As a woman, daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, and tennis player, I find inspiration in everyone around me...my peers, family and coaches. I also find positive influence from my favorite tennis pros.
In their own way (and whether they know it or not), each and every one of these people have given me a little something that inspires me to be my best, every day :-)
Here are some feel good motivational musings from Serena Williams that we can all take to heart:
- I found a cool way to inspire myself: I started using affirmations as the passwords to my phone and my computer. I was surprised how many times a day you log in and have an opportunity to trigger that positivity. I love that I can use technology that way.
- I play for me, but I also play and represent something much greater than me.
- I had to get comfortable with knowing that one of my weaknesses was my weight. Especially growing up with Venus, who's so tall and slim and model-like, and me, I'm thick and hips and everything. I used to feel like I wanted to be her. I wanted to be thin, but it wasn't me, so I had to learn that I'm going to have larger boobs. I'm going to be bigger, and just enjoy that. So I think it's good for a lot of other girls who are curvy or more bodacious to be confident in themselves.
- If anything happens, I'm always going to be myself.
- Every coach, every person, my dad always saying: 'Just focus on this, focus on this point!'. I feel like everyone says that. I kind of just take that to heart.
- I love how I look. I am a fool woman and I'm strong. And I'm powerful. And I'm beautiful at the same time.
- Equality is important. We need to see more women and people of different colors and nationalities in tech. I want young people to look at the trailblazers we've assembled below and be inspired. I hope they eventually become trailblazers themselves. Together we can change the future.
- There is enough at the table for everyone.
- Preparing for a tournament, I just think about what I'm going to do on the court, technique-wise. I don't consider the person I'm playing, especially that far into the tournament.
- I don't dwell in the past. If I do, I'll be swallowed up by negativity. As Mandela once said, 'I will be in a mental prison.'
- When someone's harassing someone else, speak up! J. K. Rowling spoke up for me this summer, and it was an amazing feeling-I thought, well, "I can speak up too.
- I've been a little more vocal, but I want to do more. I want to help everyone to see the so-called light. But there are a lot of other athletes, actors, politicians who are speaking out-of all colors, by the way. They're not sitting back. They're calling for justice straight away. It makes me look at myself and say, like, What am I doing? I have a platform. I can speak out, too. If one person hears me, maybe that person can speak out and help. I embrace that. I'm willing and happy to be part of this new movement.
- I've come a really long way. But I never look at that that way. I always look like there's still so much further for me to go and so much further that I want to go.
