What makes a inspirational women?

I often approach young women with the question, "what are your dreams and goals for life, what or who is it that you want to be? Before they can tell me who or what they want to be, they often say "I don't really know who I am or what I want."This way of thinking is what Eric Erickson called identity vs role confusion. In this stage a young person tries integrating many roles (child, sibling, student, athlete,worker) into a self-image under a role model and peer pressure. I have experienced this stage and it can be a confusing time in ones life, that is why it is vital that we look at who we are using as role models. A few of my most influential role models have been women who were a few years older than me. These women possessed qualities such as:

1. Integrity- a sense of honesty,truthfulness,and consistency in their motivation and actions.
2. Optimism-an ability to anticipate the best possible outcome.
3. Genuineness- "real" able to be themselves.

So who are your role-models?

Many teens and preteens look at "stars" such as Lindsey Lohan, Hannah Montana, Micheal Phelps, and Brittany Spears. I am not suggesting that these individuals lack admirable talent and personality. They do, but we often times let their popularity dictate how we behave. Real inspiration is not influenced by popularity, but runs deeper and is determined by our attitude and perspective. It does not mean that we have to be just like our role models or have an extravagant life story,but it does mean that we live with purpose and hope. We inspire people daily, not because of who we are, but because we choose to live with passion and confidence.

So what does a real inspiration woman look like?

Consider these women and their stories:

Bonnie St. John: Had a prosthetic leg from a young age. Instead of letting it draw her away from the crowd, she choose to look at it as if she was a leader of the parade when other curious children would follow her around. She later became a Rhodes Scholar, a one-legged ski champion, a White House Official, and an inspirational speaker. You can learn more about Bonnie by reading her book, "Live Your Joy", by reading her commentary at bonniestjohn.com/lyjdevotional.pdf, or by reading her article by Andrea Baily Willits in the November 09' edition of Homelife Magazine.

Tenley Albright:A victim of polio at age eleven, Tenley persisted in following her interest in ice skating to eventually win the first U.S. Championship in 1952. In 1953, she went on to be the first woman to win the World Amateur Figure Skating Championship. And then in 1956, she became the first to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Tenley then "retired" from skating to pursue a medical degree from Harvard. She is now a practicing surgeon and a mother of three children.

Billie Jean King:The most successful woman in professional tennis, Billie Jean was top-ranked 5 times and was in the top ten for 17 years. She was the FIRST woman athlete to earn $100,000 a year, the first woman to coach a professional team, holder of the most Wimbledon titles ever, and the most influential person in tennis. She has fought for equality for women athletes.

Find more inspirational women like these listed at http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/women/women.html



So who are the inspirational women in you life? What makes them inspirational to you? Who have you been an inspiration too?