Marie Sklodowska-Curie once said, “We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained” (qtd. in Hutchens 156). These words should be used as a credo by every woman who believes that they were born for something great and that they have enough talent to achieve their goals. Women should realize that they have the inner strength to overcome obstacles and achieve any goals, even in those situations when they can be viewed as non-powerful, when they are discriminated against, or when they are limited in their resources. There are many examples in the past and present that demonstrate the variety of women’s achievements and support the idea that each woman can accomplish even more than she believes.
History tells us of many famous women who contributed to changing the roles of females in both the past and modern society and who emphasized the paths for future accomplishments. However, what can the past teach ordinary females in regard to the opportunities that are open to them? To answer this question, it is necessary to refer to the words by Marie Sklodowska-Curie one more time.
The main idea hidden in this statement is that each woman has the unique potential that she can realize in her everyday life if she accepts the fact that each female is talented. She also needs to concentrate on attaining the concrete goal. Thus, the examples of the past demonstrate that only those women who believed in their uniqueness could achieve such high results (Goldsmith 22). Still, what about those ordinary women who have no revolutionary ideas to realize during their lives?
Every woman does a lot of work every day in order to support her family. The focus on the family is also characteristic of the women living in the United Arab Emirates. Nevertheless, women should remember that the role of an achiever or a leader can be associated with almost any mother, wife, and daughter, as it is stated by Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, in her book.
Those activities that are completed by women during their everyday life can tell more about a female than those steps that were taken only occasionally. However, each woman should remember that she has the enormous potential to become not only a good mother and wife but also an excellent educator, professional, and leader because the talents of women are not limited (Sandberg 102). Every day, these women prove that they can do even more.
Still, what can prevent women from believing in themselves and achieving more? The answer is rather simple. The problem is fears, a lack of ambition, and developed stereotypes. However, women should not fear to realize their potential and concentrate on their personal and professional passions. The examples of Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan al Qasimi and Maitha Salem Al-Shamsi are important to the discussion in this case because these unique women proved their right to play the roles of activists, leaders, and administrators in the United Arab Emirates (De Lafayette 38).
The world has changed as well as the role of women in it. Therefore, each woman needs to believe in the idea that she can achieve more through her everyday activities and focus on talents and interests that could be hidden for years because of fears and stereotypes.
Each woman has the power to demonstrate that there are no barriers or limits that can prevent women from developing personally and professionally. In spite of the fact that the position of women is not strong in some cultures and nations, what matters is the inner strength that these females have in order to perform as achievers in their families and communities. When a woman believes in her power, she can become not only more successful but also happier.
Thus, women need to believe that they have enough determination and confidence in order to choose the path in their life and succeed in it (Brewer 43). In this context, the focus does not matter, because both family and profession can be discussed as good choices for a woman. The main idea should be viewed from another perspective: Actually, the female’s achievements are not associated with her career progress, political activism, or discoveries (Janjuha-Jivraj and Chisholm 10). These accomplishments are associated with the everyday contributions to the family and community life, where women play the roles of supporters and leaders.
It is important to emphasize this idea one more time: Women have inner strength, and their power is in the actions that they do every day. As a result, women can change the world this way. Moreover, women can make the world warmer, fairer, and more peaceful. Thus, each woman can make a contribution to the development of society while believing in her powers and focusing on her talents. In this case, such a contribution cannot be overestimated because the woman’s impact is significant.
Works Cited
Brewer, Ann. Leadership, Coaching and Followership. New York: Springer, 2014. Print.
De Lafayette, Maximillien. The 1000 Most Important Women of the Middle East and the Arab World. London: Lulu Press, 2013. Print.
Goldsmith, Marshall. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. New York: Profile Books, 2010. Print.
Hutchens, Jeff. The Coaching Calendar: Daily Inspiration from the Stress-Less Coach. London: Lulu Press, 2013. Print.
Janjuha-Jivraj, Shaheena, and Kitty Chisholm. Championing Women Leaders: Beyond Sponsorship. New York: Springer, 2016. Print.
Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. New York: Random House, 2013. Print.