Words to live by: inspirational quotes from HerStory’s Women on A Summit

Every story counts, a truth we discovered in a room full of 700 women on March 6, at HerStory’s Women on A Mission Summit held recently. So many stories, so many learnings, and so many inspirational people all under the same roof.

HerStory has captured some of the most inspirational quotes to motivate, inspire, and to push you to love yourself, not give up on your deepest desires, and understand and realise that challenges are temporary hiccups in the path to success, and happiness.

Take on the challenges

The only way to tackle challenges is to take them head on. As the adage goes, there is no shortcut to success, and one has to take on challenges head on.

“We need to be prepared to take risks — risk to fail, to make mistakes, not to be accepted, or even to be ridiculed. We need to face these challenges head on, and it will make us only stronger in this cut-throat world,” Nivruti Rai, Country Head of Intel India, said at the summit.

We agree, and the best way to overcome these challenges is to figure out ways to tackle them. “One fine day, I decided to overcome my stage fear and joined a training programme to improve my public speaking skills,” said Nicole Girard, Consul General of Canada.

And it is important to keep going even when the challenges seem insurmountable. “I had to balance parenting and a full-time job. It was an extremely tough phase. But I made up my mind to cling on,” Dana Kursh, Consul General of Israel to South India, said.

ALSO READ: At Women on a Mission Summit 2019, Nicole Girard and Dana Kursh share their respective journeys to becoming diplomats

Passion and perseverance pays off

Passion and perseverance go hand in hand. They are the two sides of the same coin, and if you want something and desire it then you will put all your might behind it.

“I never planned to become the Intel India head. But what I did plan was to do whatever is given to me, and do it better; to put my heart and soul into it, and continue to be better at it every single day. Everything else happens as a result,” Nivruti added.

This also means showing up even when circumstances are against you.

Love yourself and don’t be afraid to show your emotions

Our vulnerabilities, our emotions, our good and the bad are an integral part of us, and we need to embrace all of it.

And being honest and genuine trumps everything else. “When something is real and honest, people like it. Writing is an expression of my emotions,” Sudha Murty, author and philanthropist, said.

Being there for each other

Alone we can do much but together we make possible the impossible. It is important to have the support of each other and cheer each other on.

“If you are educated and have a job, take some time out to empower another woman who is at a weaker position than you. Educate her, give her skill training, build her up. If you empower one women, you empower four people indirectly— the lady, her parents, and her children. Imagine what would happen if you could empower one women every month. The world would be a better place,” Shipra Bhutani, CEO, Capita Connect, said.

Today, women need to ask themselves: “Do I have a circle of women who are my champions? Who will stand with me? Women supporters, women sponsors, and women champions who will say 'she is a star',” asked Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory.

Be confident in the fact that you have something to offer. “As women, we tend to not value ourselves and feel that we have not achieved enough to mentor someone. And this needs to change. Every woman has some learning to share with another, and one needs to identify their strengths and say it aloud,” Kuppu Lakshmi, Head Evangelist, Zoho for Startups, said.

Diversity, inclusion and equality - keep pushing for it

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, not just organisations but individuals too need to walk the talk.

“To ensure diversity, you need to think with empathy and with your heart,” Esha Ganguly Ahuja, Chief Human Resource Officer, Servify, added.

Diversity is important, but so is inclusion. “If you have diversity and no inclusion, it will show everywhere,” Tina Vinod, Tina Vinod, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, ThoughtWorks India, said.

What is your favourite quote. How and why does it resonate with you?

ALSO READ: It’s time to script a new ‘her story’ and other lessons from the Women on A Mission Summit