I was recently walking through Newark Airport and after passing in front of one of the Hudson Bookstores at Terminal C I had a giant grin on my face.
I didn’t know exactly what to do, share my emotion on social media? Maybe take a selfie? I had this feeling of immense pride.
This emotion was triggered by Marie Forleo. For those who don’t know who she is, she is a multi-passionate entrepreneur that has impacted hundred of thousands of lives, especially in the entrepreneurial world. Her new book was right there, front row – Everything is Figureoutable.
She is one of those role models that I love following. Her authenticity, vulnerability and hard-core lessons are always on point, at least for me.
But then there was my reality. Coming back from a “1-day” short trip to Oregon (which takes 3 days from the East Coast), spending my Sunday with United Airlines, as my colleague nicely pointed it out.
The last few months had been chaotic to say the least. Making arrangements for my family to take care of my Dad while I take a well-deserved vacation with my boyfriend. Day in and day out I fill my day with to-do’s. These are choices I am making for myself, my family and our future.
And then I hear Dr. Brené Brown’s voice ring between my ears – stop numbing. In her book The Gifts of Imperfection, she explains how “to avoid emotions” we have this tendency of filling up our to-do list with so much we just numb our feelings.
Society glorifies women who hustle, who work hard, who walk on the edge of burning out to provide a safe environment for their families. If you are not going above and beyond to at least “try” to be perfect, you are falling short in life.
Do you want to be rewarded in life? Then work hard. Do you want to make a difference in the world? Then work hard. Our self-worth is directly linked to our hustle – or at least it is the message I am constantly seeing (especially in schools).
Then, there is Denise Duffield-Thomas. An Australian money mentor and author of Chillpreneur (amongst other books) who is redefining the glorification of the woman who hustle.
She originally wanted to call her book Lazy B*tch…but her publisher may have convinced her otherwise.
Her message focuses on changing that mindset and old script of “you have to work hard to be successful” and show how women can have help at home, become self-made millionaires and still live a pretty “chill” life. Must be that Australian flair that has me hooked!
As I battle through these two parallel worlds (plus my own reality) and see how both role models are rewarded for everything they do, I think about my nieces.
What type of role model do I want to be for them?
Do I want to embody a confident woman that follows her intuition and works with easy and joy, or do I want to fit the role model of the woman who hustles, works hard, is constantly running around and shows up for everyone before she shows up for herself?
Marie Forleo, Brené Brown & Denise Duffield-Thomas all have something in common. They fully embody who they are, they forge and follow their own paths and they encourage us, especially women, to listen to our gut, to challenge society and create a better space for authenticity for the future generation.