We Are Girls.
"I think the best way to find yourself-and to find the care and the love we all need-is to show up, speak up, serve, and give someone next to you a word of "you go girl" and a hug"-Maria Shriver
For more than one reason, these words made me smile. But after reading these words, the question I keep asking myself is this. Why as women would we ever want to hurt and disrespect other women? Women are amazing….I am so proud to be one! I love hearing the success of other women around me and their success truly inspires me to be a better woman on this earth.
As a girls soccer coach, my number one message I hope to get through to each and every one of my players- is to LOVE themselves and BE GOOD to each other. My next message is to believe in the power of their voice. To find the confidence and courage in the everyday to know that what they say matters and does make a difference.
I have three daughters, who on a daily basis hear from me the importance of being good to each other….to love their sisters and friends and honor the beauty of being a girl.
I try my best to be an example of kindness and love in this world, and to be honest, sometimes I fail.
I fail because I am real and sometimes I react and sometimes I get hurt and on a much deeper level I know I am overcompensating for the little girl within that needed to be heard. I have days that I am upset and want to keep my middle finger in the air…but then I remember; I am an example for girls. One day these girls will turn into women and my hope is that they will love each other as fiercely as I see my 9 year old twins love and accept each other.
At soccer practice, we do so much more than play soccer. I ask the girls to leave everything negative behind and clear their mind of stress and worry. I remind them that we are here together and always have each other’s back.
During our water breaks, I will ask a girl to stand up as we take turns sharing what we love and admire about her. It gives me chills every time we do it. I want to bottle that moment for each of them and have them carry it with them for life. I cannot tell you how powerful it is for the girls to hear their friends say kind things about them. There are huge smiles across the face of the girls receiving the message BUT the light and joy from being able to deliver the message is even better.
After dealing with an uncomfortable situation of my own, I realized I needed to add to the message I'm giving when it comes to using our voice. Yes, our voice matters and it does make a difference but we need to remember how to use it properly.
The power is in our voice… but never to shame or belittle.
It is not to tear each other down for our differences.
It is not to talk behind each other’s back and make anyone feel less valued, important and loved.
It is not to stand in the way and silence another voice.
It is not to spread rumors and back chatter and judgments.
Our voice and its power come from what lives in our hearts.
The truth is, we are not going to agree all the time, and we may come across situations that make us feel uncomfortable about ourselves or another person.... but when we are raising daughters and girls, we need to lead by example, and teach them to use their voice to build and lift each other up so high, that they believe they can accomplish anything and everything.
And having awesome women by your side, cheering you on, will make the impossible feel possible.
Sometime we have to go deep within and feel the pain in order to rise above the noise and the chaos. We are girls and women and we become stronger and better when we stand together with respect, kindness and love for each other.