Three Influential Women from Time's Top 100

COMMENTARY | On Thursday, Time Magazine revealed its top 100 most influential people of 2010. The list is divided into leaders, heroes, artists and thinkers. A true influential person must live by example, and must affect people by that example. These three women did just that.

Lady Gaga (Artist List - first)

Lady Gaga taught herself piano by ear at age 4 and was playing clubs by 14. She is consistently in the news and is a master of social networking. She has positioned herself as an activist for LGBT rights. She gave a speech in Portland, Maine, asking for the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy," and has pulled out of relationships with businesses with unfair practices.

Among Gaga's product endorsements is Polaroid's Grey Line, which features sunglasses with a built in digital camera. Not only does Gaga lend her name, but she steps in and shares her creative expertise. Lady Gaga never does anything halfway. Right or wrong, there's a lesson that we all can take with us as we strive to move forward in our lives.

Sandra Bullock(artist list -22nd)

In 2010, Bullock experienced a devastating betrayal by her husband, Jesse James, when his chronic cheating was revealed. Bullock didn't let this define her.

In "The Blind Side," Bullock played a woman who takes in a boy who didn't have anyone else. Little did we know she was playing a similar role in real life, spending four years preparing to adopt her son, Louis. When Bullock talked to People magazine, she told them she was ending her marriage with James and adopting Louis as a single mother.

Not only did The Blind Side earn Bullock her first Oscar, she also received honors from the SAG awards, Golden Globes, People's Choice, Critic's Choice, and the Military. She also rocked the red carpets as she was also named "best dressed" on many lists.

In 2010, Bullock was masterful at balancing public and private moments. She helped us learn that when you accentuate the positive, everything else becomes an afterthought.

Temple Grandin (heroes list - fifth)

Temple Grandin succeeds at sparking a curiosity few others can. I had never heard of Temple Grandin before the biopic starring Claire Daines made her the darling of the 2009 Emmy Awards.

Grandin not only does not let autism bring her down, she uses her condition to rise up. Grandin has revolutionized the cattle industry, as well as helped bring great insight to autism treatments by offering a rare inside perspective. She doesn't define situations as good or bad, but makes the best of them.

Grandin also teaches at Colorado State University and has authored several books that connect animal and human behavior. Grandin has shown that, to some extent, we all have moments where we are in our own world and it is something to embrace, rather than fear. Embracing exactly who we are is one of the most effective ways to become even better.