Dr Sharron McPherson is the Founder of Women’s Enterprise Development Initiative, a private equity and Technical Assistance Programme. She is a former Wall Street banker and attorney and served as a Judicial Clerk for Justice Albie Sachs of the South African Constitutional Court. She is a passionate educator in the Doctrine of Transformation, and the use of Motivational Gifts and Mind Renewal as the key to living in the fullness of all God wills, intends and provides. She is also a published author and sits on a number of local and international boards.
My Definition Of Success | Success to me means reaching the end of your life, looking back and smiling because you’ve lived a life that mattered. Yes, when I was in my 20’s, I principally defined success based on having the right job title and good career growth opportunities. In my 30’s, I defined success according to my capacity to balance the challenges of being driven by wealth creation and balancing my responsibilities as a wife and mother. It was only in my 40’s that I began to question the paradigm. I wrote my epitaph and began living my life backwards. I believe that the change is a function of spiritual and emotional maturity.
I Am Driven By | Self actualization and the maximization of my human potential to do as much good as humanly possible and to have as much fun as I can doing so.
My Highlights | My daughter’s recent graduation from the College of William & Mary and her telling me that I’m her hero. Nothing could ever come close except perhaps being a grandmother. A real career highlight was quitting my job on Wall Street and moving myself and my daughter to Johannesburg where I worked as a volunteer researcher at the Constitutional Court for almost two years. I’m proud of being able to walk away from the material gain, the seeming prestige etc. in search of something more meaningful.
The Difference Between good And Great | Greatness is a result of using your gifts in service of others. Great men and women all have talents and gifts for sure – but they are generally driven to use those gifts to solve challenges facing humanity, to make something better so that people can live better.
A Key Talent | My unique talent is my capacity to lock onto an idea and to see it through from conceptualization to implementation. In short, I would call it “resiliency”. The best way to become resilient is to follow this recipe: (1) Pray first – practice spirituality. Go out into the world each day with your “super-power” backing you; (2) Plan – according to what you really feel “called” to do; (3) Proceed – once you’re clear, don’t dally; (4) Pursue – as if you life depends on it; and (5) Persist – either your concept has been realized – or you’re dead. Don’t be afraid to go all in, 100% committed.
The Characteristics Of Success | I eat right, pray, meditate and exercise regularly. When times get tough, and invariably, they do – I go higher and I speak into my circumstances from a position of authority (versus lamenting the unavoidable struggles in life)
Principles I Live By | I We are our best selves when we are serving others. Nothing is greater than using our gifts and our resources to help build up others and to make a positive impact on our environment.
Critical Skills I Develop | Patience underpins and support my tenacity and resilience. Often to realize big dreams takes time. Trees don’t grow overnight. When you’re younger, it’s hard to be patient and to stick to the tasks at hand and see things through. When you’ve had LOTS of failures and some success, you learn that most often the difference is preparedness – and that takes time. So, I spend time praying and meditating not just because I believe that spiritual practices are important, but because meditation allows you to train the most important muscle you possess – your brain. Success is a mindset.
How I Use My Mind | One definitive success tip that I can pass on is to practice visualization. I actually spend time visualizing the outcome I desire. I craft vision boards and I place them strategically in my home and office. Often times they are so realistic that they could be photographs (thank God for Photoshop!). I also play mind games with myself that supports a success mindset. For example, my latest project is a reality TV competition where young people from around the world compete to pitch their innovative ideas about how to solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges. It’s a winner. So, I’m spending time practicing my Emmy speech and deciding what dress to wear to the various awards ceremonies. Mind you, I haven’t shot the pilot yet! 😉
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