International Women’s Day celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future. A challenged world is an alert world. We are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions all day, every day. We can choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. We can all help create an inclusive world, from challenge comes change. Now more than ever women have been taking important roles wherever decisions are made.  A woman who chooses to voice herself is a definition of a strong women.  As said by Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet in US history, "There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.”

Raise your hand assertively and show your solidarity in choosing to challenge,  be bold, stand for your safety, equality.  Women leaders and women’s organizations have demonstrated their skills, knowledge, and networks to effectively lead at work,  but there are some women still fighting for saftey in their own homes. 

Today there is more acceptance than ever before that women bring different experiences, perspectives, and skills to the table, and make irreplaceable contributions to decisions, policies and laws that work better for all.

“The world needs strong women; women who will lift & build others, who will love & be loved, women who live bravely, both tender & fierce; women of indomitable will.” 
– Amy Tenney

This message is to emphasize again to our women, that you are not alone. You 
having a whole community to support and empower. 

What is a Strong Woman?

1. A STRONG WOMAN RESPECTS HERSELF AND OTHERS.

A strong woman respects herself and she gives that same respect to others. She knows that everyone deserves to have a voice and be heard; she expects people to give her that same courtesy, rather than getting upset when people don’t treat her as she would like to get treated. she simply becomes the bigger person and kills them with kindness.

It takes a lot of maturity for a person to stand tall and not let the behavior of other people drag them down. A strong woman has wisdom and humility and demands respect but doesn’t have a superiority complex about her.

In other words, she treats everyone as her equal and expects the same from others.

 2. A STRONG WOMAN IS INDEPENDENT.

A strong woman utilizes the power of positive thinking in her daily life. She doesn’t let the clouds block her sunshine; she instead becomes the source of light. For example, if she lost her job recently, she doesn’t let negative thinking trick her into believing that she will never find another job. Instead, she looks at the positives.

Maybe she’d be better off without that job. Maybe she wasn’t loving it as much as she thought she did. She looks toward the future and believes that she’ll find something better. By putting out that energy, she knows she’ll have a much better chance of turning her thoughts into reality.

A strong woman doesn’t fixate on the problems but focuses on solutions instead. She looks at what she can do to better her situation, such as looking up jobs and calling on her support network to see if they can help her out.

3. A STRONG WOMAN KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL HER EMOTIONS.

A strong woman knows the power of her mind and knows to handle her life with care.  She masters her emotions and doesn’t let them govern her. Emotions change constantly, just like the weather, so a strong woman doesn’t see much value in dwelling on situations or feelings and allows herself to feel the emotion and then move on.
She doesn’t allow people or events to dictate how she feels, either. Instead of letting others control her energy, she puts her own energy out into the world. She leaves a lasting imprint on other people because she knows exactly what she wants to bring to the table in any given situation. She doesn’t allow fear or doubts to control her energy, because she knows that these emotions won’t allow her to achieve the desired result.  She sees life much like a game. To win, she knows that she must always bring her best self to the table. She puts on a brave face and conquers whatever stands in her path, and does so with a balanced, controlled state of mind. 

4. A STRONG WOMAN TAKES RISKS.

A strong woman knows when to push her luck and when to fold. She knows that life requires us to push ourselves if we want to grow and learn; staying stuck in fear will only breed complacency. She takes risks to become better-rounded and test her limitations. She knows that a lot of our boundaries can be crossed if we jump the mental hurdles first.  As kids, we believe we can do anything because our parents and teachers tell us we can. We don’t have any fear because the world’s programming hasn’t affected us yet. If we fall and get hurt as a child, we don’t fixate on the event and allow it to grow into a fear. We simply face our fear over and over until we have learned to master it. Kids remain in the present moment because they have open minds. They want to absorb everything life can teach them.
Then, as we grow up, we start to put up walls and tell ourselves we can’t do certain things. We form an image of ourselves in our heads that becomes our identity. After a while, we become fixed. We don’t believe we can bend and mold ourselves into something new. However, a strong woman breaks this cycle often. She pushes herself to do new things so that her identity and self-image don’t solidify. She doesn’t allow fear to control her because she knows that she can’t learn unless she’s in a calm, confident state of mind.

5. A STRONG WOMAN TRIES TO REMAIN POSITIVE.

Positive thinking stays in the forefront of her mind because she knows that she can’t live a positive life with a negative view of the world. A strong woman knows that positivity can change one’s life; it can take them from the depths of despair to the highest altitudes of joy. It can shift their perspective and help them make the best of any situation.

OTHER KEY TRAITS OF A STRONG WOMAN

• She knows what she wants out of life and isn’t afraid to go after it.

• She likes to be in control but knows when it’s someone else’s time to shine.

• She doesn’t like drama or gossip and steer clear of people who engage in these shallow behaviors.

• She don’t sugarcoat anything and tell it like it is and expect other people to do the same.

• She takes care of her health and happiness and don’t expect others to do it for them.

• She surrounds herself with positive, empowered people. 

• She constantly wants to learn new things and test her limits.

• She has an open mind and believe she can do anything in life.

• She doesn’t let anyone manipulate her. She knows her worth and doesn’t believe in keeping her mouth shut just so she doesn’t rock the boat.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON A STRONG WOMAN

Strong women are special people who make big changes in this world. They have a vision and don’t stop until their dreams become reality. To them, life is too short to shrink down into a lesser version of themselves. A strong woman rises and meets herself so she can become the person she was meant to be. A strong woman will shake this world to its core and make a permanent imprint.  She will constantly cross goals and achievements off her list because she doesn’t want to look back on her life with regrets.

This is a great time to acknowledge all our women leaders who took their time to work for the growth of our community.  A proud moment to all the women who stand  as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, educators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders.Thanks to all women for making this place a better world! 

“Wishing all women a Happy International Women's Day and let us all contribute in making a better future for the generations to come.”

Dr. Divya Vallippadavil
RN, PhD, EdD Psychology
Professor, Sandusky, Ohio
Email: divyajame@gmail.com

Dr. Divya Vallippadavil