3 Things I Learned From Marie Curie

As a woman in the late 19th century, Marie Curie wasn't allowed to enroll at a university in her native Poland. Somehow she still became the first female professor at the University of Paris, the first woman to win a Nobel prize, and the first person to win two Nobel prizes. Amazing!

None of this landed in her lap, however. As a student in Paris, she suffered from cold winters, even on occasion fainting from hunger. Later, she and her husband did their Nobel prize-winning research in a leaky shed and lectured to earn money to support their young family.

Aged 35, she received her doctorate and shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. Three years later, in 1906, her world fell apart when her husband was killed in a road accident. Raising two children as a single parent, she somehow went on to become the Chair in Physics, and in 1911, to receive another Nobel Prize.

If you think you're having a bad day, spare a thought for Marie. It is unlikely she was born with insights or talents that the rest of us don't have access to. In the 1937 biography by her daughter, she is quoted as saying:

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained."

I see this sort of behavior in every successful person I've met. Life is not easy, but successful people possess, find, or create an unwavering belief that they are gifted and meant for something. The three things that this quote by Marie Curie to me are simply this:

1. Believe you are gifted for something. And do so today. Right now.
2. Find out what it is. As soon as you possibly can. Life is short.
3. Commit to it. Every day.

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I've endeavored to make this article succinct. Short is good. But succinct is an unnatural act for writers. Something we have to learn and practice. The longer version of this article is at this link where the extra three hundred words helped. Probably, maybe, at least, so I believe :-)

Here’s my other latest article on LinkedIn but you may also be interested in:

•  Three Strategies To Improve Self-Talk

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