Strong women have the ability to deal with obstacles and to bounce back from their setbacks. Their resilience didn’t come from the easy times they’ve had, but from the hard times. They developed their grit and tenacity by facing their challenges and figuring out how to make the most of them. What can we learn from strong women? Here are five things:
They embrace obstacles
Strong women have an interesting perspective on obstacles. They look at an obstacle and say, “Hello, I was expecting you. You can do what you want but I won’t quit or become your victim. What I will do is to use this opportunity to learn more about myself. And by the way, you’re going to help me grow my skills and my ability to handle the tough stuff. Thank you in advance for everything I’m going to learn and for what I will become because of you.”
They learn from their mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes—whether they’re strong or not so strong. The difference is that strong women have the ability to admit they made a mistake so they don’t keep repeating it. When you see someone, man or woman, who bullies anyone when a mistake they made is pointed out and they fight back, that’s not strength, it’s weakness. Strong women realize their mistakes, correct them, and move on.
They ask questions
Strong women don’t pretend they know everything. Instead, they are curious and they are learning something new all the time. Strong women are confident in their talent, intelligence, and strengths, and aren’t afraid to ask questions or the opinions of others. Strong women ask questions, gather information, and then make up their own minds.
They lean on others
No one is a “self-made” anything. We are social beings with the need to relate to and connect with others. Strong women know their closest relationships are there for them when challenges, setbacks, and failures come. They are confident enough to confide in their inner circle their doubts, questions, fears, and inner pain. They lean on others so they can stand strong and move on.
They take care of themselves, not everyone else
Taking care of everyone but yourself isn’t a strength. Strong women respect others enough not to feel responsible for them. They know the difference between being responsible to someone and being responsible for someone. A strong woman thinks, “I respect myself and I also respect you enough to refuse to enable you.”
Strong women are strong because they realize their needs and wants are not less important than what others need and want. Strong women are loving, empathetic, and thoughtful—to themselves first. Then when they are there for someone else they are giving out of their abundance, not their dwindling reserves.
