Strong and Courgeous Women - Maya Angelou

I met with a friend (who I might add is the epitome of a courageous and strong woman) for lunch this week and she was sharing the adventures and struggles of her new puppy Maya Angelou which of course got me thinking about the woman Maya Angelou. I am no way an expert of Maya Angelou and it has been at least a decade since I read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". And also, please don't get offended, but poetry isn't my jam. BUT I am awed by Maya's grace, dignity, wisdom, integrity, and sophistication, among many other traits. I feel inspired by her honesty about her past choices and her decision to make different choices and led a different life. I am still haunted with regret by past choices so it is always so inspiring to see other women acknowledge their past, embrace their decisions, and move forward to be the best versions of themselves. 

Maya Angelo has many amazing and inspiring quotes. Below are some of my personal favorites.

"I've have learned that people will forget what you have said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".  Maya Angelou

This is probably my all-time favorite quote and my mantra for life. I worked so diligently to become a sales manager and once I was there, I attended a sales manager meeting. I was surrounded by all these men in their fancy suits and I was tickled to literally be seated at the table. As an ice-breaker, the speaker asked us to share a quote defining our leadership style. The men were all quoting these hard-hitting, manly quotes and I said this quote. It went over like a ton of bricks. But I don't care. I still stand by this quote. I know it's true for me. I certainly can't quote what someone has said or tell you exactly what that person does done, but I sure as hell know how that person has made me feel. 

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time". Maya Angelou

Well isn't that the God's honest truth? I mean, I know we all have our bad moments which can bleed into bad days, but when someone is constantly showing you their true self, believe them.  Maya's quote leads me to another strong and courageous woman, Oprah Winfrey, who said the following: 

“The only time I’ve ever made mistakes is when I didn’t listen. So what I know is, God is love and God is life, and your life is always speaking to you. First in whispers…. It’s subtle, those whispers. And if you don’t pay attention to the whispers, it gets louder and louder. It’s like getting thumped upside the head, like my grandmother used to do…. You don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that, the whole brick wall falls down. That’s the pattern I’ve seen in my life, and it’s played out over and over again on this show.

“What I’ve gleaned from this show: Whispers are always messages, and if you don’t hear the message, the message turns into a problem. And if you don’t handle the problem, the problem turns into a crisis. And if you don’t handle the crisis, disaster. Your life is speaking to you. What is it saying?” — Oprah Winfrey

https://www.mayaangelou.com/



  Great introduction to Maya Angelo for young readers


   Maya is highlighted on Page 134


Maya also had her own Girls Can Crate - just another wonderful reason to sign up for the monthly subscription!  https://www.girlscancrate.com/

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud" Maya Angelou

Happy Friday my friends!