One thing I love about traveling is the ability to meet new people. I usually travel on my own, as I am a “free” traveler so to speak, although most people would say a “demanding” traveler. I want to have my own agenda and to do list, but of course a few friends who know me can travel following my terms and conditions rule book. 🙂
As a life coach, single mom and woman entrepreneur in finance planning, one of my favorite topics is women empowerment and it is one of the coaching topics I focus on the most. I have women as clients in my coaching business and as friends and associates almost all around the world: in Slovenia, Austria, Greece, England, the U.S., Bermuda, Lebanon, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, China, Serbia, Switzerland, Scotland, Australia, Italy, Dubai and of course my home town Cyprus! All those women are in high positions in their companies, others are entrepreneurs, founders, and politicians and as you can imagine they are all powerful women. However, it is not an easy task to be a successful professional and a woman. Sorry, gentlemen but that is true. I am not an extreme feminist, I do like gentlemen who are willing to hold the door for me but I do believe that even in 2017 women are not treated fairly compared to men as they face sexual harassment, lower pay checks, etc.
That is not the main argument in this article, though. In all fairness, there is sexual harassment in men’s world too. My observation, which I would like to share with you today, is that despite our language, our color and our nationality, women face the same challenges everywhere on the planet. Have you noticed that most powerful women are single or divorced? I had a discussion the other day with a coaching client of mine here in New York and she asked me: “How can I decide if I want to be a mother? Do I have the time for that?” These are common questions for women who want to have a career both for those living in the big cities and also those in islands like mine. Usually people get married by the age of 30 and family is their priority. However, they still have the same challenges. They sometimes feel stuck between MUST and NEED. Can we have everything in life? Can we have a career and a happy family?Can we be single parents with a successful career too? You are reading my article. I guess you are already successful people and aware of your needs and wants. My belief is that we can combine everything as long as we are aware of our abilities and our priorities.
If we don’t have a clear perspective of our priorities and what brings joy in our life then we will be surrounded by disappointments all the time. “Disappointment is the non-fulfillment of a wish”. Can that wish become a reality or do we just make excuses for ourselves? It’s like when people tell me “I am not ready, it needs to be perfect” My answer to that is: “Perfection is just another excuse for not moving forward”. Life is full of challenges; the magic though is how we deal with these challenges. It’s crucial for us to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses and then we will know what we want from life. We need to find that within ourselves. You can’t find yourself through your relationship, your career or your family.
First you build up a strong self and the rest will follow. It must be said that strong women are not necessarily CEO’s in huge companies. Strong women can be like my Mom who worked in the fields growing vegetables so she could provide for my education. You are a strong woman every day when you wake up and see the wrinkles on your face. Those wrinkles are YOU. They are your memories, your laughter and your sorrow. We don’t need anyone to praise us but US. I have faith in women because I was raised by a strong one and I see strong women around me every day.
It makes me sad when I see really beautiful, intelligent women with so much potential and their only thought is to find a partner. Ladies, there are so many things out there waiting for you to make them happen! As I was saying in a session the other day, a great way to overcome a break up or loneliness is to stay focused on YOU.
Love yourself as you feel that you deserve to be loved. Treat yourself often even with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. It’s all about YOU. Actually this goes for men too. The “secret” to have a great relationship, money or whatever is important to you, is to have the best relationship with ourselves first. Then, believe me, the rest will follow. We do attract what we deserve. Let’s reexamine our “deserve” definition. Life it’s a game and we control that game.
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Thank you
Nadia Themis
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