Sunday Snippet: Mary Kay Ash

“Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.”

While it may not be completely true that you are only limited by your imagination, it is only by trying to achieve the impossible that you can experience the extreme limits of your ability. In this way, it is important to remember that impossible is nothing and you won’t know what you can do unless you try.

Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics and she was widely respected in her community. This is not only because she was able to achieve such a great deal of success as an American businesswoman, but also for the way that she went about doing her business.

She was a firm believer in the “Golden Rule,” ensuring that everyone was treated as fairly as possible. She didn’t step on the backs of others to climb to the top. It is also very notable that she advocated for a healthy life-work balance. She wanted her business to be successful, to be sure, but she also recognized that her employees had family and personal lives too.

Even when professional success had to share the limelight, Mary Kay Ash was able to achieve beyond her wildest dreams. She wasn’t “aerodynamic,” but she was certainly able to “fly.” It’s about confidence.

As you make your way through life, don’t let anyone say you can’t do it. You can if you believe you can. You can if you put in the effort. You can if you stick to your guns, like how Mary Kay Ash describes in Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur. Don’t try to fly; just do it.