We have all heard the stories. How the underdog wins, overcomes, and walks out proud of triumphing. Have we ever looked at this in reference to our lives? Where are the moments in your life where you walked away proud?
This week I am sharing what women empowerment means to some women around me. These are women I look up to, some I watch from a distance (not in a creepy way), and some that I have come to call my friends. I also wanted to share what it means to me.
I was lucky. In high school, there was only 1 specific moment when I began to doubt myself. (That is a whole different blog post.) I had confidence. I was comfortable with who I was. I was a girl who was going to change the world.
I was always athletic. Playing basketball, volleyball, and softball. Not only that but I was in the student government (the president) and I was my class president for 2 years. I was highly involved in the school. I grew up being taught that school came first, sports came second, and everything after that I decided the level of importance. On top of all of that, I also had a part-time job. I was busy but loving every minute of what I was doing and who I was impacting in my small school.
Then I lost that. I lost that confidence. I lost being comfortable in my own skin. I began to question if the Samantha from high school was all made up or if she truly existed. She held her ground. She did what she believed in. That, for me, is the epitome of women empowerment and what I strive for every day of my life.
To own who you are. Unafraid to show her no matter where you are and what you are doing. Being able to show who I am to the world and not hide behind a mask. There is nothing that feels more freeing than being undeniably you.
To believe in yourself. I’m sure I had haters and I know that I still do. But that’s okay. They are the silent voice in my head pushing me forward. They are there to remind me that what they think doesn’t matter. All that matters to me at the end of the day is whether or not I can look at myself in the mirror and be proud of who I see looking back.
To create something in this world that makes a difference. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. All that truly matters is that you are leaving the world around you in a better place. Lift up the women around you. Smile. Help. To change the world around you doesn’t take a lot of money or even a lot of time. Go out of your way to ask someone how they are doing. If you see someone struggling, go up and help them. Leave the world around you a better place than it was before you were there.
To be able to ask for help. The best thing about all of this is that we as women, do NOT need to do this alone. Support each other. Lift one another up. Check-in on that friend that is struggling with life. Call a friend and tell them how you are struggling or needing help. Together we will grow and become women who are uplifted and empowered.
It’s time that we teach young girls that to be empowered themselves, they need to empower those around them.
It’s time that we teach young boys that to empower women means to support women, to love women as they are, to be co-dependent with women, and to ignore the stereotypes.
There are no explanations needed. Starting today, live how you want the world around you to change. Empower yourself and those around you will be empowered.
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