As we celebrate International Women's Day, I have seen some fantastic Quotes:
1. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
2. “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself." ― Virginia Woolf
3. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ― Charlotte Bronte
4. “The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise and most possible.” ― Maya Angelou
5. “Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” ― Toni Morrison, Beloved
6. “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” ― Audre Lorde
What would your quote be?
For me, there are so many thoughts that come to my mind. In a former marriage, I was permanently told that I was useless, I was ugly, no one would want me, I was stupid. Of course none of these things were true, but I believed them. Years of drip feeding abuse lead me to where I was going to end up.... nearly 30 and thinking I would not amount to anything further because I had no self worth. I left my first husband two weeks before my 30th birthday and have never looked back.
I am grateful that I had the strength to leave a toxic partner. Not everyone does feel that they can leave and this is men, women, non-binary, all types of nationalities and culture. Toxicity is like a disease it is non-discriminatory.
Fast forward to where I am now, I run two businesses, am a Business Mentor for Help to Grow on a voluntary basis and surround myself by people that support and love me for being me. I like to provide a supportive environment for my clients, firm but fair, challenging and thought provoking, helping people unlock their "unachievable".
The truth is we can all be what we want to be - we just need to accept who we are and that we can absolutely do it!