Care for others how you would want to be cared for. Build each other up and support one another, not just during international women's day, but every day - be that positive change!
Photographs: iStock
Text: Lyndsay Jensen
This month as we celebrate International Women's Day, I'd like to turn your focus to female empowerment and lifting each other up, which may seem such a simple concept but at the same time one of the most underused actions in today's world. By uplifting others, you are helping to raise their positive energy, it empowers you, and in turn, that very act will raise your energy too. If you go out of your way to break someone else down, the effect will only backfire on you and lower your energy.
You can do this in everyday interactions, with your smile and passion in every step of your job and daily life. So, how can we positively empower each other as women, and lift each other up, here are some simple tips to follow:
#1 Know yourself
Many women today feel as though they have lost themselves. Maybe they gave too much in a relationship that didn't work out. Maybe they put too much time into work and not enough time into themselves. Maybe they feel lost in the challenges of motherhood. Regardless, many women need to spend some time getting to know themselves and figuring out what they want in life. When you know yourself, you are also strong enough to nurture others, and in turn, lift them up.
#2 Stay humble
A dignified person accomplishes much but brags little. They are secure in their standing without the need to make noise, often treating everyone they meet with respect, regardless of position.
#3 Make connections
Making deep connections, both personally and professionally, is important to all of us. An empowered woman has a network of people she has relationships with and can count on. The business relationships maybe people she can count on to help with a project or give her honest feedback. The personal relationships may be friends that she can rely on when she needs them. The connections that an empowered woman makes are with people whom she can help and who can, in turn, help her to become a better person, again creating this sense of togetherness and lifting each other up.
#4 Give back
When you help others, you help yourself, right? Try volunteering one day a week for a programme you really believe in. Be a mentor for someone starting out in business, help organise events that empower and uplift women in your community. You can also give back by helping a fellow mom out when she's having a tough time by babysitting their child, giving back does not have to be a grand gesture - it can be as simple as saying good morning, holding the door for someone or even a friendly smile.
#5 Be positive!
Positive thinking goes beyond having the drive and motivation for personal success. It's explicit, definite, and outspoken. It's contagious. Build others up with your positiveness, allowing them to be open for better things to come. Happy International Women's Day - be kind to each other!