3 Ways Influential Women On the Big Screen Overcome Barriers

Reese Witherspoon, Julie Roberts, Anne Bancroft, Jennifer Jones and now Sandra Bullock. Each of these women won the Oscar for Best Actress. But what do they really have in common? They brought to the big screen the real-life, not–so-everyday women who are among us doing remarkable things.

From Erin Brockovich to Anne Sullivan, June Carter to St. Bernadette, and now Leigh Anne Tuohy, we see the remarkable presence and influence these women had on people. The women portrayed were and are strong, smart and sassy women who didn’t let barriers stand in their way.

They made a difference. A young June Carter mastered hard work and deep commitment to become a leading lady in country music. An out-of-work single mom spear headed one of the biggest class action lawsuits against a multi-billion dollar corporation who was poisoning residents of Hinkley, CA with toxic chemicals. A lonely Anne Sullivan taught a strong-willed Helen Keller overcame her silence to give her gifts to the world. And Bernadette Soubirous survived extreme poverty, cholera and public doubt to carry a message to the world through the apparition known as Our Lady of Lourdes where more than 5 million people visit yearly.

These women made out-of-the-box choices positively influencing the destiny of people they touched. The real women portrayed overcame insurmountable obstacles to make their mark in the world. From blindness to fear to poverty each of them overcame their personal barrier by doing these three things:

1. Changing their mental attitude. Psychological research suggests that we have the ability to change our attitude or mood in 6.5 seconds or less. That’s how fast we can go from a fearful or bad mood to a positive encouraging one. They changed any possibility of negative self-talk to positive reinforcement. Habits of the mind are difficult to change but not for the determined woman.

2. Taking charge of their emotions. Emotions come from things we make up in our head. Assumptions. Conclusions. Both of which can be false causing emotions like fear, frustration, disappointment and even depression. These women redefined the emotions they experienced, knowing if they didn’t they would stop them from accomplishing great things.

3. Redirecting physical reactions. This can be internal reactions – rehashing a conversation, shutting down or turning to food for comfort - or external reactions – screaming, blaming, or becoming defensive. Regardless, these women knew the value of responding to their situations and not reacting.

All three of these processes occur within seconds of each other triggering a reaction, an acceptance, or a productive outlook. Strong, smart and sassy women take charge of their destiny and trust their intuition to know their intended impact on others.

There are two types of women in this world: those who live their lives like cows, and those who live their lives like rhinos. This is how Jennifer Curtet, CEO of Aristocrats Enterprises, says this, “Too many women live their lives on the sidelines, passively watching everyone pass them by, much like cows live their lives. They never really make any sudden moves; they just sit and watch everyone else get what they want.”

“Then there are those women who live their lives aggressively, like rhinos. Now, cows and rhinos are almost identical physically, with the obvious exception of the rhino’s enormous snout! But consider the muscled and strength of the rhino. Think of its thick skin – everything just rolls off its back. The rhino sets its sights, it moves toward what it desires, it takes what it wants, and it does not take no for an answer.”

Which woman are you? Do you live with purpose, recognize your values, and create movement? Or do you watch life go by. Find your passion to live your life on your terms. Celebrate your values, reach out and find your voice. Sing!

These women didn’t accept no. They stood up when someone told them to sit down. They followed their intuition and doing what they knew was right. They acted with determination and spunk.

They are ordinary women influencing extraordinary results.

I love the movies, especially when I am inspired by other women who remind me I can do it.

Thank you Erin, June, Anne, Bernadette, and Leigh Anne.