Empower

WARNING: Non-fluffy blog entry dead ahead.

Today, I'm pondering women ... we're suppose to be the fairer sex (whatever that means!) ... the glue that molds and shapes and keeps a family together. We're power-houses, doing it all and then some. We endure. We persevere ... we celebrate and mourn ... we nurture ... we nourish ... we teach and guide ... we are the emotional adhesive.

And yet, I'm befuddled by the notion that women spend a great majority of their time tearing each other down.

Broad generalization?

Perhaps, but it just seems for a gender that is STILL fighting for equality in the workforce despite the fact that we make up half of it, we continue to create an atmosphere that calls into a question a person's self-worth and self-esteem. Rather than celebrate each other, we really spend a great deal of time tearing people down.

I'm putting myself at the front of this line, ladies and gentlemen.

I've had, literally, a dozen conversations this week regarding this issue. THIS WEEK.

Timely?

YES!

• Competition that encourages ugly treatment of others ...



• Making cutting, underhanded comments about a person's performance, family life, lifestyle choices, etc...



• Gossiping about people, typically assuming things that are not true, and yet spreading that foulness to others, despite the fact that "truth" isn't close to the real truth....



• Reading too much into comments and ... OH MY ... Facebook statuses...



• Going public on Facebook about stuff that one has assumed or read too much into...

I know that I'm not the best type of friend. When I get stressed, I insulate due to just being so overwhelmed. But I've been hugely convicted lately of how I react to my female sisterhood. I want to be the person that empowers. I don't want to tear any one down, like I've been torn down. To date, I've not been so successful.

We spend so much time using other's as measuring sticks ... infallible humans that make countless mistakes on a daily basis. My goal, from this point forward, is to avoid the gossip ... to avoid situation that would tear a fellow female down. My goal, from this point forward, is to play a vital role in empowering those women I come in contact with ...

My mantra that I will be repeating to myself each day is this:

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others . You need to accept yourself."