In the month of International Women’s Day, take a moment to think about women who inspire you.
The names that usually spring to mind are people like Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Malala Yousafzai or Serena Williams. The one which seems to be on most lips this year, however, is Michelle Obama.
One might be forgiven for thinking the First Lady wanted for nothing. She went around the world, meeting amazing people, seeing and doing things most of us only dream about. That life of ease, however, must have feel lonely too. As the President’s wife she was continually on show and much of the time her life was managed by others.
How often do we see people who seem to have it ‘made,’ struggling to find their own sense of purpose? We watch them seeking gratification in shopping, drink, food or socialising. The more they consume and seek external pleasure, the emptier life can seem. Somehow the ‘easy life’ isn’t easy at all.
Michelle Obama’s story shows, however, that by anchoring herself in what was truly important – her family, her desire to be an example to others and the causes that matter to her – she found fulfilment in other ways.
It was in these things, not her life in the spotlight, that gave her the sense of purpose, meaning and delight. All that she has achieved, the things which make her inspirational, come from within.
It reminds me of a quote from Lynne Twist, a fellow Money Coach:
“When you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have.”
With Michelle Obama in mind, ask yourself: What is there around me that I don’t need? What do I already have within me to make a difference to the world? Where is the purpose in my life with which to inspire me?
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