One of my favorite things to see is women supporting other women. So to celebrate this International Women’s Day here are 5 ways you can show love and support to your sisters all year long!
1. Celebrate with her
When your friend accomplishes something great, celebrate her in a small or a big way. You can send her flowers, take her out for brunch, give her a social media shout out or call her to let her know how proud you are of her. Last year, I traveled to Virginia with one of my sister-friends, Yolande, for her graduation and I would not have missed seeing her receive her Masters degree for anything in the world. Showing her love in that way let her know that I am in her corner and we created memories that I will cherish forever. But rejoicing with a woman who is dear to you doesn’t have to involve traveling, something as simple as a card can work wonders too!
2. Let her success push you forward
Don’t envy or allow jealousy to rob you from celebrating other women in your field or in other spheres of influence. Instead of side-eyeing them, be inspired and learn from them because their accomplishments are proof that your aspirations are valid and possible. This is a great way to empower yourself and others because it not only makes you more determined but also strengthens our sisterhood.
3. Support her in times of grief
In times of trouble and need, we must show up for one other. Whether the hurt is in your private circle or on the public stage, don’t add fuel to the fire. In this day and age of “internet anonymity and courage”, it is so easy to scream karma or be negative, judgmental and flat out mean. Don’t join the mean girls, instead offer a prayer and words of comfort.
4. Make light of failures
Never relish in another women’s downfall. We all make mistakes of our own doing so let’s show empathy and grace when others make mistakes because it is what we want for ourselves. Life is a journey and comes with its mountain top experiences and dark valleys. How you show up for your sisters in each season can have a significant impact on them. It can also lengthen or shorten the duration of each season. Choose to be a cheerleader in both, making the mountain top seasons has long and the valleys as short as possible.
5. Celebrate her
Let’s face it, the first question many ask after your name is “So, what do you do?” Being valued and sized-up based on our accomplishments is unfortunately quite prevalent. What ever happened to loving and accepting people simply for who they are truly, not what they do, have done or can do for us? We owe it to ourselves to be self-aware of our own biases and intentional about holding each other in high esteem regardless of our social status or curriculum vitae.
Let every interaction other women have with you be life-giving. It’s hard enough playing with the boys, when we come together let’s do what we can to uplift each other.
Proverbs 11: 25 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
