Who will you be celebrating?
Each March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. It is a time to honor and recognize the remarkable contributions of women throughout history.
It is one of those celebrations that is universal and yet still personal. What is universal is that the women being honored all said YES for themselves and future generations. What is personal is which of those sheroes has directly impacted each of us.
With that in mind, who will you be celebrating? She may be someone from your own history or someone who has made a difference in an area you care about. What matters is that we remember them with purposeful gratitude and a commitment to honor them by continuing their legacy.
If you’re not sure who you would pick, think about this question: If you could have a conversation with any woman from history who has impacted your life in some way, who would you choose?
There is one person who ranks high on the list for me, and that is Eleanor Roosevelt.
Much about her life, contribution and overall philosophies intrigue and inspire me, even where we disagree.
She was a contemporary of Molly Mackenzie, my great-grandmother, for whom my publishing company is named. Granny Mackenzie is also at the top of my list.
What partially underscores the enormity of their contributions is the age and time they lived. Both women had to break through barriers above, below and all around for those causes and people they championed.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s last book, Tomorrow Is Now, was published in 1962. She knew she was dying when she started it, and some say she willed herself to stay alive long enough to write it. Its message was that important to her.
Imagine a message so compelling, a sense of importance in your work so deep that you will yourself to live every day to see it through.
It’s a book I’ve read several times. Each time, I find something new and still stunningly relevant. The value of education and the fact that personal responsibility is the only way to achieve greatness never diminishes.
Who will you choose?
The next question to ask yourself is this: How can you carry on the ideas and inspiration of that person today? How can you create that same sense of importance in your life and work? Sometimes, we find our higher purpose and calling by our resonance with someone else.
In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “It is essential, above all, that in making history, we do not forget to learn by history. It is essential that we cast out fear and face the unknown as our ancestors faced the unknown, with imagination and integrity, with courage and a high heart.”
And never forget, as Mrs. Roosevelt has reminded us, that today, we are writing the history that future generations will one day talk and write about.
Let's dedicate ourselves to living in a way that creates a message of hope for future generations of women, just as the women we honor this month have done for us.
