Honoring the First Ladies on Presidents' Day

 

My Favorite First Lady of the United States Quotes

At first, I planned to have today’s Monday Motivation to focus on quotes from various Presidents due to it being President’s day.  Then I started to think about the importance of the women in their lives – the First Ladies. 

I am currently reading Michelle Obama’s book, “The Light We Carry”.  She mentions the 8 years that she spent in the White House.  Consider the sacrifices that First Ladies make to support their husbands as they fulfilled the duties of the President of the United States.  They stepped away from a career while in the White House.  When there were children, they uprooted them from their homes, their schools to bring them to Washington DC.  The First Ladies are tasked with being hostess to a variety of visitors and dignitaries both national and international. 

The First Ladies also act as their spouse’s confidant and sounding board.  Imagine the secrets that they must know and keep.  All of this while constantly being judged on what they say, do and wear.  I admire these women for their strength to maintain their dignity and compassion while experiencing extremely critical feedback against their husbands, families and themselves.

These ladies were remarkable in their own right.  Many were college educated.  They had various service careers and were active in community and charitable organizations.  They experienced death of their children, cancer, addictions, discrimination – the same struggles that all women have.  Yet they never gave up on themselves, their husbands or family.  They demonstrated the necessity of having inner strength and resiliency to lead successful lives.

On this President’s Day, I salute the First Ladies and share favorite quotes from them.  Take time to reflect on the quotes and consider how they can apply in your life.

•          The greatest part of our happiness or misery depends on dispositions and not our circumstances. – Martha Washington
•           If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women. – Abigail Adams
•           You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror.  I can take the next thing that comes along”. – Eleanor Roosevelt
•           Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. – Lady Bird Johnson
•           Confidence, I’d learned then, sometimes needs to be called from within.  I’ve repeated the same words to myself so many times now, through many climbs.  Am I good enough?  Yes I am. – Michelle Obama

Do you have a favorite quote from a First Lady?  Share it with me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Take these encouraging words from these First Ladies and apply them to your life.  Believe in yourself; if your belief is waning, share my belief in you.

Make it a great week!