From my latest for Evie Magazine:
“When it comes down to the choice to serve others or serve yourself, it’s always easier to serve yourself. That is the path of least resistance, and all human beings naturally gravitate toward it. That’s why strength is such a rare and admirable quality. That’s also why it’s hard to cultivate.
But, rather than prioritizing yourself and renaming it “strength,” the far better alternative for both men and women is to cultivate a deep appreciation for the importance of loving relationships and then work on the personal integrity needed to sustain them. To do this, you must weigh your choices and consider if you’re truly choosing what is right or if you’re simply choosing what is easy. The ability to make difficult choices over easy ones must be consistently exercised in small, routine things to have the strength to face greater challenges...."
Click here to read the rest!
And here's a little dive into my writing process ⬇️
Honestly, "what makes a strong woman?" was kind of a hard prompt for me to write about. Because 2023 revealed a lot of my weaknesses 😔
If you're a high-achieving person, it's easy to hide behind accomplishments and applause because most people will just assume you're strong, but at the end of the day, there's no substitute for real strength. If you don't have it, that will eventually become apparent, even if it's just to yourself. And the modern solution to that problem is to just repackage your weakness as "strength."
But to be truly strong, you have to be able to withstand all kinds of pressure (that's the literal definition of the word), including the near-constant pressure to choose yourself over God & everyone else.
Choosing what is right over what is easy/fun/whatever takes a lot more strength than most people recognize or admit, myself included.
That's why one of my goals for 2024 is to be truly strong. Not just look strong on the outside by achieving big things, but to be strong in the small decisions I make everyday. Those are the ones that show you who you really are ❤️🩹
