The Power of Female Encouragement

I’m just going to go ahead and get this out here: I am not a “writer”.  I maybe maybe took one writing class in high school, which obviously wasn’t impactful because I can’t remember it.  Writing is my therapy.  And while I am not a trained writer (or maybe even a talented writer), I write from the heart and I am willing to be vulnerable.

I’ve thought about starting a blog about 123,854 times. I thought about starting a blog when my dad died.  I thought about starting a blog when I was going through really hard times with my Grave’s Disease.  I feel like there was always a voice inside my head that was telling me to open up about my story (stories) because it could bring peace to someone else going through something similar.  But as most of us females do, I second guessed myself and told myself 123,853 reasons why I wouldn’t be good at starting a blog.

I wrote a Facebook post the day after my 40th birthday (the one I referred to in my 1st blog post).  I talked about how I was feeling about turning 40….and shared thoughts about how thankful and content I felt.  I will never forget that a woman I admire very much commented on my post and said “You are so beautiful….as is your writing. Do you have a book idea? Better keep writing!” And that was it. That was exactly what I needed to have the courage to start my blog.  Maybe it wasn’t exactly that day I realized it.  I remember it was two days after we got home from Arizona. The day before I was pleading with God to help me find the meaning in the pain I was feeling.  Then I woke up the next morning and just starting writing my 1st blog post.  The positive encouragement from that woman played over and over in my head for the few days after she wrote it. Maybe I was a good writer? Maybe it wasn’t just me who thought my words could impact others in a positive way?  It was exactly what I needed to hear at the exact right time. (…God’s timing is perfect.)

I connected with that woman on Facebook again just yesterday.  I wanted to tell her how much of a positive impact her comment had on my life.  She mentioned that she is switching her focus about Facebook in 2021 and using it as a tool to build relationships, learn from and inspire others. I would say she has 100% accomplished her goal and it’s only March.

It made me really reflect on my own life. There is so much good I see out there…there are women who are doing amazing things with their lives.  There are also women who are winning daily in smaller aspects of their lives.  There are women who look beautiful and put together every day….there are women who are inspirational…women I admire…women who are the best friends in the world to me.  I wonder what would happen if I told another women every positive thought I had about her instead of holding it inside?

I’ll be honest…I have no idea where this blog is going.  It could only be my mom and my husband that ever read it. But I will tell you that the writing that I have done so far is the therapy that I needed for my pain.  And if I can help one other female find comfort in knowing that someone else has gone through as much pain as she’s feeling….and has come through it….then it will all be worth it.  And maybe I can work on giving more encouragement; so another female can have the courage to go after something she’s meant to do as well.