This month Glamour Magazine added a Career Column, focused on advice from women in various fields. First up is Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Office (COO) at Facebook and author of  Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. She’s also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine with the Slogan: Don’t Hate Her Because She’s Successful. In a book review, the New York Times writes:

“Her point, in a nutshell, is that notwithstanding the many gender biases that still operate all over the workplace, excuses and justifications won’t get women anywhere. Instead, believe in yourself, give it your all, “lean in” and “don’t leave before you leave” — which is to say, don’t doubt your ability to combine work and family and thus edge yourself out of plum assignments before you even have a baby.”

Lean In Circles (support groups) are forming all over the country from India to college campuses right here in the US. To date, there are more than 12,000 Circles in 50 countries! These Circles are not only about challenging the Status Quo but doing something about it! Here’s an example of how one artist turned programmer learned to code by leaning:

I’ve always been kind of obsessed with how cool it is to be able to communicate through the internet, and I realized no drawing could capture that power. I wanted to get in there and build those communication channels myself. The question, of course, was how. There are plenty of courses to take or boot camps to join, but none really appealed to me. I decided a self-directed project would be the best way to stay motivated and learn quickly. So I set out a few simple rules:

1. Build a different website everyday for 180 consecutive days.
2. Every website must be accompanied by a blog post.
3. Any code I write must be made publicly available so that everyone can see it.

She did it. She leaned in and started working on her dream. Mistakes and all, #shewon. The goods news is that everyone can win! Do what you love and keep on doing that! If you find something you don’t love, stop doing that. It really is THAT simple. Let’s all get on Nike’s Just Do It bandwagon. Find a Circle that fits your needs or start your own. YOU have the power, you just need to take the first step! Lean In