6. Numbers and The Self-Empowered Woman

Dear Followers,

Today's question is: what do Beyonce, cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, ballerina Darci Kistler and golfer Michelle McGann have in common?

Everyone who knows me is well aware of my math phobia, but in spite of that shortcoming I found myself focusing on the numbers involved with this book project. They include:

• Four amazing women profiled in each chapter
• Five thought provoking exercises in each chapter
• Ten amazing women (and their achievements) listed at the end of each chapter
• 16 months from first dictating session till finished product
• 17 traits and 17 chapters
• 30+ years of paying really close attention
• 137 books cited in bibliography
• 238 women mentioned in the book
• 297 manuscript pages

Just wanted to share with you a lovely email message I received from Casey Gauntt (I've known Casey and his wife Hilary since the early 1970s) who sent these words to help calm me down in the middle of one of my many mini-meltdowns. He wrote: "Fear can be a terrific motivator, but don't let yourself get twisted up by it...you are too close to the finish line with your book, so please stay focused on that. And keep the faith."

Still looking forward to your comments...