When she was first elected to office in 1979, I was old enough to notice but young enough not to pay much attention to anything political. Thatcher was the first woman and longest serving Prime Minister of Great Britain. She was staunchly and unapologetically conservative, yet challenged the status quo of her own party. She transformed her country with policies which, as one commentator put it today, “put the GREAT back in Great Britain.” She was often criticized, especially for her foreign policies. And Thatcher heard a lot of trash-talk. She was called everything from (affectionately) Maggie to (mockingly) Attila the Hen. The nickname that stuck was The Iron Lady.
After leaving office in 1990, Margaret Thatcher was active on the speaking circuit until she retired about 10 years ago. She was widowed in 1993 after fifty years of marriage. The once Iron Lady became frail through her last years when age and dementia took its toll.
I’ve come to admire what she did and how she did it. Margaret Thatcher ignored her numerous, vociferous critics as she stood up for what she believed was right for her country; I guess she let the results speak for themselves. Thatcher’s legacy includes many interesting quotes. I didn’t like some of them but this one makes me smile: “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.” However, my favorite Margaret Thatcher quote is one that spouses a philosophy that I learned in my twenties. I believe it embraces life, promotes personal growth and tickles the law of attraction.
“Watch your thoughts for they become words.
Watch your words for they become actions.
Watch your actions for they become habits.
Watch your habits for they become your character.
And watch your character for it becomes your destiny.
What we think, we become.”
May we each have a bit of The Iron Lady as we victory our way to our own successes!
