One of my biggest fears when I had kids was whether or not I could make them proud of me.
Would I be someone they could look up to?
Would they understand some of the sacrifices I’ve made for them?
Would I leave behind a legacy?
I have always been a hard-worker and extremely driven, so when I became a stay-at-home-mom I worried that I was losing a little of myself in the process. I love my kids something fierce but I wasn’t fulfilling my needs. I wasn’t able to use my creativity in the way I so badly needed to.
Which is why I started blogging. At that point, it was just a diary. Little did I know that I would be able to use my passion for writing, photography, and networking and turn it into a career. And I will be forever thankful for that opportunity and the subsequent experiences I’ve had. And what better time to reflect on paving my own way and all of the other girl boss women I know than in the middle of Women’s History Month.
I am always so inspired by other creatives and the many different hats we can wear. Every time I’m at a blogging conference or a fashion show, my heart is just so happy and full because I am so inspired and motivated. You know the saying “birds of a feather flock together?” It’s true. And it just amazes me how inspiring it is to be around other like-minded women.
I’ve become a bit of a history nerd since moving to Virginia and found it to be perfect timing when I learned about the March to Mother’s Day campaign. In partnership with the 2019 Commemoration, The Women’s Monument Commission and the Virginia Capitol Foundation are commissioning 12 statues to honor 12 historic women on the Virginia State Capitol grounds. This will be one of the most significant tributes to the contributions of women in the state of VA.
Adele Goodman Clark is one of the 12 women being featured by the 2019 Commemoration in the March to Mother’s Day campaign. She was president of the League of Women’s Voters, instrumental in the establishment of the Virginia Art Commission and one of the founders of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Writers, photographers, artist, and any other creative can relate to the importance of fine arts and the education surrounding them. So pretty much, Adele was a total girl boss!
As women, one of the most important things we can do is support one another. How can we do that?
Shop small. Does your friend own a small business? Do you have a friend in direct sales? SHOP WITH THEM. Whether buying for yourself or a gift for someone else, any purchase you make goes directly back to them. Which means it helps support their families and their dreams.
Pay attention. Is your friend working with a certain charity? Does she have a blog? Ask to go along and volunteer with the charity. Read and share her blog posts. What are your friends passionate about? What do they need help with? Take a minute to actively look through your friends on Facebook and I bet you can find yourself pretty busy going out of your way to do something for someone else.
Be happy for each other. I’ve always been a firm believer that there’s enough room for everyone to be successful. We should be celebrating each other’s successes and letting each other know how proud we are of what we’ve accomplished.
Sympathize. You know that mom in the grocery store with the screaming toddler? Or the mom who is struggling to breastfeed her newborn? Encourage her. Hug her. Say “it’s okay, you can do it! I’ve been there and I promise it gets better!” Just knowing that we have someone to lean on makes life a little easier, doesn’t it?
Celebrate inner beauty. We’re surrounded with pressures from the media on what “pretty” means. And it took a long time for me to be happy and content in my own skin. You know what I’ve also learned? It’s amazing what a simple compliment can do for a person’s soul. Tell someone how much you appreciate their friendship. Tell your sister how proud you are to be her sister. Ask questions about your friend’s job and her other passions. Start intellectual conversations. Smart is sexy!
Because of women like Adele Goodman Clark and the 11 other women being featured for the March to Mother’s Day, we’re able to do anything we want to do and be anything we want to be. And that is pretty darn cool, huh?
Now go out and celebrate yourself and the other amazing women you know. This sisterhood is a pretty powerful thing
This post is brought to you by the 2019 Commemoration / American Evolution in affiliation with the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the 2019 Commemoration.
