International Women’s Day 2018: Advice From Women Who Inspire Me

Happy International Women’s Day! In honor of the day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world, I’ve rounded up advice from women who inspire me. The women I’ve featured in Career Profiles motivated me to get out of my own career comfort zone and inspired me to transition my journalism side hustle into a full-time job. It’s tempting to settle into complacency with what’s comfortable, but you grow from stepping out of your comfort zone. I hope they inspire you to create a life you love.

“I learned the hard way not to give anyone else the right to determine what value you’re capable of adding. With the exception of a few rare people, most will try to keep you in the box that makes you the most valuable to them or that makes them feel the most comfortable. Rather than letting your fate be in the hands of other people’s judgment, the only person that should be in charge of your future is you.”—Kimmy Scotti, 8VC

“The coolest opportunities that you’ll have in 30 years probably don’t even exist right now, so you’re definitely not considering them in your plan. Heck, maybe you’ll be running a company from Mars! Make the best decision each step of the way, and your career will take its natural path, though not the one that you necessarily planned.” —Dorie Golkin Smith and Emelyn Northway, OfMercer

“I am incredibly lucky to have always had a great support system and a lot of encouragement to follow my ambition. I want to be that support system for people who don’t have it. My goal in life is to spread more joy and reduce suffering any way I can.” —Kristen Bell, Actress and Entrepreneur

“‘Every peak casts a shadow.’ It’s the idea that every strength has a corresponding weakness and vice versa. And this doesn’t just apply to people, it also applies to opportunities and decisions. It is actually about being mindful and balanced.” —Anna Auerbach and Annie Dean, Werk

“Mistakes will happen. Learn from those inevitable mistakes, but don’t dwell on them or beat yourself up.” —Dana Bash, CNN

“Failure is a part of growth; it’s going to happen. Don’t be scared of it because if you hold back you aren’t going to get to the places that actually give you new skills and new experiences.” —Sarah Robb O’Hagan, FlyWheel

“Get very comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you’re going to be your own boss—or potentially start your own company one day—you need to get used to learning things you don’t know, taking risks, and not knowing exactly what the next day will bring. Being your own boss isn’t easy, and yes, you will work long hours, but if you follow your passion and love what you do, it won’t seem like a job.” —Heidi Zak, ThirdLove

“Gain self-awareness and self-acceptance and surround yourself with like-minded people. I believe we should really build on our strengths. Surrounding ourselves with the right people is crucial and a great support to being the greatest versions of ourselves.” —Aimee Barr, Psychotherapist

“Success means you’re always learning and you’re pushing yourself; it means being uncomfortable is a good thing.” —Katia Beauchamp, Birchbox

“Surround yourself with people who keep you curious and inspire you to be better at anything and everything.” —Jeni Lambertson, The Constellations

“Get rid of the idea of the way things ‘should’ be. Craft a life that works for you on your own terms. Free yourself from old ideas and restrictions about life, work and love. Be true to what matters to you, and chase the things that matter.” —Ann Shoket, The Big Life

“Be bold in your pursuits and don’t rely on others to give you opportunities. Create them for yourself.”— Jasmeet Sidhu, MasterClass

“My story works because I’ve learned tough lessons and been told no.” —Lauren McGoodwin, Career Contessa

“Growth means pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Remember, your dreams are on the other side of your fears. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to feel fear but do it anyway.” —Naomi Mdudu, The Lifestyle Edit

“We love to frame everything in the context of an overnight success, but success rarely ever happens that way. We don’t hear about other peoples’ struggles enough, so when we struggle we feel like failures because we’re led to believe our heroes never dealt with the same difficulties, which is just not true. Everyone stumbles, but the great get back up and keep fighting.”  —Nur-E Farhana Rahman, Knotty Gal

“Be proactive, not reactive. Take action if you don’t like something. Don’t complain.” —Whitney Tingle and Danielle Duboise, Sakara Life

“My mum always told me to just keep going. It’s a lesson that applies to work and to life. Understanding that nothing is fatal builds resilience and helps you evolve and grow.” —Nisha Dua, BBG Ventures

“Create your own luck. Rather than sitting around, waiting for your lucky break, put yourself out there and make it happen.” —Debbie Sterling, GoldieBlox

“Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid to take a risk, listen to your gut and visualize your success. Trust that the universe will lead you to that success. We create our own realities.” —Rachel Parcell, Pink Peonies

“Ultimately, women can have it all, but they need to loop others in along the way.” —Arielle Patrick, Edelman

“Networking mostly just means being nice. There’s an assumption that when you’re fresh into your career, networking is inherently opportunistic, but my best connections come from striking up normal conversations with people who are in my industry and becoming real friends with them.” —Katie Becker, Coveteur

“You should also have a network of other women (and men) that will support you on your journey. Don’t try to go it alone.” —Dr. Christyl Johnson, NASA

“Be the person you want your children to have as a role model. Listen to what people say, as well as what they aren’t saying. Be confident, honest and kind.” —Liz Dee, Sarah Dee, and Jessica Dee Sawyer, Smarties Candy Company

“Don’t compare their highlight reel to your day-to-day. The reality is, you have no idea how they got there or what struggles they faced on their journey, and it’s very likely that they faced a lot. It is better to focus on what you’re doing and not what anyone else is.” —Danit Zamir and Julia Capalino, Bloomerent

“Trying everything you think you might be interested in is the fastest way to build an interesting life, which is the ultimate goal.” —Molly Ford Beck, Author, Consultant, and Blogger

“Keep your eyes, mind and heart open to new learning opportunities. Don’t be too siloed.” —Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, Well+Good

“Remember: No ‘thing’ can generate happiness. No goal met or accomplishment checked off the list can provide true fulfillment. Happiness, satisfaction, and contentment are found within, which makes understanding yourself a step you can’t skip or take lightly.” —Kimberly Barnes, ContentPark

“Don’t be afraid to take a risk in your career, whether it’s taking a new job, forging a new career path or starting your own passion project. If you’re not a little scared, you’re probably not challenging yourself to reach your full potential.” —Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn, Tone It Up

“The difference between succeeding and failing may be just in the speed you can dust off, regroup and start running again.” —Susan Tynan, Framebridge

“Take ownership of your career. No one is going to care more or know what you want better than you.” —Rachel ten Brink, Scentbird and Deck of Scarlet

“Don’t worry if you don’t have the best idea – you’ll iterate on it. Don’t worry if you don’t have the financial means – you’ll start slowly. Don’t sit on your great idea. Build it.” —Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox, Oars + Alps

“The biggest lesson is honestly to be yourself. The reason you are there is because you are different. You are original.” —Lucy Sykes, Author and Fashion Designer

“Don’t spend so much time looking at your neighbor’s grass that you forget to water your own.” —Jaclyn Johnson, Create & Cultivate

“Always have a goal and work toward it every single day. Everyone starts at the bottom and, if you have to be an assistant for a few years to someday reach your goal of becoming CEO, then be the very best assistant that the company has ever had.” —Christy Doramus, Crowns By Christy

“You have to take control over your career because no one else will do it for you.” —Alexandra Cavoulacos, The Muse

“Take in all the advice and suggestions people throw your way, but in the end, listen to your gut. No one else is in your shoes or has the sum total of experiences you have, so you need to make the decision that is best for you.” —Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping

“My goal is for my site to be a destination for anyone who entertains, loves their home, and appreciates beautiful things!” —Amanda Gluck, Fashionable Hostess

“Recognize that you’re the only person standing in your way, and the faster you can stop listening to the little voice that says you can’t do it, the faster you’ll start really living! You’ll be surprised the doors that open when you trust yourself and put in the work to get there.” —Julia Gudish Krieger, VillageLuxe

“It’s a tough job to be a modern woman: Professional and family responsibilities can be overwhelming sometimes! Take care of yourself.” —Evgeniya Khromina, Panah

“You have to keep challenging yourself, creating more work for yourself, looking toward what’s next and continuously setting higher and higher goals for yourself and your company as a whole. And the basis for all of this is passion—if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, it will be significantly harder to succeed at it.” —Stephanie Kaplan, Her Campus

“There are a lot of things that we’d like to see happen – whether for our own careers, for others, or in our personal lives, and we spend a lot of time and energy scheming to make them happen, rather than just ask for them directly from those who have the authority to act. It’s super scary! But immensely rewarding.” —Ellyn Canfield, The NYC Mayor’s Office

“The lesson for everyone is this: Your story is worth it and there will always be people who will be willing to listen without judgment the whole way through.” —Emily Belden, Author

“Observe how much time you spend judging yourself and others. Note that it’s a total and complete energy suck and if you can work on it, you’ll have so much more emotional bandwidth to do positive things. Also, work on giving less f*cks.” —Claire Wasserman, Ladies Get Paid

“It’s important to remember that it’s as much about the journey as where you plan on ending up. Time is going to pass anyway, might as well work on something you’re excited about. Don’t let perfection stop your progress.” —Reese Evans, Yes Supply Co.

“Don’t write an entire career or industry off just because you think you won’t fit in or don’t see others there already that resemble you. In fact, those are the places where your voice is needed most.” —Laurence Bradford, Learn to Code With Me and Teachable

“You’re only as strong as you let yourself be—knowing your worth internally will help you exude that confidence externally too.” —Emily Drewry, Forbes

“Be confident in what you do well, but adaptable about how you do it. I felt a lot of pressure in my early twenties to be all things to all people—especially employers. Experience has made me more self-assured about what I excel at and more honest about what I suck at.” —Lauren Maffeo, Get App and Journalist

“When you’re the highest possible expression of yourself, all the right opportunities and people will be drawn onto your path.” —Maxie McCoy, Writer and Speaker

“Find your own way and stop listening to others dictate what’s best for you and your business.” —Jenny Dorsey, Wednesdays NYC and Jenny Dorsey Consulting

“Take the path of least regret. I always say that we regret the things we don’t do more than the things that we do. When in doubt, take the leap and if it doesn’t work out move forward.” —Amanda Freeman, SLT

“Once I decided to let go of every comfort, excuse and shred of doubt is when the miracles started to happen. I took a chance on myself and my dreams and every day I see miracles happen that push me forward. Choosing to believe whole-heartedly in yourself is the best advice I can give.” —Lillian Garcia, The Way U

“Do what makes you happy. Don’t get caught up in the societal pressure of what’s going on around you — just do what makes you happy and makes you feel good. With all that joy and confidence, the rest will fall into place!” —Agathe Assouline-Lichten, Red Velvet NYC

“I wish I knew that it’s ok to not know exactly what you what to do right out of the gate. Sometimes you know exactly where you want to be, but it’s also completely alright to fall into it. Keep your eyes open and find your passion.” —Shannon Maguire, Comedy Central

“Even if there is failure, we will all learn from it and then grow from it.” —Rachel Piskin, ChaiseFitness

“We can do anything we want, the trick is, it’s usually waiting for us just beyond our comfort zone.” —Julia Pimsleur, Million Dollar Women

“Women tend to be helpers, which means we often put the needs of others ahead of ourselves. Sometimes your needs, goals, and accomplishments should take center stage.” —Sarah Soden, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City

“Anything is possible with hard work. I really do believe that anything can be accomplished with hard work and never taking the easy road.” —Maggie Lord, Rustic Wedding Chic

“Passion, resilience, and determination. Being an entrepreneur will force you to make a lot of tough choices that a more typical career path won’t have you face. If you don’t have those three things, it will be hard to take those leaps.” —Annie Shafran, Bellgray

“You can be or do anything you want. Whether or not it’s 100% true, doesn’t matter. My dad always told me that my whole life, so I believed it. It powered me through a lot.” —Leah Ginsberg, Forbes

“It’s a group you call your squad. It’s the people who support you, who advise you, who lift you up when you need it, your unconditional professional support system, your girl gang.” —Jessica Bennett, Feminist Fight Club

“If you are in a position of privilege and power and have a voice that can be heard, use it to help bring others up.” —Meredith Walker, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls

“Believe in what you set out to do. Follow your north star.” —Brit Morin, Brit + Co

“A support system is crucial – one cannot move mountains alone.” —Claudia Mason, model and author

“Do what makes you happy and what brings you the most joy because likely, that’s what you’ll be best at.” —Lucie Fink, Refinery29

“If you’re ever going to commit to doing something, you’d better give it your all.” —Liz Wessel, WayUp

“Work hard, don’t cut corners and be nice to those around you.” —Johanna Lanus, Work With Balance

“The answer is always within you just surround yourself with great people who will ask you great and challenging questions.” —Maja Svensson, Elsa and Me

“Be extraordinary.” —Callie Schweitzer, Time Inc.

“Push past your comfort zone in all facets of life: emotionally, physically and mentally. You’re usually capable of more than meets the eye if you really believe in what you set your mind to.” —Ali Martillotta, BRANDSTYLE Communications

“If you truly believe in something, you will find a way to teach yourself the necessary skills to get the job done. Action is better than inaction.” —Jenna Tanenbaum, GreenBlender

“Always be true to yourself. At the end of the day, you have to go home to yourself. You have to be with yourself. So make sure what you do is representative of who you are and that you feel comfortable to stand behind your work.” —Kathryn Finney, digitalundivided

“My profession brings out my adventurous side, forces me to leave my comfort zone, and exposes me to worlds I would have never otherwise discovered.” —Suzannah Weiss, Freelance Writer

“The best job is one that combines your personal interests with your professional interests. Once you find a profession and job you love, stick to it!” —Jessica Pollack, Crunch Gym

“So my advice is basically you do you! Know yourself, trust your gut, and have the determination to make your dreams a reality.” —Monica Gray, DreamWakers

“Always set goals for yourself. How can you accomplish great things if you don’t know what they are?”  —Amanda Galvin, LinkedIn

“I have a general rule of thumb to say ‘yes’ more than I say ‘no’ to new opportunities and challenges – and that has guided me.” —Tracy Brower, Mars Drinks

“Be passionate about your career and it will never feel like work.” —Lisa Ronis, Lisa Ronis Matchmaking

“Find great mentors and maintain those relationships vigorously.” —Alyssa Rapp, AJR Ventures

“You know yourself better than you think you do, and if you trust your instincts and follow your gut, you’ll end up in the right place.” —Carolyn Stine, Club Monaco

“Trust your intuition, your instinct, and find the joy in a few leaps-of-faith along the way. That’s where the magic happens.” —Elizabeth Lane, quarterlane

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. I used to associate mistakes with failure rather than learning something. I was really hard on myself early in my career.” —Claire Cook, Girls Who Code

“Sometimes if we just sit with ourselves in the discomfort and let it move through us instead of acting out or responding right away, we start to feel empowered instead of powerless.” —Ellie Burrows, MNDFL Meditation

“Be honest with yourself. Respect yourself. Listen to that small, still voice that tells you try something new, to push forward, not to give up. Life’s too short to live with regrets.” —Dr. Melanie Ross Mills, Therapist

“You only get what you ask for, so find out what you need to be happy, and get after it.” —Kate Gremillion, Mavenly + Co.

“Find three hobbies you love: one that could make you money, one to keep you in shape, and one to be creative.” —Tracy Dungo, Kalaki Riot

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and ask for help. Starting out, I thought I had to have it all figured out, otherwise no one would take me seriously. However, being humble and asking for help goes a long way.”—Meika Hollender, Sustain

“Learning to live comfortably in the unknown was at first a challenge but is now a mindset that is filled with rewards.” —Olivia Fay, Rallier

“Surround yourself with other like-minded woman who motivate and inspire you.” —Alison Chace, Pink Wisdom

“There’s two women you should connect with at every job: one woman you look up to, and one woman who looks up to you.” —Caitlin Abber, Women’s Health

“Look forward, not backward — and don’t stress over trying to control things you have no control over.” —Deanne Kaczerski, InStyle

“Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t hide your failures. Your life will be a series of failures, learn from them and become braver by them.” —Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code

“Progress, not perfection.” —Bigi Sann, Bandier

“Trust your potential. Visualize where you want to be, and map out what you think it will take for you to get there – and you will.” —Paris Rouzati, About.me

“Trust yourself. Usually you’re the one who has the answer.” —Nicole Ross, USA Fencing

“People care about action, not talk. If you can deliver, you’re golden.” —Pinsi Lei, Pinsi Lei Creative

“Don’t be scared to do it alone (as daunting as it is to attend networking events or something on your own). I highly recommend putting yourself in those uncomfortable situations for those are the experiences that challenge you and offer you the most reward.” —Emily Merrell, INTERMIX and City Society

“Get out there and make it happen! Something I’ve learned over the years is that you need to look out for yourself and make yourself heard. You want a promotion or raise? You need to pitch yourself and not be afraid to ask for what you want, otherwise how will anyone know you even want it? Don’t hold yourself back, be brave and speak up.” —Amanda Shapin, Cosmopolitanand Seventeen

“Nothing is ever as scary as you think it is.” —Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, LOLA

“Accept that there’s no such thing as balance. Some days you’re going to be awesome at one thing and other days you’ll be awesome at something else. Follow your heart. Different decisions are right for different people. Do what makes you happy and those around you will also be happy.” —Kari Saitowitz, The Fhitting Room

“Don’t let fear get in the way—you are largely only limited by your own mind.” —Jane Mosbacher Morris, To The Market

“Don’t be afraid to ask. Whether you are asking for an assignment on a project, a raise, or a promotion you always have to ask. I learned early on in my career that if you don’t ask, you generally won’t receive. It’s rare to find a manager who is always ahead of the curve in advocating for you, so you need to speak up and advocate for yourself (of course, you must also present the ‘why’ but that’s the easy part). This also applies to so many other situations in life and we may miss out on opportunities if we fail to ask the key questions. How will you know if you can get better pricing on a deal if you didn’t ask? How will you know what’s on someone’s mind if you didn’t ask? You may not always get the answer you want, but at least you can walk away from every situation feeling like no stone was unturned and you did your absolute best to get what you needed.” —Chelsea Kocis, SWERVE

“So what I learned is, you need to blog for the love of what you’re writing about and stay focused on that. As much as possible, try not to worry about things like pageviews, feedback, comparing yourself to others, growth or lack thereof, etc. If you feel burned out, take a break! But don’t have the attitude of all or nothing like I did.” —Jackie Clair, York Avenue and Operating Room Nurse

“The most important thing you can be is determined. Passion gets you started: Determination gets you over the goal line.” —Alesya Opelt, Alesya Bags

“The best piece of advice that I have received is to ‘tap into your intuition and learn to listen to it.’ It’s the best guiding principle for my life both personally and professionally. I’ve learned, and I’m continually learning, to avoid distractions because of my intuition.” —Tiannia Barnes, Tiannia Barnes

“I believe our thoughts are self-fulfilling prophecies. Pessimistic thoughts become negative feelings and translate to negative actions, even subconsciously. I love the notion that if we believe great things are coming our way, they’re already half way there.” —Samantha Emrich, Ketchum and Catching Dragonfly

“That it’s okay to fail. I was so scared of making mistakes that it kept me from taking on bigger projects and opportunities to grow. I stayed small so I could master the tasks I was doing. Since starting my business, my relationship with failure has been redefined. I’m failing all the time and have realized that failure is just a milestone in the process towards success. If I had known and lived that early on, my experience starting my career would have been very different.” —Ashley Feinstein, Knowing Your Worth

“As much as you want to have all the answers and have it all figured out, there are things you’ll wish you did differently, but things really do have a way of working out as they are meant to, try not to worry so much.” —Caroline Shifflett, Tory Burch

“I think the most important thing young professional women can do is respect one another. It is incredibly frustrating to see the lack of respect or the way women talk down to other women. We have to set a good example for our future daughters and other young female professionals and raise each other up!” —Amanda Keegan, Good Morning America

“Luck is something that’s truly found at the intersection of preparation and opportunity.” —Rhonesha Byng, Her Agenda

“I’m not sure who said it, but I love this one: ‘Amazing people do not just happen.’” —Evann Clingan, 360i and Evan Clingan

“Comparing yourself and your career to those around you is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you live in NYC. You are surrounded by some of the brightest, most driven people in the world. Let that energy be a source of inspiration and motivation rather than comparison. Everyone’s career is their own journey and there is no one definition of success.” —Alexandra Moncure, Financial Times

“Work hard. Pay attention. Ask questions. Listen.” —Bridie Clark Loverro, Andra Newman, and Betsy O’Reilly, Quad Jobs

“I’ve kept the same quote taped to my computer monitor for the last 3 years. The quote is by Maya Angelou and reads, ‘The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humor, and style.’ I love this mantra for two reasons. Firstly, I think it’s both the most unusual and spot-on choice of words I’ve ever heard: passion, compassion, humor, and style. We can all only hope to embody those traits daily. (Right now, I’m shooting for just one day of the week.) And secondly, I never want to consider myself just ‘surviving.’ That breaks my heart. Whether professionally or personally, this mantra is a good reminder that if I’m not in a place, position, or relationship where I’m thriving, it’s time to make a change.” —Carly Potock, Google

“You are smarter than you know and more capable than you feel. Remember that; then just start.” —Jenna Arak, Jenna Arak Modern Day Storyteller

“I feel like it’s kind of weird to be giving advice when I haven’t graduated yet, but here’s the advice a guy gave me last week when he accidentally thought I was a college senior and started spewing all sorts of wisdom: ‘Embrace the panic, and enjoy the ride.’” —Lily Herman, The Prospect

“The best advice I was given and would give other entrepreneurs is that a ‘no,’ doesn’t really mean a ‘no,’ it just means you have to be persistent and stick with it until you get a ‘yes.’ Also, entrepreneurship is all about being able to take calculated risks, you have to approach it with a sense of adventure and not be bogged down by fear of failure. You can’t worry about failure too much because every failure you can eventually turn into a success. To get ahead, you have to be able to jump in.” —Agnieszka Burnett, Nomaterra

“Stay focused on you, and not what anyone else is doing. Don’t compare yourselves to others. Strive for greatness; be polite yet bold. If all of a sudden you want to take your career in another direction, DO IT. It’s never too late to just start all over. I switched the direction of my career after two years, anything is possible.” —Micaela English, Town and Country

“Be proactive. Don’t only do what you’re told. Find a better process or develop a new program that will help you stand out and be remembered.” —Tracey Skaler, Seventeen

“My dad once told me: ‘No one else knows what they’re doing, either.’ So many women—myself included—have this tendency to assume that everyone else has it all together, that we’re the only ones who are second-guessing ourselves. And it couldn’t be further from the truth. You learn specific skills over time, of course, but then life throws you into a completely different arena where those skills aren’t even applicable anymore. We’re all getting knocked down and crawling back to our feet over and over…but we only see our own stumbles.” —Julie Schechter, FitBallet

“Be curious, ask questions when you have them, and set goals for yourself in all areas of your life. Also, be flexible. It is good to have a routine that works for you but it is also important to be spontaneous. That is how you meet new people and expose yourself. I think that some of the greatest moments are those that happen unexpectedly.” —Madeleine Casella, The Museum of Modern Art

“If you are on the right road, keep your head down, do good work, and press forward.  You’ll get there little by little every day — and speak up when you’re ready for more responsibility!”—Meagan Hooper, bSmart Guide

“I loved the part in Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In when she writes about the best question an interviewee has ever asked her. The person she was interviewing asked, ‘What is the company’s biggest problem and what can I do to solve it?’ I think as you are networking, that is the most important question that you can possibly ask anyone. Not only is it a good question, you are essentially asking what that person really needs, but you are also asking what can you do to help, and people really do remember that, especially when you follow-through.” —Katie Schloss, Three Jane

“Don’t be afraid of hard work and always say yes. The early years of your career are critical for growth – work hard, always be willing to help out and don’t be afraid to speak up – especially when you have an idea!” —Cait Weingartner, Pretty and Fun

“I’ve always been inspired by this quote by Diane Von Furstenberg: ‘I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.’ Becoming a Lovely It Girl is all about embracing who you are and letting go of who you think you should be.” —Michela Aramini, SELF and The Lovely It Girl