Category: True Stories

“Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History” – What Does That Really Mean?

Marilyn Monroe is credited with popularizing the saying “well-behaved women rarely make history.”

Unfortunately, a lot of young women take this quote to mean that they should live recklessly, flaunt their sexuality, try to be “bad b*****s” and treat people with disrespect in order to be “famous” and unforgettable. That’s what the reality stars and celebrities of today are doing to stay relevant, after all.

But it’s just not true. This is just what our popular media would like young women to believe so that they will continue to consume, consume, consume. It’s a way of keeping the minds of young women clouded with these images so that they will do (or pay) whatever possible to live up to them.

The truth is that the majority of the people we see everyday in the media who have adopted this approach to being “unforgettable” WILL be forgotten. No one will talk about them 25, 50 or 100 years from now.

Let’s look at a few women who weren’t “well-behaved” according to society’s standards for women, yet held themselves to a high regard and still made history, never to be forgotten. 1,000+ years from now, they’ll still be a part of history.

Queen Elizabeth I

They called her the “Virgin Queen” because she refused to take on a husband to rule by her side as society deemed “appropriate.” She knew that if she got married, her husband would take over and she would probably be pushed to the side or even overthrown. During her rule, she led her troops to an important victory when the Spanish Armada threatened her shores. Queen Elizabeth ruled for many decades during what many call the “Elizabethan” era. To this day, many historians try to sully her name–I believe it’s because they refuse to believe a woman was able to reign alone without a man for so long. She is a great example of a woman who went against the status quo, made her own way in this world and will always be remembered in history.

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was and is one of the world’s most treasured woman writers in the history of the United States. She went to college at Howard University in D.C. She was one of the first initiates of Zeta Phi Beta sorority and joined Alaine Locke’s literary club. She studied anthropology at Barnard and Columbia University. After graduating she chose to travel the U.S. recording the stories of the interesting people she met. She took a record of African American history that few people understood at the time (and to this day) in her best-selling books Mules and Men and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Though her talent and treasures weren’t fully appreciated during her life, her legacy lives on to this day and will continue.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) is one of the most well-known and liked presidents in the history of the United States next to Abe Lincoln. His wife, Eleanor Roosevelt took an equally prominent role in politics as the nation’s First Lady during that time. She was a champion for human rights, an outspoken voice for women at a time when women barely had the right to vote. She became known as “one of the most esteemed women in the world” and is also famous for her quote: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Harriet Tubman

When I first heard the story of Harriet Tubman, it was hard to believe. She escaped slavery, but instead of enjoying her freedom as most people of those days did, she decided to make 13 dangerous trips back to the place where she experienced so much pain to save others. Harriet was definitely a woman who wasn’t “well-behaved” but she will always be remembered for her heroism.

There are so many more amazing women who can be added to this list, but I believe this to be a good start. So whenever you hear that saying “well-behaved women rarely make history” please keep it in the proper perspective.

Love Lynn

Lynn Gilliard is a writer and transformational blogger. She is the author of a self-help guide entitled Survive, Live or Thrive? and a popular relationship guide entitled Let Him Chase YOU.

An Audiobook Changed My Life

The story of how I got through a deep depression by listening to an audiobook.

All that I could see ahead was hopelessness, despair and unhappiness. My best friend and fiancé was gone from the earth. I was all alone. I didn’t receive any texts or calls from anyone for weeks. My money wasn’t right. I wasn’t fulfilled and I had abandoned all of my projects. I didn’t know what to do with myself other than just… exist. Get through this tedious, miserable life.

And on top of all of that, I had to do yard work that morning. I frowned at my yard full of calf-high weeds, with nothing but a low-power weed whacker in my hand (the lawn mower wouldn’t start up that morning of course).

My yard was representative of the clutter and chaos that was going on in my mind.

An Audiobook Opened My Eyes

That morning, I decided I would listen to something other than my usual music while I tackled those weeds. I turned on a motivational audiobook and got to work.

The more I listened to the words (the author’s gentle voice with her delightful Australian accent, the impeccable production and sound effects) the less troubled I was about those weeds. I whacked my way through them with ease. Before I knew it, I was done, smiling, and I even put a special thought and blessing on my lawn so that it would start growing regular green grass again. The book taught me that. Something had sparked inside of me.

From that point on audiobooks became my best friends. I listened to at least one per day, and before I knew it my life started to change right before my eyes. Almost all of the audiobooks I listened to have the same general theme — change the way you think about things if you want to improve your life. Also, we alone have the power to create our own realities.

Convenient, Simple and a Fast Turnaround

One of the benefits of audiobooks as opposed to printed books is that you can listen to them when you’re doing other things, like cooking, driving, working out or cutting down a jungle of weeds as I was doing that day.

Another is that nowadays you don’t have to fumble around with CDs. I can listen to my audio books on my cellphone with a pair of headphones thanks to Audible, iTunes and other services. It’s simple and to the point — just download and listen.

An On-Demand Therapist

I also believe that the message that an author is trying to convey sinks in quicker when she just says it to you. It’s kind of like talking to a therapist. It also lasts longer in your mind. It comes back to you when you’re involved with other things.

My transformation happened in two months. Seriously. I hit the ground running — I wrote and published two books, started blogging and took back up writing professionally. Inspired by the audiobook I listened to that morning when I was doing yard work, I created an audio form of my popular dating advice guide Let Him Chase You. Later I published Survive, Live or Thrive?

Pushing Forward

I may have my tough days here and there, but they are few and far between. They’re minor to me now. I have learned how to properly approach life’s obstacles and be thankful for my blessings. My mind is made up.

So what about you? Which audiobook will be the one that changes your life?

Lynn Gilliard is the author of the self-help audiobook Survive, Live or Thrive? and Let Him Chase YOU, a dating guide for women. Both are now available at Audible.com for free when you sign up for a new account with your Amazon email.

 

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Let Him Chase You Book

New Book: Survive, Live or Thrive? by L. Lynn Gilliard

New Book:

Survive, Live or Thrive?

by L. Lynn Gilliard

 

Simple Life Tips for Those Who Feel Stuck in a Rut

This is a guide for those who feel that they may be stuck in a rut in one or more areas of their life, including:

– pursuing your dreams
– making good money
– dating and love relationships
– family relationships
– self-love

Though the book is specifically targeted for women who are experiencing challenges in their lives, the concepts apply to everyone. Fueled by the idea that life is meant to be easy and enjoyable, it is loaded with stories, blog posts from Lynn’s websites and other inspirations and thoughts to help propel you to the ultimate goal: THRIVING in every area of your life.

Get the Amazon Paperback Here

 

Audio version – Coming soon

Opening Up and Reaching Out: The Lesson a (Formerly) Stray Cat Taught Me

photo 2photo 3 Last night this little black and white cat was outside wrangling bones out of the garbage and sleeping in the cold. Now he’s in my lap, warm and toasty, purring.

I saw him earlier in the day milling around in the freezing cold. He came up to me and meowed like he had something to tell me. I left some food out. Later on that night something made me look outside.

There he was looking right back at me.

I smiled and shook my head. “Come on in kitty,” I told him, and he did.

Reaching Out — Sometimes You Just Have To
I’ve always been the type of person who keeps things in instead of reaching out for help. I have mostly saved my tears and moments of distress for late nights under my covers.

But what I’ve been learning more and more over the years is that sometimes you have to open up and let people in (even just a bit) if you want to live a better and more fulfilled life. Sometimes you need a little help, even if it’s just a positive word of encouragement, and you may be surprised to learn that there are good intentioned people who are more than happy to give it to you.

This little cat helped drive that point home for me. If he hadn’t come up to me to say “hi,” approaching me in such a friendly and open manner, I probably wouldn’t have taken him in, fed him and given him a warm place to sleep. He’s now officially a house cat with a home.

Trust Your Intuition
The main lesson here is that you can’t live your life in fear of people judging or rejecting you, because there’s always that chance that reaching out to one special person will open you up to a new and better opportunity. You have to follow your intuition and do bold or scary things sometimes to unlock those doors.

Hey, thanks for looking out!
Hey, thanks for looking out!

I don’t think that you should trust *everyone* that you meet, but you should trust your intuition, always. If you feel it is strongly telling you to reach out for help from someone in particular (like kitty over there), don’t let your fear get in the way. Do what you need to do to be healthy, happy and whole.

Love Lynn

 

Lynn Gilliard is a writer, transformational blogger and author of a popular relationship guide entitled Let Him Chase YOU.

 

 

 

The Negative Voices Around You: The Other Shore: The Diana Nyad Story

I finally had a chance to watch The Other Shore: The Diana Nyad Story documentary. She is the lady who planned a swim from Cuba to Florida. This documentary was a perfect example of how the negative people around you can hold you back from accomplishing things in life.

Diana’s partner was negative about her swim from start to finish. She told Diana she couldn’t do it before, during and after her historic attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida.

In some cases people will discourage you because of their own personal fears.

In other cases it’s jealousy and insecurity because they don’t have the guts to accomplish anything real in life.

In the case of the documentary I watched about the Diana Nyad story, I believe her partner was just really frightened about losing her loved one. And that is understandable.

But regardless of her motivations, it’s still a problem when you have a demotivating person in your life who is constantly telling you that you can’t do something.

They can’t see what you see — all that they can see is the circumstances right in front of them. They can’t dream like you — yet.

Sometimes that negative person’s will and energy is so strong that they can interrupt, intercept or delay your goals. In Diana’s case, what she needed was a BOOST when she hit those milestones. All that she got was fear, doubt and negativity from her peers.

Diana Nyad’s case was extreme because her life was in danger for her dreams. But for most of us, our dreams are attainable without having to risk our lives. Yet some of us still don’t take the chance because we have negative people around us telling us that we can’t. We’re scared of social disapproval and people saying “I told you so.” We care too much about the opinions of other people when it comes to our dreams and goals.

So who do you have in YOUR life that is holding you back from your ultimate accomplishment? You may find that removing that voice from your life might be the one way to open a road toward meeting or achieving your long time goal — and it could happen more quickly than you ever imagined.

Love Lynn

Lynn Gilliard is a writer, transformational blogger and author of a popular relationship guide entitled Let Him Chase YOU.