Most of us spend most of our lives trying to fit in. But Carolyn Donovan is learning she was never meant to fit in. ‘Well not in the way I was trying to,’ she offers. ‘The very fact that my DNA is totally different to every other human being, past, present or future on this earth screams how different I am meant to be.’
Distracted, for too long, by the belief that she needed to be more like someone else; to follow a certain trend; to fit in; the truth became apparent when she began to look at what made women successful.
‘Being exactly who I am, how I am, is what successfully fitting in is all about,’ she uncovers; ‘I fit the area that was missing. I fit the space that was void. I fit the need that was going unmet…and I was surrounded by many already doing that. Women who powerfully affect the world around them because they are being…them!
Women whose status; whose past; whose bust, waist and hip measurements; whose lack of resources, or lack of anything, didn’t define what they could do.
This book is about Australian women whose journeys exemplify in living colour, that which was lamented by the wisest, richest King of all time - in Ecclesiastes chapter nine, verse eleven: ‘The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.’
| Title | Journey of a Princess |
| Price | $19.95 |
| Author | Carolyn Donovan |
| Type | Paperback |
| Pages | 247 |
| SKU | 9780980345841 |
Forward
I can feel as inconsequential, ineffective, unnoticed, or as important, self made and in control as I choose. But the truth is, before I was conceived, before my mother held me, before my parents named me, before anything I chose to think, dream or aim towards - I was chosen by God. He knit me together in my mother’s womb. He had plans designed for me, for such a time as this.
‘Pick me. Pick me.’ Ever since I can remember, those words have represented a desire to be affirmed, a longing to fit in. Whether a silent, desperate wish to be chosen for a childhood sporting game; a chance to be selected from among a sea of faces to represent a skin care line in a big budget advertising campaign; or as a preferred companion by a guy I was in love with. My life seemed to be an endless game of ‘Pass-the-Parcel.’ If I could just be good enough for long enough, or prettier than all the other girls, or by absolute sheer luck that the music stopped right when the parcel happened to land in my lap - then ‘score…Bob’s your uncle…awesome,’ whatever saying summed up the current craze I was going through.
Life had been one big competition for me, my family travelled a lot and I found myself ‘the new girl’ every few years. Establishing friendships while feeling out the law of the land - like wearing long white socks and discovering, even though these were the only thing to wear at the previous school, my peers at this new school shun any other socks except pastel coloured anklets - was of crucial importance to everyday survival. I also discovered, newcomers are observed with great suspicion in nearly every area of life…except maybe church. Fortunately the one constant in my life was, in our house Sunday morning’s were reserved for church. No matter what. I loved church. I loved the singing. I loved hearing about God. I even loved the thought of being a ‘good Christian’ girl. Yet no matter how hard I strived, I just couldn’t reach that illusive ideal. Exhausted from trying to be something I just wasn’t, I slowly drifted away and began to live life with a different mantra: ‘I arrived in this world with nothing - I’ve got nothing to loose.’ That thinking worked fine until I actually started thinking; I didn’t really arrive in this world with nothing.
But back to the wrong socks: you see, flitting around different schools would have been painless if all it was, was a sock issue. It wasn’t always that easy. I’d sit on a strange seat, behind a strange desk, in a strange building, listening to unfamiliar voices, glancing tentatively at strange faces, inside strange uniforms - check out the socks - while computing information at a million miles an hour; and then it would click. I would ‘get’ the culture of what was happening in there. And then everything was relatable. I was no longer viewed with suspicion - the mysterious ‘new girl’.
Culture has such a strong pull. It’s not something we consciously refer to in everyday life, but we know it’s always there. There is an established traditional, cultural association with being Australian that we can reel off like a mantra and it usually includes eskies, swagman hats, kangaroos and a meat pie with sauce somewhere in there. Although I’m sure stepping out with all this gear, as stereotyped as it is, would not necessarily give you credibility as an ordinary, regular, everyday Aussie. Probably very far from it.
Most of my life was spent trying to fit in. But I am learning I was never meant to fit in - well not in the way I was trying to. The very fact that my DNA is totally different to every other human being, past, present or future on this earth screams how different I am meant to be. I have birthed two children, shared my life-blood and made unbreakable unions; yet I am still completely, absolutely, purposefully different. What a joy it is to accept that, revel in and sometimes even enforce that. Knowing that I need another, rather than wanting to be another.
I need others, I truly do. Sometimes another’s wisdom, another’s humour, or sternness, another’s example or ideas, another’s encouragement, adoration, creativeness, shyness, silliness, boldness, rebuke, faithfulness, strength, or prayers. Or, sometimes it’s just their pen to borrow, or their shoes to match my outfit, or the other half of their sandwich for lunch: the list would be both endless and different for each one of us.
I was completely distracted by a belief that I needed to be different than who I was - to be more like someone else, to fit in. When the truth of it is, being exactly who I am, how I am, is what successfully fitting in is all about. I fit the area that was missing. I fit the space that was void. I fit the need that was going unmet…
I felt like heaven was smiling down and cheering, ‘Yay! She’s finally got it. Now we can get on to the next stage - the good part, where she lives out her purpose, the earth is impacted and heaven moves!”
And then I discovered I was surrounded by many already doing that. Women who powerfully affect the world around them because they are being…them! Women whose status; whose past; whose bust, waist and hip measurements; whose lack of resources, or lack of anything, didn’t define what they could do. Here are some of their stories…
"Carolyn is all about lifting a generation who's image of women has been stained - a generation of young women who are seldom used to seeing things done without politic agenda. Highly successful in a tough, nasty, anything goes to get to the top career, she surprises many with her rare combination of natural beauty, business skill, caring for the homeless and connecting the corporate with the charitable. Everything she does is with passion, purpose and destiny...you can see it in her words and her deeds..."
Tim Bean—CEO CityCare Brisbane
"When you are with Carolyn Donovan, you feel alive...she loves fun, yet is serious about people's futures and them getting the best they possibly can from their lives. She truly sees and pulls the potential out of people...through a mixture of understanding them, her passion for greatness in their lives and awareness of pain through her own story. She is a walking, talking inspiration."
Deb Malcolm—Mercy Ministries Australia, Advocacy Manager
"Some people talk the talk, but can't walk the walk. Carolyn Donovan's life journey and accumulated wisdom is essential reading for every young girl. This wisdom develops character and substance that radiates from inner beauty, the heart of authentic femininity."
Michael Knight—Peer Power 'Adolescentologist'
"Can I have some of what you have Carolyn? Can you bottle that?"
Lisa Curry-Kenny—Olympic Medallist, Business Woman
"Carolyn Donovan; model, sophisticate, mother, siren, businesswoman, and sweatshirt wearing home girl...the face of the girl next door...as wholesome as vegemite on toast...with a smile that could illuminate a small city. Beautiful women accustomed to public scrutiny can hide behind their looks while dazzling you with charm and flattery, but the person I met projected warmth, intelligence, humour and honesty. The real Carolyn Donovan? That's my bet..."
Mike O'Conner—Journalist
Carolyn Donovan
Carolyn Donovan is an international model, writer, and popular speaker known for her challenging and humorous style. With a genuine warmth and charisma that is both entertaining and thought provoking, Australian born Donovan is often described as “infectious” and “full of life.”
Described by one journalist as, “Model, sophisticate, mother, siren, businesswoman, and sweatshirt wearing home girl…the face of the girl next door…as wholesome as Vegemite on toast…with a smile that could illuminate a small city…Carolyn Donovan projects warmth, intelligence, humour and honesty.” Others have commented, “Can I have some of what you have?”
Her own childhood saw her dealing with a family member’s mental illness, followed by a lengthy battle through the body issues which infamously surround the fashion industry, to the tragic death of a partner which left her as a single mother. Now a married, mum of two with what she describes as, a ‘very colourful and always interesting’ family unit, her passion is to equip women to rise up amongst the cultural pressures they are faced with on a day to day basis; to discover the reason for their existence and walk boldly into the amazing adventure called ‘life.’
Appearances
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