You Are the Leading Lady of Your Life

I’m a huge movie fan, so of course I’m excited about the Academy Awards this Sunday. I once had a chance to tour the factory that makes the Oscar statues as well as many other awards. Sadly, I was unable to sneak one into my purse.

I love how movies can take you into another world and you can live out all your wildest fantasies from the comfort of a theater seat or the couch in your living room.

Movies with strong female leads appeal to me. One of my favorite movies is The Holiday starring the lovely leading ladies Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.

Cameron plays Amanda, a no-nonsense film trailer producer in California who pushes everyone away. Kate plays Iris, a weepy newspaper writer in England who lets people (and one awful ex-boyfriend) walk all over her.

Amanda and Iris switch houses for the Christmas holiday and each learns to overcome their character flaws: Amanda lets herself be vulnerable and Iris finally grows a backbone (or gets some gumption as she says).

Everything works out in the end—this is a movie after all!

In one scene, Iris is having dinner with her neighbor, an old-timey movie producer. As she’s crying (again) about her situation, her friend gives her some spot-on advice: you are the leading lady of you own life!

Click here to watch this inspiring scene. Sorry, the embedding is disabled.

We should all be the leading ladies of our own lives. Who else would we be?

Think about that. What is a leading lady like in the movies? She’s strong. She’s capable. She knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to do what it takes to get it.

But what about the typical best friend in the movies? She’s weak. She doesn’t know what she wants. She settles for whatever she gets.

Consider how you act, how you carry yourself, and how you think about yourself.

Are you the leading lady or the best friend?

I want to be the leading lady of my life! And I hope you do too.

Here are a few characteristics of my ideal leading lady:

• She never wears yoga pants to the grocery store.
• She smiles at everyone she meets and says “thank you” often.
• She imagines that everything will work out in her favor.
• She takes care of her body by exercising and eating healthy food.
• She gets plenty of sleep and wakes up refreshed.
• She takes her business seriously and is always learning new ways to serve her clients.

I won’t be attending the Oscars this weekend, and I don’t see many red-carpet events in my future.

But I know I’m a leading lady, and it’s my time in the spotlight!

What will you do to act like the leading lady of your life?