Never Settle for Less

Today, as every year women are excited at having a day earmarked for them. Not that I am against the idea of a day dedicated to women, but what pains me is that they miss the real point. Women’s day is not about making women stronger. They are already strong far beyond they may even know. It’s about changing the way the world perceives their strength.

As Sadhguru puts it beautifully, “Feminine is not a gender, it’s a dimension.” There cannot be a truer and deeper meaning of femininity. For both men and women, to celebrate the spirit of womanhood, it is very important to have strong core values and a strong sense of identity. Listed down are the top 6 things that women need to do to be really honoring and empowering themselves.

1. Stop comparing yourselves with other women. Stop comparing yourselves with men. It not only leads you to be unhappy but also slims your chances of knowing and doing what you are best at. Instead spend time to know what you love doing most or are capable of doing. For example, I always wanted to be a fitness consultant. I invested time and money in getting the right certifications and building my portfolio. I am glad I did so.
2. Be financially independent, aware, literate and responsible. I cannot emphasize this enough! Women have always depended on the men in their lives, farther, brother or husband, to manage their finances and file their taxes! In some cases, they do not even have access to their finances. They have no or little idea about how their money is invested or used. In most cases women are not financially prepared for an eventuality. Women are seldom invited to participate in major financial decisions or encouraged to know about their husband’s income and investments. Financial decisions and management are often the man of the house, and this seems to be pretty acceptable to women. It’s time to upgrade yourselves! Irrespective of whether you are an earning woman or a home maker, strive for financial information, awareness and inclusion in your household. I have a blog on financial literacy which you can read here . If you are clueless how and where to start. Read some great books to fully understand and be financially aware. Some good reads are “Prince Charming Isn’t Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money”, “Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security”, and “The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much?”.
3. Love your bodies no matter what. Embrace your freckles, cellulite, jiggly arms, fat rolls, wrinkles, greys and stretch marks. Wear them like badges of honor and victory! Self-love aligns you with the universe and has a magical power to transform yourself from being average to being extraordinary. When it comes to well being and nutrition, prioritize yourself. Understand self-love is not selfishness.
4. Forgive yourself for your failures, stupidity and wrong decisions in life. It’s really okay to goof up. Don’t hold yourself accountable for everything that goes wrong in life. Don’t beat yourself for choosing the wrong partner, for making a bad investment, for not being able to do spend more time with your child and more. There will always be people around you who will lead you to believe that you’re not “good enough”. Don’t believe them.
5. Build a strong community of women around you that sees the best in you and helps you bring out the best in you to be the best version of yourself. You may have a very loving family and spouse, but that does not diminish the role of the community. Remember, women of substance and honor, empower each other!
6. Know your legal rights related to marriage, divorce, division of joint assets, child custody, parental property, harassment in the workplace, harassment in general, threatening, blackmailing, cyber-bullying, stalking, eve-teasing, molestation, rape, domestic violence and more. You’re lucky if you never find yourself in an unfortunate situation. Now every woman is lucky. Life is unpredictable. Knowing your rights will give you immense courage to deal with any unfortunate situation.

You are good enough and more than enough! Never settle for less.

Happy Women’s Day!

---