Last night I read an Elle magazine article on Hillary Clinton.
Hillary reminded me of the importance of knowing your personality and
being yourself. During the 2008 presidential campaign Hillary was
advised that if she wanted to compete in the big boys club she would
have to act like a man, and was advised to be a "father figure" for the
country. This bad advice lead to disastrous results for her political
and presidential ambition. She was by far the most experienced,
skilled, and qualified of the presidential candidates, but her rigid,
egotistical persona made the voters run, and she lost her hopes of a
nomination to a more charismatic, though less experienced, candidate.
As
the current Secretary of State she has not only been able to fulfill
her passion of advocating for women and children's rights while making a
positive difference for peace and change in this world, she is also
finding herself, and allowing her authentic self to emerge. She is
becoming more personable, friendly, and shall I say, womanly. No longer
is she trying to be "one of the boys" she is holding her own as
herself, a powerful, intelligent, bright woman. As she is allowing her
authentic self to emerge her popularity and likeability ratings have
risen. Many are expressing desires for her to run for president again,
and desires for her to swap roles with Biden for the Vice Presidency in
2012.
As she is becoming more authentic she is also
honoring herself and what is best for Hillary. Hillary now recognizes
that she is not like her extroverted husband who thrives on the public
and gets energized by the crowd. She has identified herself as having
an introverted personality and as much as she loves the public, being in
the public depletes her energy. Recognizing this aspect of herself,
and honoring this part of who she is, she no longer craves for or
strives after the presidential nomination. She also has no intention to
continue as Secretary of State if Obama wins the 2012 election. Will
she stop advocating for change and women's rights? Hardly, but she will
do it in a way that honors and supports her. She is choosing to move
her life forward in a way that allows her to live fully, enjoy her life
and be herself.
By Carolyn Almendarez
