Girl power and all things spice!

I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister and granddaughter.
I am a writer, book worm and chocolate enthusiast.
I am a work in progress, a worry wart and I fly my freak flag often.
I love that I am a woman.
I adore how women can transform and evolve when life takes a sharp turn on a bumpy road.
I cherish what women are made of; we are made of steel and cotton wool.
I admire our inner strength it is powerful beyond measure. Our strength is always within in us, some days it is hiding deep down in the pit of our stomachs; but it is always there.
Women are such complex creatures; God really did some of his best work when he made Eve, you, me and all those fabulous queens out there.
I wish I could high- five God, to thank him for creating women, because let’s face it the world would be a very boring, untidy place; where nothing would ever get done. But all jokes aside, women are the soul of the community they live in.
I am one lucky gal; I have always been surrounded by strong women in my life, my mother, my grandmothers, my sisters and my closet friends.
I have forever been in awe of the sacrifices, strength and soul these women close to my heart and life have had; they are the true meaning of girl power.
Since I was 12 I have believed in the magic of girl power.
Like most young girls growing up in the 90s, I loved the Spice Girls, their charisma, glitter and platform shoes. I was convinced I was Baby Spice. I was forever giving the peace sign like Baby Spice. Even at church, during one of my primary school masses, when we had to offer each other the sign of peace. Instead of a handshake to the person next to me, I turned around to the whole school congregation and gave my best girl power pose. My year 6 teacher who smelled of Impulse deodorant and cigarettes, ushered me outside and told me I was inappropriate naturally I received a detention for my activism.
As a young girl the Spice Girls made me believe being a woman was the most exciting and fabulous thing to be. And that was the beauty of being a young girl, for me I believed I was special. I couldn’t wait to grow older, wear high heels and conquer the world.
But somewhere from girlhood to womanhood we sometimes forget what makes us special. Our dreams stay trapped in the fluff of our pillowcases and then we get to the point where we ask ourselves and to quote the Spice Girls, “Who Do You Think You Are?”
As a young girl, I was showered with belief from my mum and grandmothers. I was made to feel like I mattered, that being a woman was an asset rather than an emotional commodity.
But as I became more of a woman, the girl power sparks, started to dim, along with my self-belief. For most women evolution is a constant companion. We try to fit into certain roles, looks and ideas; that somewhere along the road our chameleon ways of trying to be 5 women in 1 female body causes our self-belief to flee and go rouge.
I believe women are a soulful force. We lead with our heart and souls, but how often do we actually listen to our heart?
We are not born with self-belief; I believe it is created over a lifetime. Each day, month and year, we are constantly learning more about who we are; learning from our mistakes and trying to be better versions of ourselves.
The light of who we are is waiting to shine, but for many, my self-included, we sometimes like to hide in the dark, afraid and dare I say it, because we think we are not strong or bold enough to shine.
As a woman I want to change the conversations we have with ourselves and others.
The words we use to describe who we are and the words we use to create our lives are not found in the Just Be You thesaurus. Rather the words we find are found on the pages of a doubt and lack of confidence paperback.
Finding ourselves and creating a life, is the most important work we will ever do. We have to honour who we are and this starts with not changing our story, but changing the plot direction to a more encouraging and embracing one.
We are the leading ladies of our own lives and we should never apologise for being who we are.
Women need to stop the comparison; the judgement; let go of the fear and remember we are all in this together.
It is time to be self-aware and just be you.