Hillary Clinton

I’m currently reading Hillary Clinton’s autobiography, Living History, and I must say she is an extremely fascinating and inspiring woman. While I am only on page 164 out of 534, I have already taken from her two lessons that I hope to always apply to my life:

1. Hilary faced many critical attacks on her role as a woman, as a mother, and as a political figure, especially during the campaign for her husband’s presidency. In her autobiography, she writes that the mantra she adopted to deal with criticism was: “Take criticism seriously, but not personally.”

   In the past, I have often felt conflicted in terms of criticism – without question, I want people’s honest feedback. But then when it is negative, it is sometimes difficult for me not to feel bad, even when I know I shouldn’t. I think that by seeking to grow rather than to safeguard the ego, criticism can be seen as a blessing and not something that is painful and to be avoided.

2. While adjusting to her new role as First Lady, Hillary found that people wanted to fit her into a certain box – traditional or feminist. She was, like many women, trapped by gender stereotypes that didn’t reflect the true complexity of her life. She found that it was very difficult to satisfy people with her many different, and sometimes paradoxical, roles. How could she prove to people that she could be both a hardworking professional woman and a conscientious and caring hostess?

   I greatly admire her persistence in being herself, even when that self was not accepted by others. I think that most people agree that they should be themselves, but the part that is difficult is truly understanding and accepting that self. We often place ourselves, like we place others, into these stereotypical roles and “boxes”, rather than embracing all of the complexity that we bring into the world. It is so powerful to seek to understand rather than work to eliminate the seemingly contradictory and paradoxical elements of ourselves. It is these aspects that truly make us who we are.