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.
