"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." -Maya Angelou
Ok ok...it's another Go Get 'Em blog from Elizabeth. But seriously, this is the stuff upon which I meditate almost constantly. More so when I am in the midst of a failure, which, I happen to be right now!
I have been doing some reading on Maya Angelou and continue to be amazed at her accomplishments. Since I'm an overly-competitive, perfectionist, obsessive compulsive, anal retentive, relentless biotch, I am constantly comparing myself to other people. It's not in the sense that I want to be better then them (although this is true sometimes, of course. I will kick your ass in any race!), but I am measuring to see if I, too, am living my life. I want to know if someone will someday want my autobiography, or to make a movie or play about me, or even just want to know how I got to where I will end up. I wonder what I am doing that could be extraordinary or noteworthy.
What is it about these people that makes us want to know their stories? Why do we study them? Who were/are they, and why do I care?
I thought about a few traits they embody, which are unique and amazing on their own:
Self awareness
Determination
Inability to accept defeat
Creativity
I recently read an article about some of the greatest "failures" in history. What a fine, fine lesson in perseverance. My favorites:
Abraham Lincoln: Failure after failure, and I have come to learn, struggled with melancholy his entire life. Lincoln said, in his famous NY speech, "Let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively." The context was key during his speech, as he was speaking about ideologies and slavery. However, I think it can be applied broadly to the human race in any time we are facing impending defeat, perceived failures, or when we need to remind ourselves that we are here on this earth for a reason, and we are responsible for fulfilling a purpose. It's a Call to Action. Remembering Lincoln's words and the struggle our nation faced during that time certainly brings perspective to our current situations as well.
J.K. Rowling: Let's hear it for the single moms who don't give up or give in. This woman was about as relentless as anyone can be. What incredible lessons she taught her daughter... and wow....does she not define "Creative"? Rowling said in her commencement address at Harvard, "Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me....And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
Thomas Edison: How many of us were lead to believe we weren't good enough, smart enough, tall enough, whatever-enough to get what we believed to be our destiny in life? What do people know, anyway?! Edison "didn't fail once"!
Michael Jordan: Admitted that failing over and over is how he achieved his success. If you consider the greatest athletes in history, its mind-boggling to wonder how many times they "failed."
Stephen King: Illustrates the importance of surrounding yourself with people who know better then you do, and who believe in you and when you have been overcome with darkness.
A common thread in all these incredible characters throughout history is their Creativity (capital "C" because it's seems to have been a Being in and of itself). They allowed their minds to wander and explore, and then took action as often as they could. I believe that being creative is the key to surviving your own perceived failures. Psychologist Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi once said, "Creativity doesn't happen in people's heads, but in the interaction between a person's thoughts and a socio-cultural context."
All of these things are stories and thoughts that I relate back to my daughters. When they want to give up, give in; when they face the sting of defeat; when it seems the tears of heartache occur more often then the sound of laughter, I wonder what I will tell them. It's the same thing I am always telling myself; the same thing Maya Angelou captured so effortlessly in the statement above.
I relate them to my friends, too, and the sad faces and personalities I encounter every day. We're all in this together and, the way I see it, NOW is always the time to kick a little ass.
Raise a glass- kick some ass- and get what you want.
What will your Biography say?
