In a world of expectations, strong view points, extreme judgments and righteous beliefs, women can struggle to know themselves, find themselves and be themselves. The pressure to please others, be liked by others, look good for others, take care of others and perform for others is killing the souls of far too many women.
These pressures — to look good, be perfect and be “nice” — are turning women and girls into dumbed-downed Barbie dolls. Far too many women are more concerned with how thin they are than how smart they are. They’re more worried about who likes them than about who treats them well. They strive to prove their worth rather than own their worth.
When it comes to sex, the pressures of our culture and our own misguided attempts to prove ourselves, is costing all women a great deal. Many women choose to sleep around to prove to themselves “they still have it”—as though getting a man to have sex with you is some amazing feat. Others are on a mission to show the world that they have sexual freedom . . . just like men. This “freedom” is leaving many women following in the footsteps of men and becoming the female “players” of the world—as though that’s “showing them.” And still others are sleeping around in an effort to heal the deep loneliness and sense of inadequacy they feel to their core. Unfortunately, most women are still sold on the crazy belief that their greatest asset is their body, not their brains.
Far too many of us are running on the proverbial rat wheel of trying to be enough—thin enough, pretty enough, sexy enough, nice enough, liked enough, worthy enough. In the race to be whom the world wants us to be, we can’t possibly feel that we are enough. By warping ourselves into a shadow of our essences—we send ourselves the message that who we are to our core is greatly deficient. Until women can dare to let go of society’s crazy demands on them and their own ridiculous, shallow demands on themselves, women will never escape the rat wheel.
My challenge — to all women—is to #RaiseTheBar. Challenge the unhealthy demands you let others place on you and those you place on yourself. Stop using external measuring sticks to gauge your internal worth. Dare to become your best self and hang around those who are doing the same. Embrace the success of other women rather than be threatened by it. Let go of those people who hold you back, who drag you down or who leave you feeling bad about yourself. Surround yourself with those who will pull you to rise.
Take your place in this world and stop buying into the crap—it’s beneath you and not serving you. When women rise, it forces our entire world to rise. #RaiseTheBar — you deserve it, I deserve it, all women deserve it and our world desperately needs it.
Challenge: #RaiseTheBar. Cultivate your strength, instincts and intellect. Don’t buy into the toxic messages that are harming all of us. Dare to step in and own your place in this world. Take on the challenge and #RaiseTheBar on yourself, our culture and our world. Take the challenge and #RISE.