Today is International Women’s Day, which got me thinking…we have come so far yet still have a way to go.
As a mom raising two girls in today’s world…I have found that there is no denying that these are very confusing times to be a woman.
The generations before us fought long and hard to give us the right to lead countries, corporations, or stay home as mothers and lead our families. And what has all of this freedom gotten us?
We are stronger and smarter…yet many of us are lost!
We are stuck between what we could be and what we think we should be, searching to balance that with our femininity.
I remember as a little girl singing along with Helen Reddy at the top of my lungs, “I am woman hear me roar!” That was the battle cry of the 70’s that told women in no uncertain terms that anything you want can and should be yours.
As exciting as it should have been, it was probably pretty scary for a lot of people in both genders. The women were afraid of the unknown and just how to manage this newfound power and I’m guessing that the men were somewhere in caves having meetings about how to protect their spots at the top of the food chain.
Being strong means knowing what you want personally and professionally and having the courage to go for it. Often this requires asking for what you want and, at times along the way demanding it.
Being successful can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask.As women our internal struggles for “success” go deeper than just the pressures to climb the corporate ladder though, many of us have deep-seeded maternal instincts that leave us torn by our desires to accomplish things and the feeling that we are sacrificing our families along the way.
Being sexy while doing any of this brings its own set of challenges. The media would have us believe that sexy and “sexpot” are one and the same.
Thinking about all of this the questions for many of us is, “Can we be strong, successful, and sexy, or do we have to pick one?”
I believe it is possible to have it all and it comes down to striking this balance between inner strength and outer beauty, you just have to know where to look…
Like everything I talk about in my book and programs having it all comes down to defining who you are, what you want most out of life, and rocking that throughout your life and look.
By knowing what you want deep inside it will be harder for the external pressures to take you from your purpose and passion. This is the strength you can call on to achieve a success that is true to you.
And by simply living this truth, and expressing it in all of your everyday actions and choices, you’ll radiate a beauty that can’t be outmatched.
The sexiest woman in the room is not the one with the $1,000 dress or the best plastic surgeon but the one who knows who she is.