Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s take a moment to celebrate women who pave the way, make a difference and support each other. Finding our way as women is never easy. Our individual journeys are all very different and through them, we can find something special about ourselves along our way, no matter what gender we identify with.
Our Past Doesn’t Define Us:
Since it’s International Women’s Day, I chose this quote from Padma Lakshmi. She is a chef, author, activist, model, and television host who has had to find her own way. After immigrating to the US from India at age 4, she endured bullying, racial aggression, health issues, and a traumatic car accident that left her with a large 7inch scar on her arm. She also was sexually assaulted by her stepfather and sent back to India for some time as a consequence of speaking up and was then raped at age 16. She is the epitome of courage, someone who knows what it takes to overcome the past to pave the way for a better future for herself and our daughters.
If you’ve personally gone through hardships you are not alone. Those nights when you remember…when the memories come back to haunt you, you are never alone. You are amongst thousands of others who have not only have their own similar negatives experiences but also want to support you. Hold onto that shared energy of support and understanding. If you need someone to talk to, there are many ways to connect to others with similar pasts online, even on a global level. Don’t let the pain keep you from connecting to heal. Sometimes we need to heal the past to move forward.
Whatever happened to you is not you. You are not your past and you are not going to let it define your future.
When we remember, it is just a memory. We cannot let it hold us back.
Our Way:
Sometimes we are clearly able to see the path ahead of us. Other times, we are like water, finding ourselves along the way. Paths are seldom clear and paved for us. Usually, they are filled with uncharted territories, unpaved areas, mountains to climb, and oceans to swim through. Similar to Padma’s journey, perhaps you’ve found your way because you had to. You persevered and overcame to simply find yourself someplace forward and unlike the past left behind.
That’s the funny thing about resilience… it’s just becoming part of you without you knowing it’s there at times. It’s the courage you didn’t know you had. The strength you surprise yourself with. The control you take when it feels like there is no control. Like water, you pour yourself into something and see where it takes you. Filling the cup 1/2 full or perhaps spilling into a new cup of new strength and hope.
Be Like Water:
No matter what your path has been, is or what it will become, be like water. Allow yourself to be flexible, unfrozen from a time that no longer serves you. Fluidity takes patience, resilience, and courage to open yourself to the possibilities ahead.
We find our way by looking out and ahead, taking in the sights, and imaging where we want to go next. You are capable of more than you think and have been prepared all along the way.
Look beyond your own walls…
