This is one of the most famous images in cowgirl history. It was taken during the 1915 Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon and shows Bonnie McCarroll being thrown in the heat of competition by a horse named Silver. She just sums up the determination, grit, and competitive nature of cowgirls, and that is what this book is all about. How can we all draw upon their courage and find our own personal power to be able to kick ass in our careers and lives?
Bonnie embodies all of this and more. In 1922, she went on to win the cowgirl bronc riding championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days and at the first Madison Square Garden Rodeo. She grew up on a small stage and wasn’t afraid to scale up to the big stage. She fearlessly and boldly performed before kings, queens, and presidents. After being thrown, she climbed back on and continued to perform. She never, never gave up, and even died trying to compete on a wild bronc in 1929.
If you walk into the rotunda at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, you see amazing images and exhibits about historic cowgirls like Bonnie McCarroll. If you look closely throughout the rotunda, you will see words that define who these women were.
Admired. Fearless. Visionary. Steadfast. Dependable. Original. Resourceful. Bold. Clever. Genuine. Skillful. True. Dauntless. Adventurous. Focused. Independent. Confident. Creative. Dedicated. Hardworking. Spirited. Trustworthy. Determined. Honored. Earnest. Passionate. Natural. Celebrated. Authentic.
I have read those words over and over again. They are the perfect definition of cowgirl power. It was true for our historic cowgirls. It is true today. You just need to reach down into your gut and pull it out. Cowgirl power is about taking responsibility for yourself and finding the personal power that is within you. It slaps down the traditional, sometimes negative, definitions of power and says by finding your inner personal power you open up a world of possibilities.
Cowgirls, my true heroines, are our trail guides through this book. Each chapter begins with a profile of a cowgirl, teaching us by her example about her own wonderful strengths and power. I also share my own stories to show you how I found my personal power. And, each step of the way, from my childhood through my early career, and later as an experienced CEO and leader, I give you guidance on how to do it in your own unique way.
All of this unfolds as I tell my stories. It is real-life success and failure told with a lot of candor, heart, and good old Texas humor. I encourage you to read the book with sticky notes or a big highlighter. Nothing would make me happier than to see your book with lots of flags and notes written in the margins. I encourage you to flag things that resonate with you. All of these ideas are where I gained my personal power. Not all of them will be right for you. But I guarantee some will touch you deeply.
The last section of the book is the Cowgirl Toolkit, and it condenses most of the big ideas in the book into brief summaries. Compare the notes you took while reading the book and see which ideas apply to you now, or maybe a few months or years from now.
This book is not about changing you. You are just fine. It is about understanding your strengths, building on them, valuing them, and giving yourself credit for what you have achieved and what you will achieve. I do not tell you what you should do. If you want to stay home and raise your children, that’s great. If you want to build a distinguished career, that’s great. If you want to do both, I’m all for it. What I can give you is the ability to see yourself and build your personal power, which will result in you filling buckets and buckets full of goodwill. That goodwill will create so many opportunities for you so, no matter what you do, you will have lots and lots of amazing options.