Girls Compete, Women Empower
“Girls compete, women empower”
I saw this quote on social media somewhere, and usually I’d get offended because I love my girls of the world and I want to protect and smite all negativity associated with being a girl...but I started thinking deeper than usual. Thank God.
If you read my last article, I touched on how I’ve realized our upbringing had a lot to do with our behavior and how we carried it into adulthood.
“Don’t compete”
As adults, we’ve been told this many times and even understand why we shouldn’t. But be honest (you don’t have to tell me), have you ever grumbled to yourself when another woman outshined you?
I have.
And it took some self-reflecting to understand it has nothing to do with who we are as a person. Subconsciously, I believe we’re taught there’s not enough for us all.
I can remember several aunts and cousins complaining there weren’t enough good men around. My father always lectured about securing a good job right out of college so I can sustain myself. Then there’s all this pressure to get things done on a time schedule and you can’t be early or late!
No wonder we find ourselves not as happy as we can be for other women...we think there’s one less spot for us!
Scared Minds Compete
To truly empower, take yourself out of it. Because empowerment is not about you, it’s in you. And when it’s in you, you can experience true happiness for others, because it benefits you too. Everyone has their own plan and when you compete with that, you’ll lose every time. So don’t overthink and jump to conclusions about your worth...it’s just not your timeline. There will always be room for you, opportunity is always circulating.
To be tangible, think about money. Someone with a “scarcity mindset” may believe there’s not enough currency for everyone to be wealthy, or that saving is better than risking money for more money. This is the furthest from the truth because money can be leveraged from other money, it can be used for shortcuts that lead to more revenue, and can be grouped with other money for a stronger impact and broader reach. Now read that sentence again and replace the word “money” with “women”. This blueprint can be applied to many areas of life which is why I truly believe in it.
Timing leads to greatness
When you believe nothing can jeopardize what’s for you, you can breathe. You start to notice more of the subtle things that bring you joy and more of the obvious you may have taken for granted. And you feel peace.
You feel inspired and even eager to continue on your mission, but without unnecessary urgency because you know God promised it to you in time. That’s where we need to be always. Our best work comes out of this place and when it’s time to shine a light on someone else, we will have the BIGGEST spotlight for our fellow ladies.
