Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash (http://ashwalker2010.blogspot.com/2010/03/mary-kay-ash.html)

Hidden Heroes

To be a hero, a super power is not necessarily needed, there are many different traits that can qualify someone as a hero. A hero could be anyone from anywhere, friends, family members, even strangers. Mary Kay Ash was born in Hot Wells, Texas on May 12, 1918. She had been born a regular girl into a regular family. Just as any other average person, she had dreams of her future and what she wanted her life to be like, yet life never seems to follow any man made plans. Mary Kay Ash is considered a hero and an inspiration to many people because she treated all people fairly, she always had good intentions in her actions, and she had continuously been a strong willed woman throughout her life.

Mary Kay Ash is a hero and an inspiration to many because she had always believed in treating all people fairly. Her fair attitude towards people most likely stemmed from her experiences before she started her own business. She had been employed at many other companies and was not treated with the most equality. “Ash spent a little more than a decade at the company, but she quit in protest after watching yet another man that she had trained get promoted above her…” (Mary Kay Ash Biography). Before starting her own company she worked at World Gifts in 1952. Mary Kay Ash put forth her best effort while working for the company, she was dedicated and hard working, yet because she was a woman she had been continuously held back. She believed that all people should receive the same opportunities, especially the people who took their jobs seriously. Her thoughts of treating employees fairly seemed to carry over into her own business when she finally got it started. “Ash gave away vacations, jewelry, and pink Cadillacs to her top performers…” (Stefoff). Mary Kay Ash knew the true value of good and hard workers and she did not discriminate between men and women in the work place, as many of her former employers had done. She believed that if her sales consultants were happy then her business would prosper. Happy workers who enjoy their jobs will always lead to a better work environment and a better company all together. Mary Kay Ash seemed to always be thinking of other people and trying to make sure that everyone else was pleased and got the treatment they deserved

Mary Kay Ash can also be considered a hero and an inspiration to others because she always kept good intentions in all of the actions she took. Through all the obstacles life threw at her she stayed optimistic and tried to do what was right no matter what. “When Mary Kay was two or three, her father was ill with tuberculosis. As a result, it was her responsibility to clean, cook and care for her father while her mother was at work,” (Stefoff). Doing what was right, she always tried to take care of people such as her father when he had been ill. She had dreams and goals of her own, yet she took responsibility and did what she believed was the right thing to do. She always wanted to do what was best for people, even if she did not have to. She kept the best of intentions and it showed through many actions she took. She did more than just donating valuables to her hard working employees and taking care of herself and her family. “The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation also continues to make contributions to cancer research and preventing violence against women,” (Walt). Not only was she keeping good intentions for the workers of her company and her family, she also started a foundation to help women. Being a woman she knew that in many instances women were discriminated against at the work place and many ran into much harder obstacles in their lives, and she had wanted to help them. Along with starting the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, after her third husband died of cancer she also raised money for St. Paul’s Medical Center for Cancer Immunotherapy in Dallas, Texas. By taking actions like these she helped many people live better lives, all because of her good intentions which seemed to be because of her good nature.

Products by Mary Kay Ash (http://mlmfiles.com/mary-kay-company-review/)

Another reason Mary Kay Ash is considered a hero and an inspiration to many people is because throughout her life she remained a strong willed woman through all her hardships. From the beginning she had a hard life, her father ill and her mother constantly working, yet she kept her head held high and got through everything life handed her. “Divorced during World War II and raising three small children on her own, she soon moved from a secretarial position onto sales with Stanley Home Products,” (Friedricks). Mary Kay Ash seemed to always have a lot on her plate, raising a family and attempting to make enough money to support her family during a time when women were not given equal opportunities had been hard for her. Many people in similar situations usually give up or ask others for help because they cannot make it on their own. Her emotional strength helped her progress through life and continue on. “Ash’s second husband had died in 1963, a month before her company was established,” (Stefoff). Mary Kay Ash did not want to let anyone or anything stand in her way. Her strong will pushed her to succeed through the most troubling of times and would eventually pay off. When her second husband died, she was extremely upset, however she had more strength than to let it bring her down, especially when she was starting to build her empire. Mary Kay Ash’s heroic emotional strength and her unwavering strong willed personality helped inspire many other women to be the same way and believe that they should never give up.

Due to her belief of treating people fairly, keeping her good intentions, and her extraordinarily strong will, Mary Kay Ash is a hero and an inspiration to many people. She treated her employees and everyone else with equality, she was continuously trying to do what was right by keeping good intentions in mind, and she retained her strong will power to help her overcome many hardships. Mary Kay Ash is an inspiration to humanity because she did many things other people only dream of doing. She inspired many people to work hard for their dreams and to not let anyone or anything stand in the way. She also showed people that by remaining strong willed, anyone can overcome life’s obstacles. Mary Kay Ash is just one of the many average people who have heroic traits that help them achieve their goals, help people, and inspire people along the way.

Works Consulted

Friedricks, William. "Mary Kay Ash." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 6 May. 2011. J., Andrew. "Mary Kay Ash: The Greatest Entrepreneur." Blogspot.com. 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 May 2011. . "Mary Kay Ash Biography." Biography.com. The Biography Channel Website, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 06 May 2011. . Nelson, Ryan. "Mary Kay Company Review." Mlmfiles.com. Web. 16 May 2011. (http://mlmfiles.com/mary-kay-company-review/).

Stefoff, Rebecca. "Mary Kay Ash Biography - Life, Family, Children, Story, School, Mother, Son, Book, Information, Born, College, Husband." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 1995. Web. 06 May 2011. (http://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Ash-Mary-Kay.html).

"The Houston Hot Well Sanitarium and Hotel." Blogs.har.com. Cy-Fair Real Estate. Web. 16 May 2011. (http://blogs.har.com/1442/11907/The-Houston-Hot-Well-Sanitarium-and-Hotel/).

Walt, Leon V. "Mary Kay Ash Biography." Financial Inspiration Cafe - Your Companion on Your Journey to Financial Freedom. Web. 06 May 2011. (http://www.financial-inspiration.com/Mary-Kay-Ash-biography.html).