As women, we often think we haven’t achieved as much as we should have at this point in our lives. We are ingrained to believe that career perceived success is the ultimate metric of achievement and we minimize the accomplishments that have paved our way. We wonder, what am I doing wrong? When will I catch a good break? We contemplate giving up, but we don’t. We can’t. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends… We are women.
I catch myself criticizing my worth in comparison to my unrealistic benchmarks. I hear the despondency before it even leaves my mouth and I pray that my children don’t inherit that trait from me. Empowerment brings with it an unwavering necessity to see and know the value of the woman that you are. No matter the size of your achievements, they are triumphs nonetheless.
I wish I had taken the time along my journey to slow down and truly thank each of the inspirational women that empowered and influenced me to persevere. We need to hear it, ladies. More importantly, we need to believe it. We thrive on synergy.
We are fierce and formidable. We come from all walks of life with the same fire inside of us all.
Some of us are raising a family, some are entrepreneurs and leaders, some are caring for ailing loved ones, some are teaching and shaping the minds of our future and some are risking their lives each day to protect the lives of others. We see you. We are you.
Let’s all take a moment to embrace our strength and determination. Take the time to acknowledge inspiration and share your gratitude. All too often, we find ourselves coasting on the fumes of negative influence, sustained by the crumbs of misplaced hierarchy. We don’t burn in the flames of the ones who feed our souls, we are born from them. Built by the ones we fiercely love, both here and gone. The ones we worship and the ones we look to for guidance. The pillars of resilience that kindle our ferocity.
It’s time to flip the switch. Time to teach our daughters to hold their heads high and ensure they never treat themselves the way we often treat ourselves. Time to be the women we strive to raise them to be. Let’s instill in them the values we fought so hard to attain and teach them to revere those who fuel the fire within. Teach them to never question their power as a woman or second guess their validity. Recognize their individuality and encourage their strengths. What we sometimes see as defiance in our daughters now is, in fact, the seeds of our future leaders, entrepreneurs, mothers, risk takers and game changers. The seeds that will grow into dynamic women with boundless promise.
We have grown into powerful women in a male dominant world. We have climbed the ladder, rung after rung, and birthed our own dreams into reality. Where mid-level gaps once determined our potential success and financial stability, we have built empires and shattered every glass ceiling meant to tame us. We are a force to be reckoned with.
We are born with all the tools to succeed, our mothers before us and our daughters ahead. We dig deep to overcome adversity and make the choice to be better each day than the last. We fight for what we believe in and we earned our seat at the table. Don’t ever lose sight of the road we have paved behind us for that is our legacy. Allow yourself to soak that in. We have cleared the way for generations to come and we are amazing.
Keep doing you. Keep pushing forward and moving every mountain in your way. Dig deeper and keep working hard on those goals. You, and only you, will determine just how great you can be and how far your journey will take you. Keep the faith. It is your belief that allows you to manifest your dreams into your reality. Keep treating others as the beautiful souls they are, inside and out. Acknowledge the inspiration that comes your way and embrace the symbiosis. Always know that this journey you are on is in no way an accident. Every achievement, every hurdle, every awe-inspiring moment has a meaning and a purpose. Each and every one of them is an ingredient for the recipe that is our life. The recipe we will pass down to our daughters and share for generations to come.