Housewife or career woman – it doesn’t matter. A woman’s strength is not in the role she chooses, but in the way she lives her life: who she takes care of and what she spends her time on. Are there any strong women in your environment? Or maybe you can call yourself one? Let’s find out.
Each woman has her own answer to this question. Some see strength in being as good as, or even better than, male colleagues. Someone chooses the ‘home’ life, feeling that endless competition takes away strength. Any approach has a right to exist – the main thing is that it corresponds to inner values.
But that’s partly where the problem lies. A woman who chooses home instead of career seems ‘weak’ to those who made the opposite choice. Conversely, a career woman can appear callous and masculine in the eyes of those who don’t share her values.
Regardless of the choices a woman makes, there are signs by which a strong woman can be recognised in the kitchen, at a parent-teacher conference, or at a directors’ meeting.
1. A STRONG WOMAN DOES NOT CARE WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT HER LIFESTYLE
She does not pay attention to those who are negative: she passes over comments about the wrongness of her life and continues to go on to her goal, knowing exactly what she wants. She understands that a nasty thing said by someone characterises the person who said it, not the person to whom it is addressed.
2. A STRONG WOMAN UNDERSTANDS AND RECOGNISES HER NEEDS
She is able to conduct dialogues with herself: analyzing her feelings and desires, she learns to separate the important from the secondary and make decisions based on internal needs, not external circumstances. Such a woman is able to learn a lesson from an unpleasant situation, instead of weeks to wail about the injustice of life. She understands that any events can become a valuable experience.
3. A STRONG WOMAN TAKES CARE OF HERSELF AND OTHERS
It’s not just about physical well-being, healthy sleep, proper nutrition and sports – taking care of your state of mind is just as important. A strong woman helps others, and this has a positive effect on her psychological state. Giving strength to those around her, she receives new ones.
Taking care of yourself is not selfishness. Egoists are afraid of losing what they have, and do not want to share with others neither material nor spiritual values. They only want to take and do not realise that this makes them weak. By selflessly sharing attention, physical help or just a chocolate bar, we receive more in return and become even stronger.
4. A STRONG WOMAN KNOWS HER LIMITS
She says ‘yes’ to opportunities that can serve her spiritual and physical development and says ‘no’ to things that could be destructive to her. Before agreeing to do something, she always asks herself if she really wants to do it and if she has the energy and time to do it. When someone asks her out for coffee, she asks herself, ‘Do I want to socialise with this person now? Or do I want to spend my time doing something else?’ Answering these questions makes life better and helps keep her energised for what’s important.
5. A STRONG WOMAN LIVES A FULL LIFE
She finds time for work, socialising with friends, hobbies and entertainment. She will not put off a holiday – she will go somewhere for a weekend to recover her strength and be alone with herself. She does not suffer from the need to go to work, she loves it and fulfils the duties with pleasure, trying to do everything as best as possible.
Strong women are not born: everyone once started small, and it is possible for any of us. It is not necessary to change your life globally, especially if you do not feel that now you have enough strength for this. You can start with small steps. For example, do something every day that lifts your spirits. This will help to build up your strength, and at some point you will feel that you are capable of doing more.