It’s International Women’s Day – Here’s My # 1 Request.
Happy International Women’s Day, friends. Every year on March 8th, the world celebrates it’s women, and this year, I have just one request for everyone: accept This Truth:
A woman is anyone who identifies as a woman.
That’s it.
If someone tells you they are a woman, respect that as The Truth and always do your best to honor this.
If you mess up and use the wrong words, sincerely apologize and correct yourself. Keep doing that until you get it right. And if you see someone else getting it wrong, reach out and give them a hand by educating them. If they don’t appreciate it and prefer to stay ignorant and cruel, OK. Correct them anyway. Do your best every time you can. And if you didn’t do your best previously, I want you to forgive yourself, commit to doing better from here on out, and if possible, apologize to the person whose personhood you didn’t respect.
Do your best now.
While I am almost always up for a good discussion, this particular statement is not open for debate on this post or on my social media accounts. If someone who identifies as a woman can use my help in mastering their leadership and communication skills, I’m here. I will fight like hell to help them to meet their goals, increase their earning potential and change the world.
I imagine today’s celebration of women is pretty tough for women who aren’t generally accepted as such because they don’t adhere to the bullshit norms and expectations, as well as for those who haven’t yet come out as trans due to the fear of emotional or physical violence.
If you feel like a woman, this day is as much for you as it is for me, my daughter, my mom and my sister. There may be a better way to state this but getting all up in my head because of some fear that I will say something wrong even though it’s important to me is completely misaligned with how I lead the rest of my life. If it’s important to you, do it, say it, support the cause.
We live in a world that has tricked women, all women, into thinking their perfection is more important than their truth. That is wrong and damaging and restrictive.
Perfect is the enemy of progress. I’m here for consistent, meaningful progress that results in lasting change, and I hope you are as well.
Here’s to all women, everywhere, striving to make this a wildly better place for future generations, regardless of gender.