Celebrating IWD2021 #choosetochallenge

Finally, we have come around to another year of the world celebrating International Women’s Day. When I learnt of this years theme, "Choose to Challenge" it sparked an interesting question in me. If I ever got an opportunity to have a lunch date with my younger self what advice would I give to her? Here is just a glimpse of what I think that conversation would sound like...

International Women's Day 2021: Choose to Challenge

---

1. Challenge yourself physically. We are what we eat and how we choose to spend our physical energy. Fitness is not a lifestyle it’s a daily activity. Find something or someone with whom this translates into a seamless experience, so you look forward to it. Aim to do something every day for a minimum 45 min. In the overexposed world, we all live in, so much information and so many fitness gurus are now accessible to us on the touch of a button. So, find the time and treat your body with respect.

2. Challenge your love for yourself. Most of us grow up not loving ourselves, or always thinking we are never good enough. Surround yourself with those that love you and help you remember that self-care is most important. Imagine you had to give yourself a pep talk to make you feel loved, what would you say? Have such conversations with yourself? And remember loving oneself is not the same thing as having an ego but it simply, means to embrace yourself, including all of your strengths and shortcomings.

3. Challenge what the world expects from you both professionally and personally. Break away from norms, conditioning, rituals that don’t align with your views. Don’t let people define who you are; what you should be doing and what is success and happiness for you. Define it yourself, create your own home and ecosystem with those who you wish to be there. Don’t live other people’s life journey, create your own.

4. Challenge the importance of mental health, wellbeing, and peace. Sleep is fuel to your living and it’s perfectly OK to take a break when you need it. Your goal should be to move towards a life with less and less stress and move away from the concept of and those who glamorize being overworked or multitasking.

5. Challenge your bucketed roles and responsibilities. If you don’t fancy cooking as a woman, that’s fine; find someone who does or hire someone who can cook for you. Your parents are as important as your partner’s and don’t ever let them feel less. It’s not just the mother’s job to be at the PTA or to nurture the kids. It’s a combined effort of a mother and father that raises children so break away from past definitions and make your own.

As a mother of 2 girls aged 15 and 10 years, I feel a sense of daily responsibility to raise my girls in a way that they feel empowered and equal in the world they will eventually step into. But I often ask myself is what I do; will that be enough? What about all the parents of boys, shouldn’t they be revisiting parenting while raising their sons. I leave you all with that thought…Happy Women’s day 2021. #IWD2021 #internationalwomensday2021