Find Your Fierce

Untitled Part 1

I once heard Oprah say that in her youth she always had the tune, "Chicago" stuck in her head. She used to walk around humming it. In retrospect, she believed it was the universe giving her a big clue that Chicago would be an important part of her future. As we all know, that city would be the place where she would etch out her brand and become a television icon. But Oprah, albeit the quintessential fierce, strong, independent woman, is not solely who motivates me to be my best. There are others.

Unlike Oprah, the women who inspire me aren't famous. They're not wealthy, nor do they have lofty aspirations. Their strength is born out of their authenticity. They listen. They respond to what they feel led to do. Like Oprah, they follow that call in spite of the world's ridicule. Oprah inspires because she was tenacious in pursuing a dream that so many said could not come true; a poor, black, female from the south set out to make a mark in a predominantly white, male profession.

Sometimes the tug on our souls isn't grandiose; perhaps we need to make time for self care-the woman jogging down the street whom I don't know serves to remind me of that. Other times we need to follow a prompting to reach out to others like my friend Deb who befriended a widower at church and now brings him dinner and helps him with chores. Being a strong woman means responding to conviction.

An independent woman uses her resources. She finds whatever is near and crafts a way to utilize it toward her intent. She carves out her path as she goes, personifying commitment and ingenuity. Just yesterday I was captivated by the story of  Alex Fasulo, (CNBC.com; make it ), who increased her income tenfold in one year because she tried her hand at freelance writing.

A fierce woman is one who lives strongly and independently day, after day, after day; her actions reveal commitment and become a beacon to everyone else finding their way. That woman who became a writer? She works seven days a week-all in!

Inspiring women are present in each moment, with those around them and themselves. Isn't this why we all love Oprah so much? She worked to the bone to pull herself out of poverty- not to become rich, but to pursue what the universe was stirring her to do. Every woman has these moments. A woman who hears her purpose is strong; for the world is a noisy place. A woman who acts upon her callings-who finds a way to bridge her current demands with her vision, is independent. Fortitude and self-reliance are in all of us; when we embrace them, we become fierce and our stories change the world, one woman at a time.