20 Strong Women in History
These quips and tips from adventurous women in history will give you the “oomph” you need to pursue your dreams and achieve your goals.
For instance, Amelia Earhart kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings describing successful women in different fields: mechanical engineering, movie production and direction, advertising, etc.. Not only did she honor the achievements of other strong women in history, she also encouraged young women to pursue their dreams.
Research shows that women who are mentored are more likely to advance their careers, earn higher salaries, and enjoy work. Mentored women also report higher self-esteem and self-confidence.
So, what can we learn from the divas, outlaws and entrepreneurs who pursued their passions? What do they have that we lack?
Strong women in history have juice, life force, energy, passion, vision - and the ability to initiate and embrace change. We have juice but life drains it. We have dreams but life, people, jobs, responsibilities and our own personalities strangle them. We get rejected, depressed, anxious and scared…and we stop living even though we’re still breathing.
That’s why we need to embrace these adventurous women: so we can absorb energy from those who’ve gone before us.
What We Can Learn From 10 Strong Women in History
- Maria Shriver talks about letting go of other people’s expectations.
- Susan B. Anthony is a strong woman in history who fought for women’s right to vote.
- Queen Latifah is big on being afraid and still trying new things.
- JK Rowling is a strong woman in history who hit rock bottom before writing Harry Potter and becoming a bestselling author.
- Amelia Earhart offers 5 ways to cope with failure.
- Anais Nin was a strong woman in history who wrote thousands of pages and created several inspirational quotations.
- Julia Cameron is a writer, artist, and teacher who discusses the importance of finding a mentor.
- Germaine Greer is a strong woman in history: well-known feminist, writer, and revolutionary.
- Suze Orman encourages women to connect with their courage.
- Hilary Clinton is a strong woman in history, forging through public betrayal and humiliation to being the first woman to campaign for presidency of the United States.
- Michelle Obama thinks women should champion other women.
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who wrote On Death and Dying, taught thousands of students, and received dozens of honorary degrees.
- Shirley Valentine encourages women to stay connected to their true selves.
- Maria Montessori is a strong woman in history who was a doctor, educator, and humanitarian. She created the Montessori method of education, which is used ’round the world.
- Brenda Ueland talks about not being ashamed of past mistakes.
- Anne Sullivan was a strong woman in history who taught Helen Keller to read and write, and served as Keller’s companion for decades.
- Oprah Winfrey shares her views on not being defined by failure.
- Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong woman in history who advocated for women’s rights as the First Lady of the United States (1933-1945).
- Martha Beck encourages women to pursue Wildly Improbable Goals.
- Mary Kay Ash was a strong woman in history who built her business - Mary Kay Cosmetics - from the ground up. She won several business awards.
An Inspirational Quotation From One Last Strong Woman in History:
“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? But actually - who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not save the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.” - Marianne Williamson
Let the achievements of strong women in history propel you upwards.
Comment by Hana on 28 October 2008:
i do embrace these strong women,it taks a lot to overcome life’s challenges. i am 28 and ive been already through so many shocking events, i had cancer at 23 and lots of side effects and i overcame it, and I recently lost a very loved one that helped me through my cancer and my life problems, due to a car accident about 2 weeks ago, i just get to the point that i can’t handle it anymore, so i always wonder, how these women did it….
Comment by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen on 28 October 2008:
Hana, I’m sorry to hear that you lost the person who helped you through your cancer….how sad. But you sound like one of those strong women in history! You’ve coped with so much, and you’re still alive and kicking.
One way to cope with loss and life’s challenges is to remember how you dealt with stress in the past. What works for you — is it prayer, exercise, meditation, yoga, talking to other people, going for walks, joining a support group? Another way to cope is to try new things….if you’ve lost your loved one who helped you in the past, maybe you’ll HAVE to try something you haven’t tried before.
I hope you stay in touch — I’d love to hear how you’re doing!
Best wishes,
Laurie