in the acknowledgement of a high achieving person. Most high achieving people encounter problems, personal and otherwise, and overcome them, or fail completely and then rise again from the ashes as if a mythical force like a phoenix.
However, these overcoming of trials and tribulations takes courage, fortitude, and power, which do not come overnight, easily, or even in a straight line. They take time.
In personal life, the greatest struggle according to Christian: “The greatest emotional struggle in personal life is realizing that people will disappoint because they are human.”
In professional life, Christian opined: “The greatest emotional struggle in professional life is being so passionate about making certain that my students learn and that my stories educate, enlighten and uplift.”
Of course, life has a time for celebration too. She said that the best surprise that her sister and close friends ever gave was a surprise graduation party post-doctorate. Humbly, Christian said, “I don’t like surprises and I don’t get fooled easily, but they managed to do a splendid job of knocking me off my feet. I was very touched.”
However, and on the other hand, people can be mean. “People did things to be mean but now I look at those encounters as part of divine order. I always remember that rejection is God’s protection,” Christian explained, “I also know that what people intended for harm was designed to help and push me into my purpose. So, mean things weren’t done to me only things that were MEANt to grow me.”
To close off the interview, I asked about drive. Christian said, “Faith and passion drive me.” She concluded by saying, “We keep someone’s legacy alive by educating future generations [ed. in reference to turning the dissertation into a book] … Trust the process and always keep the faith. In the words of the Hon. Marcus Garvey, “Onward and upward.”
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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
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