Sometimes life is hard. This week alone, I have probably thought about giving up 100 times. I have felt weak, defeated, small, stupid, and a collection of other things. I wish I could say that I was filled with self-confidence and that it is my light through the dark times, but that would be a lie. I am constantly put in situations that make me feel like less than I am, because people are so often tricked into believing that we must tear each other down in order to get ahead.
Fortunately, there are boundless resources to look to when I need to remember how capable I am. Recently, I have began devouring Arianna Huffington’s words on the “third metric” in her book “Thrive.” For those of you unfamiliar with Huffington, she is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post and, arguably, one of the most influential people in the world. Over the last week, Huffington’s thoughts on how to redefine success and live a more fulfilled life have provided me with an infinite amount of hope and inspiration to live a more meaningful life.
The reason I mention Huffington as a source of inspiration specifically is because I think that people often forget to think of women as sources of inspiration instead of competition. We have been trained to overlook the merits of women, whether we acknowledge it or not, and to me it seems a little bit ridiculous. There are women in this world that are astoundingly inspirational, wise and incredibly intelligent. And in case you’re currently struggling to think of women who haven’t starred in a rom-com, that you could possibly be inspired by, I have taken the liberty of providing a list of just a few of the amazing women in the United States that are deserving of your attention, admiration and reverence.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
An 82-year-old firecracker, RBG was the only the second woman to be appointed to America’s highest court in 1993. Ginsburg graduated from Columbia Law at the top of her class and has since been a champion for gender equality and civil rights. We should all only hope to one day be nearly as accomplished as this remarkable woman.
Sheryl Sandberg
Similar in numerous ways to Ms. Huffington, Sheryl Sandberg is a long-time technology executive and economist who currently works as chief operating officer of Facebook and sits at the top of the wealthiest people in the world list. Ms. Sandberg famously wrote “Lean In,” a New York Times bestseller, which advises women to take charge of their professional lives and avoid falling into traditional workplace gender roles. After the sudden passing of her husband, Ms. Sandberg wrote a touching and candid Facebook post about her need to ask for help and about how we cannot be everything all the time -- a moving testament to her exemplary resilience.
Kerry Washington
Though she only plays a powerful (and sometimes insane) political fixer on television, Kerry Washington successfully transcends social norms on and off screen. Though Olivia Pope is fictitious, she stands as a symbol for gender and race equality. In her teen years, Ms. Washington used her passion for acting to promote safe-sex practices as well as AIDS awareness. As she has garnered more public attention, Ms. Washington acts as anti-violence activist (partnering with V-Day) and serves as a private member on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
These three women are at the top of their respective fields. They have worked hard to get where they are, and yet they have maintained their values and allowed the world to be inspired by them, if we let them. Being a strong woman and person in general is not easy, so we need these women to remind us how good being strong is. We need these women, but we also need each other. Allow yourself to be inspired by women that occupy our television screens and news headlines, but never forget that it is equally as important to allow yourself to be inspired by the women we encounter in our lives everyday. Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn’t break down political and social barriers by feeling threatened by her fellow women.
