Women That Inspire- Part Four

Today I am welcoming Maggie from A Few of My Favorite Things. Maggie is a sorority sister of mine. Maggie is very quick witted and spunky and she’s always up for an adventure! Check out what inspires her!

I spent spring break visiting my sister and her family in Nashville this year, and since I don't have a TV at home, I spent a lot of time absorbing as much reality TV as I could. Mob Wives? Caught up. Oh what's that History Channel? There's an American Pickers marathon on? I need that in my life. And most importantly I got super obsessed with The Voice. Can we take a minute to relish in Christina Aguilera's RIDICULOUS plastic, UFO shaped, sparkly headband that she wore for WEEKS? Oooh girl.

So when Ashley asked me to write about inspirational women, the first thing I thought of was Juliet Simms performance of It's a Man's World. For the record, Juliet Simms does not inspire me. She might even de-inspire me. All her talk of "Oh, it's so hard making it in rock-n-roll. It's full of boys." Blah blah blah. What about Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Heart, Brody Dalle, Cyndi Lauper, Meg White, Amanda Palmer, and Siouxsie Sioux? Regardless of her de-inspiration, girl can sing.

Honestly, I've never really thought the world was "a man's world." Yes, women are making something like 60 cents for every dollar a man makes, but ladies are getting things done. I graduated in May 2008 with a degree in geology, which has always been a boys club. Notice anything about my fellow graduates?

It's not like there were 15 guys standing around that didn't want to be in the picture, that was it. 6 girls, 1 guy.

I've never been able to pin down an inspirational person, man or woman. Not because I'm not inspired, but more because I admire the qualities of lots of different people, for different reasons. So instead of writing about specific women who inspire me, here are some qualities and skills I've learned (and try to practice) from those women:

1) Ingenuity - there is nothing more useful than ingenuity. It means being able to get yourself out of sticky situations, whether that be a broken fan belt or a shortage of cake flour.

2) Knowing the difference between standing up for yourself and being a b---- - There's a fine line, and I think all women should learn where theirs is. You can be strong without being a hell in heels. (The opposite is true as well.)

Meryl Streep could be a role model, her character Miranda Priestly, maybe not so much

3)No whining - Sure you might be making 40 cents per dollar less than your male counterpart, but are you going to whine about it or do something about it? Whining won't get you anywhere.

4) Knowing when to ask for help - Yes, women can do anything they set their minds to. We can be astronauts and physicists and moms and president, but that doesn't mean we can't ask for help. Lord knows I can't open a jar to save my life. Asking for help doesn't make you weak, it makes you smart.

5) Classiness - Is that a word? Anyway. Classy women command respect without having to ask for it. They are polite and friendly without being fake. They know what to say and what NOT to say and speak accordingly. Everyone should strive to be a little classier.

Love Maggie? Follow her HERE!  Want to stay up to date with all the inspiration?  Follow me too!  Choose an option over on the right side of the screen!