Strength, power, determination, compassion, love, laughter, honesty, respect. These are just a few words I think of when I think of strong and empowered women! I have never known any other way than to put my head down and keep going until the task is done and done to perfection. Being strong and tenacious on the outside is one thing, but being strong, compassionate, loving, understanding and light on the inside is where strength truly comes from. It comes from the mind. It comes from the core. But mostly it comes from the heart. True strength is built and carried in the heart!
I have always preferred headstrong, determined, opinionated, empathetic women around me. Women who will give me their true feelings and not side-step, knowing that I too am strong enough to hear the truth and not want nor need to be protected. The women in my family are strong, beautiful women that I have learned more from than they will ever know. I was blessed, truly blessed to have these family members to learn from, and still learn from. I didn’t realize how lucky I was at the time, but looking back, they helped shape me to the woman I am today.
But my biggest influence was my mom. She has lived through more than any human should. This includes losing two brothers, one when she was 14 and one when she was 22 and then a son when she was only 30. I can’t imagine the heartache, the loss the despair. The desire to quit, give up, cash it in. But she kept fighting, and she broke through those tough, dark, lonely times. You would never have any idea of the pain she lived through when she is in your presence. She chooses to live in abundance, love, laughter and light. She has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives as a teacher, athletic coach and now a life coach. She has instilled a work ethic in me that is second to none. I hope that my kids can say the same things about me. That I was motivated, determined, kind, loving, strong and brave. I took the punches and stood up for more, fighting for what I believed in and what was important and right!
I am lucky enough to be raising two young teenage girls. I work daily on instilling strength, self-esteem, kindness and individuality into them. Growing up now is hard, and I don’t envy them. But I want them to know that I, a strong, loving, compassionate, intelligent and respected woman is standing beside them, supporting them all the way to their dreams.
After-all, isn’t the greatest gift a gift that you can share with those you love and the world? The greatest gift isn’t anything you can purchase. It isn’t something you find in a store. It comes from the heart and can change the world. We can be beckons of love, strength, power, compassion, respect, inclusion and understanding. That to me is the greatest gift we can offer. To stand on this earth, knowing that we not only have the power to change the world, but that we are going to change the world, and change it for the better!