Page 32 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

OVERCOMING AND THRIVING ON ADVERSITY

x SECRET 4: BE COURAGEOUS z

I love the famous quote “The only thing we have to fear is
fear itself,” because fear is the greatest obstacle to resiliency.
Fear causes us to become immobile, ignore our options,
and retreat from possibilities. And the best weapon against
fear that we have as leaders today is our courage. This
courage might mean standing up for what you believe is
important, confronting traditional ways of thinking, or
even volunteering to do something that you’re not sure you
can really do. It’s usually not something that you can plan
for. The need for courage can show up at any time.
Hillary developed her courage early in her life, as both
of her parents conditioned her to be strong and confident.
In Hillary’s autobiography, she talks about how she was
reluctant to go outside and play when she was a little girl.
She would often come in crying and complaining about
Suzy O’Callaghan, a neighborhood girl who was always
pushing her around. At age four, when Hillary ran back
into the house after another incident with Suzy, her mother
told her, “Go back out there, and if Suzy hits you, you have
my permission to hit her back. You have to stand up for
yourself. There’s no room in this house for cowards.”
Hillary squared her shoulders as she left the house and
marched across the street to face Suzy once again. She
returned home later glowing with victory and proudly
announced, “I can play with the boys now.”

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