be someone not something

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” – Coco Chanel

Whew.

I love this quote.  Love it not only because of what it says … but because in my own ignorance … I had perceptions about CoCo Chanel.

I imagined someone like CoCo Chanel would be all about shallowness and glamour.

But she was a savvy businesswoman.

And smart.

And she understood  branding <before there was such a thing called branding>.

And she had a sense of style about herself we could all learn from.

And, finally, she understood responsibility of fame.

She was more someone … not just something.

I probably put her in the same category as Shirley Temple Black <she became one of the first prominent women to speak openly about breast cancer and was a Representative to the General Assembly of the United Nations> and Audrey Hepburn <UNICEF and her dedication to helping impoverished children in the poorest nations>.

These were women who were famous for glamour or entertainment and used it, and their smarts, to be something … rather than someone.

We could all take this lesson to heart.