VOF Week 4 : (Think of how far you have come and not just how far you have to go.)

Ask some women how do you feel about yourself and many will confess that they really do not like themselves and it could be due to a long history of men’s mistreatment or some have been abused, rejected, abandoned in some way or damaged emotionally but to name a few.

Women need to know their infinite worth and value and my aim with this journey was to help in instilling confidence in women. To me confidence is about being positive about what you are able to do and not worrying about what you cannot do.

I had a vision that was simply to offer encouragement to those that needed it. But how could I offer that encouragement when I myself need mending at times. Am I an expert? NO, Do I always have confidence? NO!! But I am a work in progress which means that I am learning to be more positive and daring. This I believe is worth sharing with others, especially because I have witnessed and seen first hand what one word of encouragement can propel an individual to do and that is to take ACTION.

I know what it means not to be able to get up in the morning and get on with the day simply because you feel unworthy and of no value. I struggled each day and times still do struggle with feelings of being trapped in my past and remembering all the negatives of what I was told I can or cannot do. I know what it means to have been abused and walking through life with your head held low, simply because you still feel ashamed.

When someone is going through tough times, and tough moments, it’s not easy to reach out and seek help. You feel the burden of having to handle it yourself, you feel ashamed that you even feel the way you do, you think of others who may be in a position worse than you, but all in all, you chose to numb yourself down to the feelings that you currently have of discouragement.

But through this I also learned to have days when I am proud of my achievements such as the fact that at times I’m doing so well and honestly feel like nothing can stop me. Those days I am proud of being a great lawyer. This is despite the fact that I did not have the grades required to pursue it nor did the people around me ever believe that I could achieve this level of success.

Sometimes the only one, who understands YOU, is YOU. I learned self-encouragement and I vowed to assist anyone who battles with self-confidence or any of life’s daily struggles, even if it’s just offering a listening ear.

This was my goal when I joined World Pulse seeking to be a correspondent, I wanted to be a source of hope and encouragement to those that need it, because I have been there and I know unless you are able to help yourself; it is difficult to help others. That is why if you read my journal at World Pulse you will see journal entries such as “It begins with Me”

I am drawn to helping women find themselves and learn to believe in themselves because I myself I am on that journey. I know that lurking beneath all these great voices are voices that are still afraid of being heard and it is to voices such as these that I hoped to reach out to.

To me it is important that every woman finds their inner voice and discover their true identity and purpose, not just for themselves but also for the women who lived in the past and those who live in the present in societies that do not enjoy the freedom we enjoy today, and that is the freedom to Be..... Encouragement to push each of us forward toward each of our goals and destinies and be all we can be for them. I believe the process begins with each of us learning to believe in our capabilities and I wanted the opportunity to encourage women with words through this platform provided by World Pulse.