Real-life resilience: Eleanor Roosevelt

The "First Lady of the World"

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, serving as the First Lady of the United States for 12 years, making her the longest serving First Lady ever. However, she wasn't just a First Lady. She was also a noted diplomat and activist, advocating for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans, and the rights of refugees from World War 2. She encouraged the action of the United States joining the United Nations and became its first delegate. By the time of her death in 1962, she was regarded as “one of the most esteemed women in the world.”

This is the extremely quick summary of her impact ….and I'd urge readers to spend a few extra minutes exploring more (I've added some links below). You’ll learn that she lost both of her parents and a brother before her eleventh birthday and, later in life, when her husband was stricken with a paralytic illness that cost him the normal use of his legs, she persuaded him to stay in politics. In fact, she began giving speeches and appearing at campaign events in his place. All of this was at least a decade before he would become President. Her impact on FDR’s career was immense.

How Eleanor Roosevelt might impact your marketing strategy.

What I love the most about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt is that she pushed boundaries and refused to conform on certain matters. She was comfortable doing uncomfortable things....and she zigged when others zagged. She was actually regarded as a controversial First Lady, refusing to be silenced in matters that were of utmost importance. She was also quite adept at public relations, becoming the first presidential spouse to hold press conferences, write newspaper columns, host radio shows and more. She even occasionally publicly disagreed with her husband’s policies. Overall, she was her own unique self, driven to make the right choice, regardless of whether it was hard or not.

“One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

With the above quote, she reminds us of two things. The first is that our choices matter, and so we mustn't be irrational with our choices. We must respond rather than react. The second is that it doesn’t matter what you say or think…it matters what you do. They are not mutually exclusive - they are bonded together in the search of progress and real-life impact.

So, on whatever day this little article crosses your path....what choices are you making? What actions are you taking that might make Eleanor (and more importantly yourself!) proud?

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