“Never Be Limited by Other People’s Limited Imaginations”

Abstract

I take my inspiration from other women, other women leaders, that is. Women who are making/have made a difference in the world. I do this because I am a woman who wants to make a difference. I don’t care if they have led a country, a classroom, or their own households – these women inspire me. Often, I seek encouragement and confirmation from women I have known or read about in a book or online. But just as frequently I cull through my ancestry, drawing strength from an unfamiliar great-grandmother/grandmother who couldn’t read or write, according to the census data, but clearly led her family. When I locate quotes or data, I print it off and consider it – why is this statement resonating with me? What is going on in my world that caused that quote to jump off the page? In recent years the following quotations have been taped on a surface in my world to remind, prompt, or push me: “Get on with it!” (Brenẽ Brown) this came to me over 2 years ago and is taped to one of my computer monitors; it has served me well throughout a particular previous work-related situation. “When one must, one can” (Charlotte Whitton). This has been taped to a mirror in my house for just over a year – I look at it every day and it reminds me that I can, I do, and I always have,as I must.