Don’t Wait for a Beyoncé Scholarship to Achieve Female Empowerment
Beyoncé recently announced a scholarship program to “to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious, and confident.” Female-on-female empowerment. Sexy!
Does our Culture Reflect Relationships coexisting with Female Empowerment?
A woman’s sense of self-worth and the power to control her own life are 2 of the components of female empowerment, according to the U.N. But I’ve got to tell you, sometimes I look at reality TV and wonder if we’re going backwards in the name of ‘love’.
Multiple women fighting (physically) over one guy. Old enough to know better.
A young live-in girlfriend who knows her man isn’t good for her but breaking up with him would leave her homeless. That’s the one that kills me. How exactly has women’s suffrage benefited her? Is she any more empowered than her great grandmother?
As women, as mothers, as molders of the next generation, we can and we must do better. We must, at the very least, learn the skills we need to make ourselves financially self sufficient.
The hope is that no woman should have to stay in an awful relationship in order to have a roof over her head. Or keep her kids fed and clothed.
Building a Full Life to Build Self worth
I’ve talked a lot about developing self love and how women must validate themselves, relationship or not. A huge way to build self worth is to focus on creating a balanced life that doesn’t hinge on your lovelife.
Here are more reasons why:
9 Reasons to Build a Full Life Now-Relationship or Not
1.When you cultivate and nurture a rich life you can enjoy, seeing yourself as single again isn’t a worst case scenario. You’ll be less satisfied with “relationship crumbs” or put up with a man who isn’t worth it.
2.You’ll be grounded and supported no matter where your love life takes you.
3.You’ll be less likely to jump into a relationship that’s a bad fit or doesn’t offer much
4. Because men can smell desperation and it turns them off.
5. Because when you’re in a relationship that’s headed nowhere or the wrong way, you’ll be much more open to pulling the plug instead of hoping and waiting for change as your life ticks by.
6. Because when you have stuff going on, you carry yourself differently when you think nobody’s looking. Having a life filled with things you enjoy makes u feel good about yourself and boosts self esteem. Feeling good about yourself inspires you to better attitude, posture, grooming and dressing which is what others first observe about you.
7. Because most guys in relationships don’t want you smothering them, it makes you that much more interesting to them.
8. Because girls have broken up and had no support because all “their” friends were actually his!
9. Because when you have a life, others want to be in it.
Your Life is Now
Sharing your life with someone means you should have one in place before they appear on the scene. Your life doesn’t start when you meet the “guy of your dreams”-it is here and it is now. Relationship experts say it is unrealistic to expect one’s partner to be one’s source of happiness in life. Your man can be an enjoyable addition to the garden that is your life, but not the very soil you’re rooted in.
Learn to do for Yourself-a.k.a. to “adult”
Invest in yourself by doing things that add value to yourself, meaning to your life and help build you into the person you want to be. Polish your life and home skills. Married are not, you’ve got to know how to feed yourself nutritious meals and take care of your living space. Appreciate the many non-romantic sources of love that exist in your world. Get a life and get out of the house. Avoid the Bermuda Triangle of home->work->church. There is no easier time than now to explore your passions and interests. Learn something.
Do for Others
Find ways to use your gifts and talents to make money, to help others, or just for fun. Donating time in service to others reinforces what’s good in you and provides purpose. Be a mentor to someone and make an impact in the world. Get involved in a hobby, a sport, travel or dance. Take care of your body and your health and find a safe way to release stress and center yourself.
Cultivate a Quality Support Circle
Surround yourself with confidantes you can learn from and who support you- a solid inner circle of quality people. Life is easier with buddies and mentors walking (or who have walked) the same road, cheering each other on, helping each other out. Whatever it is you want for yourself, try and cultivate relationships with others who have achieved that kind of success for themselves-or are further along on that path. Learn from remote mentors too-their books and talks can teach you a lot.
Your turn:
What embodies female empowerment to you? Do you think it’s made tangible progress in the last few years?
