For The Ladies Only: Do YOU Already!!!

Don't be afraid to bloom!
Your layers are much deeper
than you know!

I am enamored with a recent issue of Essence magazine with Jada Pinkett-Smith on the cover. This issue is chocked full of reasons why it is so beautiful to be a black woman.  From our strength, to our class, to the way we give you the eye, our creativity, and often imitated, but never duplicated styles, we are a force to be reckoned with! However, this post isn't just about black women, it's about all women!  It saddens me to follow-up with the fact that so many of us are unfulfilled. Our priorities are often scattered. Our lives may not always equal our potential. Our dreams may be deferred or either lost due to the wrong elements getting full control. To top all of this off, we tend to put ourselves (and each other) down, whether consciously or unconsciously, because we don't feel that we can make the change we want to see in ourselves. I'm indubitably guilty of this charge and I accept it. My plan now is reprioritization and action!

This topic reminds me of the Wiz when all the shop workers were released from the tightening grip of the Wicked Witch. They did them! Didn't care who was looking! They may have taken off their clothes, but you don't have to go that far! Just take off the inhibitions, the fear, the caution, the doubt and see what is left. I think we would all be surprised at the "brand new day" we can have. When I think about the most influential women in my life, I am impressed and inspired by the boldness of their decisions, the confidence behind everything they do, and the effortless way in which they accomplish their goals. And somehow manage to carry the weight of the world on their backs and still glow like an incandescent moonstone!

We are blessed to live in a society where we are free to challenge what bothers us and stand up to what attempts to hinder us. Although we never experienced the struggles that the women in the past endured, we often place restrictions on ourselves that prevent us from moving forward. Just think about it; if you were told that you COULDN'T make your own money, COULDN'T attend school, COULDN'T read or write, COULDN'T speak before spoke to, you would either conform or resist. I want to be the type of woman that resists!

It sounds so easy,
but so few of us
actually do it!

The past year of my life has sparked a one-woman revolution! I don't second-guess my decisions, have thoughts about not being good enough, waste time questioning someone else's blessing, or seal my tomb before its time. I do me and there is nobody in this world that can do it better! I think sometimes we forget the strength we possess to change our mindset about any situation and be who we are destined to be. Also we get caught up in what we don't have, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. It's not about having it all, but it is about working toward what we deserve. Write down your goals and tackle them. Write down your fears and burn them. Write down your dreams and live them!

So I leave you with this:

We all have it within us. The ability to refine and redefine our ideals about the type of women we want to be. This also includes accepting who we are and teaching those around us how to appreciate this transformation. Man, woman, child or other! We also owe it to ourselves as women to uplift one another by respecting, encouraging, and believing in our fellow sisters.

So live fearlessly, learn incessantly, love unconditionally and if you do nothing else, DO YOU!