What it means to be a Strong Woman (Everyday Power)

Strength as defined by www.dictionary.com is the state or quality of being physically or mentally strong. 2. The ability to withstand or exert great force, stress, or pressure. 3. Something that is regarded as being beneficial or a source of power. I think being strong is actually a lot softer than that…

When I was 17 and going through 4 different levels of chemotherapy and trying to finish high school while living in a negative environment, strength meant just trying to survive. Making it to class as often as I could. Never crying. Never acknowledging I was sick. Not feeling sorry for myself.

However, 19 years later my opinions of a strong woman have completely changed. So much so, that they often surprise me. I even sometimes wonder where they come from, but I honestly know what happened. I walked away from my childhood at a young age and went against everything I was ever told.

My opinions now are nothing that I was taught to believe. I am very grateful for my strength to take the world on and make my own rules! I also know that is where my success has come from!

What it means to be a Strong Woman…

A strong woman can admit when she is wrong

I know this is a hard one for a lot of people and it can be for me too! We all have our ego and our logical mind screaming at us, trying to protect us, and so on… But no one person is perfect.

We all make mistakes, we have all made poor decisions, sometimes out of anger or hate… A woman is strong when she has the guts to acknowledge that she is or was wrong, makes an apology for it, and then move on. Once this has happened, she is able to let it go and not let it cloud her mind any longer.

I always keep in mind that mistakes happen. Bad decisions happen. People do stupid things. Apologize, then let it go. We all do the best that we are capable of in any given situation, and we are put in many situations to learn and grow from. What can you take away from a poor decision? Have you grown from it? What have you learned? What can you do better in similar circumstance? If you can be mindful of all of these experiences, you’ll grow immensely! I know that I have!   

A strong woman can admit when she needs help, then seek it out

I say this out of great love, but I know many women who will not ask for help, no matter how much they need it! In my life, this creates stress and it lowers energy! We all have our certain strengths in this world. We all have certain weaknesses as well! A strong woman can find a partner or a work friend, or just a friend in general who can complement what she may lack.

We can’t accomplish everything, no matter how much we try. Seek out help when you need it. Again, acknowledge that you could use some advice or some assistance on whatever you are working on, then watch the success flow in! If you pray to anyone or anything, do that as well! Then be mindful of any recurring thoughts that come in to your mind and get to work!

A strong woman can forgive others

To be perfectly honest with you, this is still a work in progress for me. I think I can speak for most women when I say we have all been through something traumatic, which has changed our lives or the thoughts in our head for the worse.

I often read that forgiveness isn’t about telling the people that hurt us that their behavior was okay. If you’ve been seriously harmed or hurt, that is never the case and I hope you understand that it was not your fault. But forgiveness is what a strong woman can do to create peace in her mind and to release the negativity attached to it.

I always remember that the people who have hurt us were doing the best that they could at that given time. Perhaps they didn’t know better. Perhaps they were in a completely different place mentally. I also take into consideration that everything happens for a reason. That there were other plans for us in our life. Can you work on starting the process of forgiving someone purely for yourself?

A strong woman can also forgive herself

As women, we always take on too much. Working full-time, being present as a parent, extracurricular activities, helping at school, cleaning the home, taking care of the landscaping, making or holiday’s fun! We’re always giving, giving, giving!

A strong woman can forgive herself. If she needs to, she’ll turn down an event that really isn’t in her best interest and take time for self-care. She can go through the process of letting go the feelings about bad relationships, choosing schooling in a subject she wasn’t passionate about and didn’t move forward with, or simply having a bad day at work. She acknowledges it and moves on to a better day ahead!

A strong woman can open up to her feelings

 I’ll just speak for myself here… Going through 4 levels of chemotherapy and radiation was a really hard thing to do… I thought I was “tough” because I didn’t acknowledge it, only to have to pay for it for the following 19 years! So I now acknowledge the disease.

I cry when I need to because it was the hardest thing that I have ever been through. I even tell people about it now. I’m honest about my thoughts in regards to cancer and what it did to my mind and my body. Those things in themselves, has allowed me to release so much pain and they make me a better, more compassionate, and a more understanding person.

Are you someone that has been hiding from your feelings? Are you scared to let them show? What process will help you to let them exist? It’s okay to take tiny steps forward! I just literally jumped in, but that’s my style. Keep in mind that every little step makes us better and stronger women… Let’s see what you can do!