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Ambition, Resilience and Starting Over

Guest post by: deborah nixon

Article Overview: Judy Elder was the General Manager of Microsoft's Consumer Division in 2002. Shortly after she gave this inspiring speech, she had a brain aneurysm and died at the age of 47. Judy talks about ambition and why we shy away from embracing women who have ambition. Feeling confident in yourself takes a lot of trust. Believing in yourself can carry you through some very tough times as this article will show you.

Ambition, Resilience and Starting Over

I came across Judy Elder’s 2002 speech. It is saved in a special folder on my hard drive called Meaningful Stuff. I dig this gem out every now and then and am always re-inspired by it. I regret that Judy died too early and that we don’t have the benefit of her wisdom. But she left us with this gift. In an eerily prescient way, she references death and wanting to be remembered when she was dead. Well, she is remembered by me. Somebody who never met her, who didn’t know her but who has been touched by her life. And by this wonderful speech which I would like to share with you.

Why does Judy’s speech touch me so? Her speech so clearly comes from the heart. Her speech talks to women. But more importantly, it talks to any person who has ever felt that they didn’t have a right to reach for the stars. That they didn’t have permission to have big dreams and goals. And that going for it made them somehow, less. Judy reminds us that we all have dreams and we all must pursue those dreams.

Judy speaks about women’s ambition and how differently we view ambition through this lense versus man’s ambition. I don’t want to write about women’s place in all of this. I want to write about trusting yourself. This is what resonates with me.

To be trustworthy, you have to trust yourself first. You have to trust yourself to make decisions that you know are right, even when you don’t have all the information. You have to trust yourself to listen to your gut- because your gut comes from experience and having been there one too many times. You have to trust yourself to accurately size up situations and reach a conclusion, even when others disagree with you. Trusting yourself is about boldly going forward, even when you’re scared. It is all about taking a deep breath and jumping in the deep end because you’ve done it before and you’re a survivor.

I had an amazing conversation today with a woman today who is a beautiful example of ambition and survival. Susan has a deep sense of self and an inner strength that only a survivor can have. She trusts her judgement and her gut. She had a hugely successful, multi-million dollar business which she built over 30 years. She was getting ready to sell it and was 2 years away from early retirement; her reward after all those years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. And then the bottom dropped out of the US economy. Shattered dreams, broken promises and a life of hard work imploded. She lost her house, her money and her foundation.

But she didn’t lose herself. And she didn’t lose her belief that she could rebuild. Even at 63 years old, even though her hard work didn’t seem to pay off in the end. What she gained, though, was courage, resilience and a fighting spirit. She gained my deep respect.

Susan inspired me today, as only a survivor can. She made a choice to say YES to new dreams. To say YES to believing in herself. She said YES to me and to building a friendship.

She is the woman Judy Elder is talking to. She is ambitious, determined, strong and committed. I trust her because she was honest and open with me- and vulnerable. She shared her story with me and didn’t hold back. She shared her success and she shared her mistakes. But most importantly, she was real. And I trust in her dream and her vision. Susan did it once. She’ll do it again.

There is so much talk about authenticity, but who do you know is truly authentic. Susan is authentic. Authenticity is tough. It requires that you willingly let the world see your imperfections, mistakes, and weaknesses. It also asks you to share your beauty, dreams, wisdom and ambition. You need to share it constantly and consistently. That is tough to you. Judy Elder knew how to do it. What about you?

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Article Tags: ambition, friendship, humility, judy elder, loss, resilience, selftrust, trust, vulnerability



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