The International Women’s Day is a global
event that celebrates women’s achievements in the social, economic, cultural,
and political arenas every March 8, according to the International Women’s Day
website. It also serves to remember the movement for women’s rights and gender
parity. In some European countries like Romania and Ukraine, Mother’s Day also happens to fall on March 8.
International Women’s Day is all about
women empowerment. But if you’re at work on March 8 (like most of us), here are
some simple ideas to celebrate it.
1. Learn more about International Women’s
Day Campaign.
To start with, learn more about the
campaign itself and what they are working on this year. The campaign theme for
2018 is #PressforProgress.
Think about how you can contribute to the
campaign. The easiest way to start is by maintaining a gender parity mindset
and your commitment to fight for your rights, whether at work, at home, or
within your communities. If you’re a business owner or in the management
position, support initiatives that promote gender equality and diversity.
You can also use this time to research
women's volunteer organizations or advocacies to support. Check the World Advocacy
website.
2.
Watch inspiring talks by women.
Spend your break time watching inspiring
women talk about leadership, success, self-motivation, and other life-changing
topics. Here is a list of videos to watch:
There are a lot more videos of inspiring
talks by women on YouTube. Choose a topic that speaks to you best.
3. Get to know more about inspirational women.
Learn more about women who have helped
changed the world or your world. So it can be someone as popular as Oprah or
Mother Teresa or someone as close to you as your grandma or your favorite
female teacher. It can also be a female character or figure that you look up
to, like saints or biblical characters. Get to know more about them and their
life. You can always pick nuggets of wisdom from women who inspire you to be
better.
Start with this list:
As for me, the first inspirational woman
who came to my mind is the Blessed Mother. For Christians and Catholics, she is
the mother of Jesus. She embodies love, kindness, compassion, humility,
self-control and courage--all the qualities you need to be an empowered woman.
Just imagine how she must have felt when the angel Gabriel told her that she
would conceive the son of God, while she was already engaged to Joseph.
It must have been really scary! It wasn't
the humiliation that was scary, but the possibility of being stoned to death as
this was the punishment at that time for women who get pregnant out of wedlock.
But she kept these and other things she couldn’t change in her heart, while
raising her son and being a compassionate mother to many. She never let fear
get in the way of fulfilling her role.
This to me describes what women
empowerment is all about. It's about having the courage to overcome our fears--our
fear of failure, our fear of being looked down upon, our fear of rejection, and
many other fears, because only then can we truly live our purpose.
A beautiful image of the Blessed Mother
with the title "Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Graces”
4. Support a female friend.
Now is a great time to reach out to a
female friend who might be needing that extra push or support. It can be your
friend who is about to give birth or who has just given birth. Giving birth is
an experience that is unique to women and it takes a lot of sacrifice and
courage to be a good mother. You can also reach out to a friend who is going
through a difficult time in her life, with an illness or a personal crisis.
Hear her out.
You can also support a female friend or
colleague who has just started a new venture. Show interest in what she does by
asking her questions or by simply congratulating her. The fact that someone is
checking in and asking about what she's doing is often enough to encourage her
to keep going.
5. Wear something ultra-violet.
Ultra-violet is the color of International
Women’s Day because purple has been associated with gender equality. It also
symbolizes visionary thinking.
Wear something purple today. It can be your
clothing, accessory, or your makeup. But if your work won’t permit you to
change the color of your clothes and accessories, you can try purple-toned
makeup. A safe choice is a plum/purple eyeshadow. I pick this L’Oreal ParisColor Rich Pocket Palette in Violet Amour.
Happy International Women's Day to all
ladies who are reading this, wherever you are in the world. Our gender is
something that unites all of us women :-)
Check out these plummy eyeshadow palettes:
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