This month, and particularly today, is a time to reflect on the incredible women in our world\u00a0and all they\u2019ve done to further women\u2019s rights and equality.\u00a0 There\u2019s no shortage of those stories floating around right now\u2014from the women who\u2019ve won the\u00a0Nobel Prize\u00a0to companies empowering women-run businesses through\u00a0microfinance.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not what I want to share today.<\/p>\n
No, I\u2019m actually more interested in the women who never make the talk show circuit, who haven\u2019t written a best-selling novel, and who don\u2019t run Fortune 500 companies. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2014I have infinite admiration and respect for those women. But they get plenty of that from everyone else.<\/p>\n
Instead, I am dedicating today to the woman sitting next to you on the bus, the one who signs your paychecks, and most importantly, the one reading these words, right now.<\/p>\n
You.<\/p>\n
Nearly every day, I read an inspiring story about women beating the odds, challenging the status quo, and paving the way for our generation to rocket right through that glass ceiling. Yet, I rarely take the time to appreciate my own accomplishments and reflect on how important my own struggles have been.<\/p>\n
So on this International Women\u2019s Day, I\u2019d like to share a few reminders on why today\u2014and every day forward\u2014isn’t just for the big names out there. It\u2019s for us.<\/p>\n
You may not think you\u2019re the next Hillary Clinton or Sheryl Sandberg, but trust me, you have fans. When you\u2019re\u00a0gunning for that promotion,\u00a0standing up to someone\u00a0at the office, or working hard for\u00a0something you believe in, people notice. You may not think you\u2019re doing anything special, but someone out there\u2014maybe your friend, your cousin, or your co-worker\u2014doesn\u2019t quite have the courage to do it and is in awe that you do.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a good example. I know a woman who recently moved to the Middle East to train journalists to share their stories with the world. Although I have no doubt this woman will be quite well-known in the not-too-distant future (when she\u2019ll have to admit she has throngs of loyal readers), right now I\u2019m willing to bet she doesn\u2019t think much about it. She probably has no idea how her decision to move worlds away from everything she knows to pursue something she believes in inspired me to tears, helped me uncover my own aspirations, and likely moved countless others to pursue their dreams, too. This woman has fans. And so do you.<\/p>\n
That saying is so clich\u00e9 I hesitate to use it, but as they say,\u00a0clich\u00e9s exist for a reason, right? Every time I\u2019ve tested this theory\u2014gone out on a limb, done something I didn\u2019t necessarily think I could do\u2014it\u2019s proven correct. Admittedly, my sample size isn\u2019t statistically significant, but that isn\u2019t so important if the only outcome that matters is achieving our own goals. Plus, I\u2019m willing to bet that you\u2019ve found the same thing.<\/p>\n
About a year ago, a woman I know was struggling with some pretty big life issues. She\u2019s a single mom with three young children and was\u00a0working at a job she hated\u00a0but endured for the sake of her family. We were chatting about what was troubling her, and she revealed some pretty major hurdles she needed to overcome to get her life back on track.<\/p>\n
To the casual observer, her future looked bleak. Even if she had the resources of someone making four times her salary, a supportive partner, and access to better education for her children, her road ahead would still be uncertain.<\/p>\n
Yet, not even 12 months later, she\u2019s living in a new neighborhood, her kids are doing great in school, and she\u00a0landed a new job\u00a0that she enjoys. Oh, and those impossibly high hurdles? She dusted them.<\/p>\n
Every time I think something is impossible, I remind myself of what she accomplished. And then I get to work.<\/p>\n
A few of my friends have young girls, and although I often complain about the\u00a0constant onslaught of kid stories\u00a0I have to endure, I will admit that they\u2019re raising some pretty incredible future world leaders.<\/p>\n
Maybe we were all this way as children, but when I hear the stories of how these little girls are so filled with confidence, self-respect, and limitless aspirations, I can\u2019t help but be proud.<\/p>\n
Of course, I can\u2019t directly take credit for how great someone else\u2019s kid turns out, but it\u2019s important to remember that all of us are a crucial part of the environment influencing our world\u2019s future women. Our ambition, our work, our efforts to\u00a0obliterate the gender gap, and our relentless refusal to give up are paving the way for the next generation, just as our mothers, aunts, and grandmothers did for us. And that\u2019s a pretty big deal.<\/p>\n
Today, and throughout the month of March, we officially celebrate women all over the world and how they\u2019ve shaped our history. But remember\u2014not just today, but throughout the year\u2014that includes you.<\/p>\n
Source: Jennifer Winter, The Muse (www.themuse.com)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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