Learning to be Successful From Biographies

Living in the century of great achievers, self-starters and self-made millionaires can be somehow intimidating. “I have worked hard earning my degrees, working on my career.

I just seem to have not reached anything in my life, except for my being a proud mother and wife. I wish I had more chances on my way…”.

The intimidation by other people’s success and beauty often comes out in the form of “love-and-hate” feelings for our heroes. We admire their achievements, beauty, glamour and elegance. On the other hand, we are somewhat glad to see their human weaknesses. Aren’t they just as us, average humans? What has put them forward: coincidence, wealth, good luck or a combination of these factors? Are they natural charmers, born to be admired?

Reading the biographies of famous people gives a lot of answers. The famous women of our history and of today definitely show some similarities: a strong sense of self, the feeling of purpose, the sense of their personal style and personal charisma.

Some of them, like Coco Chanel, were born to live without a chance for the future. She seemed to have made her business opportunity out of the air. But once she opened her business, nothing could stop her. She gradually got to know the most famous people of her time in the society, art, theatre, international aristocracy, imposing her style, using these people as a living advertisement of her creations.

Princess Diana was the one who chose to do things differently. She was unhappy in her marriage, but she found her inspiration in her charity work and helping people. Princess Di did not become a Queen of Britain, but to the people of the world she became a Queen of Hearts. Her fashion style as well as her life were the reflection of the constant work on herself and development of her personality. Princess Diana developed her unique style from being named one of the Ten Worst Dressed Women in 1982 (a nomination given by one of London’s newspapers) to being named to the 1991/1992 International Best Dressed List’s Hall of Fame for “having established an appropriate, non-dowdy modern style of royal dressing and bringing world recognition to young British designers”

Jackie Kennedy is known for her elegance, sophistication and courage. Her style is still one of the most admired and copied all over the world. The Jackie Kennedy style, however, was not about her outfits or decorating her homes. It was more about the way she conducted her life. Her sense of her own individuality, her beauty and the choices she made at each turn of her life, made her a truly inimitable.

Coco Chanel, Princess Diana, Jackie Kennedy are the examples of people who can be defined shortly as: “She was like nobody else”. They developed their unique talents and personal qualities through their lives, having brought their elegancy and their sense of personal style to its utmost as they matured. This makes them wonderful role models for millions of women all over the world and generations to come.

Reading biographies can often show us the way… No matter what we want to accomplish in any area of our lives, there are other people, who have already paid the price in trial and sacrifice to teach us the art of being successful and beautiful.