For the longest time, I saw the celebration of International women’s day as an hypocritic move- Like why ‘celebrate’ women for one day and shut them out for the next 364? But now, my eyes are opened! I now see what women have been clamoring for and I’ve joined the movement. Yes, this is a movement!
Because of this movement, more and more women are rising to top positions globally and locally and we are now able to beginning to build an ecosystem that empowers, inspires and celebrate females. Kai! I absolutely love to see it. This is important because representation matters. Young women need a fuel for their ambition, they need to SEE other women doing ‘’it’’- whatever ‘’it’’ represents for them.
I exist to break limiting beliefs for the next generation of women. I want women to see that greatness is not out of reach. I want young people (women especially) to see me and say, ‘’If she could do it, then I can do it too-You can call me a Forward-forging forerunner! I am empowered to raise the next generation of ambitious and fearless pioneers who will disrupt and challenge the stereotypes in every facet of life- You can call me a Value-vested Visionary.
If you are anything like me, it’s you I’m speaking to in this post. I am so glad to meet you. I have been searching for you sister and on this special day, I celebrate you. I acknowledge and honor you for carrying and nurturing this vision like a baby. Happy International women’s day. Welcome to the decade of the visionary woman!
See, in the coming years you and I will witness a radical emergence of high-profile women like us. We will see an overwhelming outflow of fearless and formidable women that will champion change in their communities, countries and continent. Because this is the decade of the visionary woman, these women will be celebrated and rewarded more than any other time in human history.
But one thing! These women (you and I) will not emerge by wishing. How then will we break barriers and write a better narrative for the future generation you may ask. I gat you! As we celebrate #womeninleadership, I will pass on this mandate to you. I will hand over to you today, your Golden Glove- Your Golden Glove comprises 5 things that will help you emerge and lead as a forward-forging forerunner for this visionary movement. As you #choosetochallenge gender inequality and break existing stereotypes, you must remember to take your golden glove with you and share it with other women just as I have done with you.
Courage: Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any virtue consistently. The women who will emerge and eventually discover and conquer new territories are the ones who have the courage to deploy their potential to lead and serve, those who have the courage to challenge old ideas and practices so that they may direct their influence towards good ends. Dear sister, take a healthy amount of courage with you.
Character: Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life. Without it, you can go nowhere. It is going to be challenging to lead in a male-dominated world. The visionary woman who will rise to the highest level will be the one with a reputation of good character. Morality trumps all other aspect of character in importance, it will set you apart. Guard it jealously.
Compassion: Nobody cares how much you know until the know how much you care, sounds cliché but it’s only cliché because it’s true. The journey to becoming the woman you want to be is far and the women who will make impact long enough to be recognized and rewarded are the ones that have genuine compassion for their people, communities and countries. Search inside for a genuine compassion for people, if you can can’t find it, ask God to give you because you will NEVER emerge with it.
Competence: Passion is no longer the core of impact; many people have passion. Competence is the new currency. We are rewarded in proportion to the problems we solve. If you solve local problem, you will receive local prominence. The women will break barriers in this decade are the ones whose competence have been refined enough to take on and tackles global challenges. Keep levelling up girl!
Collaboration: 1 will chase 1,000 and 2 will chase 10,000 that will be the watchword of the women that will make the most impact in this decade. These women will not be driven by their selfish interests instead, they will be motivated by the ripple effect of their collaborative efforts on the lives of the people. Drop your ego and start embracing collaboration.
Courage, Character, Compassion, Competence and Collaboration. Now, wear your golden glove, raise your hand and declare, ‘’I am a forward-forging forerunner, I will challenge gender-inequality’ http://www.instagram.com/gbemisolaojediran