Words of Wisdom from my favorite Ladies

If you're like me, sometimes you feel like the world won't let up on you.  From personal to professional, it's easy to think  your life is a mess.  A bad day can start your thought process on a downward pity spiral, which has you thinking that you're going to be homeless on the street with bad shoes and frizzy hair for the rest of your life. 

Sometimes the best advice isn't from a famous person, or someone who
has tamed history.  Instead it's from someone you trusts.

I don't know if this will help, but I thought I would share a few words of wisdom I've collected from some savvy women.  Please note that these are actual women I know.  It's easy for people to copy and paste influential quotes from historic figures and slap it one their facebook status, but I think it's something really special to know the women you're inspired by.

Names won't be used, but I sure hope their advise will be.

"I want to put something beautiful in the world."
--Dear friend who has been a constant inspiration

Before I left my job earlier this year, I had a long talk with a very dear friend over lunch.  We sat and enjoyed tiny, over-priced, delicious sandwiches at a swank DC spot while it rained cats and dogs.  I told her I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing, but I knew I couldn't do what I had been doing.  Due to recent circumstances, I had changed and thus needed a  change.  I was no longer the person I was and I needed my job to reflect that.  I talked about drama and stress and how I wasn't fulfilled with my current situation and how I felt the job I was considering was just going to lead me down that same path.  She was not only a trusted voice, but she had been in my shoes before.  She told me that when she left her high power job to peruse her passion she kept telling herself one thing.
"Put something beautiful in the world." 
She is.

"Heels should be used every day, they are special and so are you."
--Former anchor at NBC Chicago

I got my first television internship in Chicago my junior year of college, it was for the morning show.  I had to be into work super early, especially when you consider that my roommates were coming in from bars as I was leaving for the station.  The first couple weeks I was coming in full suits, dresses and heels;  I wanted to impress.  One day a crew member commented on how I shouldn't be wearing heels, I was doing "grunt work" and I should dress for that.  Over the next few days I came in wearing flats and a more casual pant and shirt.  I didn't feel like myself, but, I had gained ground with the crew.  A few days after my wardrobe transformation, an anchor, who I had grown close to,  asked me why the sudden change in dress.  I told her about my conversation and she told me,
"Heels should be worn every day, they are special and so are you."
I now try to wear heels as often as possible. 

"Magazines have taught me a lot of important things, like how to do a smoky eye, how to properly hold downward facing dog and that I am prettier and luckier than any model...ever."
--Friend's sassy aunt

I was talking poolside with one of my friend's "crazy" aunts one day and she told me how she learned all her basic "lady info" from glossies.  Contrary to popular belief, she always felt better about herself after looking at all those skinny models.  Mind you this woman wasn't small.  I couldn't resist and I asked why, posing the same questions of self-esteem issues every person does when looking at a model.  She pulled out her phone and then proceeded to show me a never ending slide show of pictures of her and her family and friends, each one looking more joyous than the last.  At the end I assumed she was going to say something about "they won't have the people I do", or "I live life better than them."  Instead she asked me how SHE looked in each picture.  I told her she looked good and happy; what else are you supposed to say?  She told me I was wrong.  She looked great and that each one of the pictures I just saw wasn't photo shopped a bit.  She didn't need it and they did.  She went on to tell me how pictures are meant to bring back good memories and every picture she knew of with her in it, was just that, an amazing memory.   That's when she said, "Magazines have taught me a lot of important things, like how to do a smoky eye, how to do downward facing dog properly and that I am prettier and luckier than any model...ever."
And she really is, and so are we.

If you have any inspirational stories, from men or women, send them my way.  I'd love to read them and maybe post about those words of wisdom.