Practical
Wisdom
“My
success was not based so much on any great intelligence, but on great
common sense.”
Helen Gurley Brown
Helen Gurley Brown
In
meditation this morning, I asked, “What shall I write about today?”
Instantly, the name Helen Gurley Brown popped into my mind. I
actually said out loud, “you've got to be kidding!” I'll be
honest with you, I knew almost nothing about her, except for a vague
memory that she was highly controversial. Then I did the research,
and saw that she wrote, “Sex and the Single Girl,” published in
1962, one of the books that gave high octane fuel to the women's
movement. And, she was long-time editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine. So
what does that have to do with spirituality?
Helen
Gurley Brown was a great believer in the value of hard work and of
moving women from the kitchen to the corner office. Let it be said,
however, that she was married—to the same man for fifty years. And,
though she was quite attractive, always fashionable and glamorous,
she didn't use her looks as leverage as was popular for women of that
era. “Beauty can't amuse you, but brain-work—reading, writing,
thinking can.” She strongly advocated for the notion that smart is
sexy in women as well as men.
Common
sense was key to her success. She knew how to give people
opportunities to open up; how to steer a conversation in a direction
she wanted it to go without bulldozing or manipulating, and she knew
when silence was the best option. I, of course, attribute that to her
Southern roots—she was born in Arkansas! She said, “Never fail to
know that if you are doing all the talking, you are boring somebody!”
She admired successful people. Rather than jealousy, she expressed
awe for other people with talent. A final Helen Gurley Brown piece of
wisdom, “Laugh a little when the joke's on you.” I guess we all
needed a dose of common sense spirituality this morning.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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