I\u2019ve been invited by Clinique to share with you my definition of smart, to celebrate the inspirational women in our lives who have had a hand in making us who we are. It\u2019s occurred to me that I\u2019ve never done a post like this before, so it\u2019s a little more personal than you would usually expect from me, but this is a campaign I can really get behind. Not only does it support the sisterhood (something I\u2019m all about), it also gives us a chance to credit the smart women in our lives who really do deserve some recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I chose my lovely mum as the person I look up to the most, there\u2019s really no one else that compares to her and I didn\u2019t think twice about making her the star of this post. My mum, Lois, is one of those get up and go people, she can put her mind to absolutely anything and get it spot on \u2013 from life advice to gardening and even plastering walls, she can do it all. It\u2019s this \u2018I can\u2018 attitude that has inspired me to go to university, move countries alone for better opportunities and even start my own business.
I learnt from a very early age to be completely independent, and much of this came from my mum. Right from the get-go she\u2019s made sure I know how important it is to live for myself and to have my own plan; she\u2019s encouraged my ever-changing school and career choices, talked me out of some rash decisions and picked me up after one too many bad breakups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mum seems to be able to conquer everything; she married my (equally lovely) dad at age 21, travelled the world with him by boat as the Captain\u2019s wife and later, brought up three kids while her husband was away at sea for often nine months at a time. She nursed, ran a dairy farm and raised four children \u2013 and even helped my poorly dad get better when he fell ill with a lifelong condition when I was four years old. Soon after, she moved the whole family to the North Island of New Zealand, and again to Australia and then Scotland \u2013 something that seems entirely impossible to me, but I look back on those times and remember them as being stress-free and always, always exciting and hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t think of her as being just smart in the intelligent sense, she is completely inspiring and, at times, even heroic. Her outlook on life is something to be proud of, she\u2019s forever positive, always strong-willed, determined and tough and has the best sense of humour going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to me, smart is summed up by a number of things; it\u2019s not just your ability to think on your feet or get through school. Being smart means that you are continuously inspiring those around you, encouraging positive thinking and helping others to feel empowered, independent and strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope you have someone you look up to that you can celebrate throughout the Smart Women campaign, the ladies in our lives deserve to know how much they mean to us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the launch of Clinique\u2019s latest innovation, Clinique Smart Custom Serum, they\u2019re celebrating Smart Women. Who\u2019s the smartest woman you know? For the chance to win a full size product, tweet a picture of yourself with the smartest women you know to @Clinique_UK with hashtag #SmartWomen<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum \u2013 Available in store and online at Clinique.co.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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