Everyone deserves to feel empowered. Whether you’re practicing self-love or encouraging others to believe in themselves, there are lots of methods to increase your confidence while lifting up those around you.
As part of a movement to spread self-love, we believe it is important to empower other women around you. We’ve compiled 10 simple ways to make yourself and the women in your life feel ready to tackle anything, and start off on a positive foot today:
1. Boost Leadership Skills
With more female leaders, women of all ages can feel empowered to pursue big dreams. To prepare kids for positions of power, young girls can gain leadership experience by volunteering and playing sports. For older women, the workplace is a great opportunity to build leadership skills like communication, empathy, time management, strategic thinking, and positivity.
2. Give Thoughtful Compliments
Rather than sticking to surface-level praise, compliment other women on their most important qualities. Think about their accomplishments, any traits you admire, and what you’ve learned from them.
3. Push Positivity
Between social media, unrealistic beauty standards, and societal expectations, it can sometimes feel difficult for women to stay positive. However, in order to empower yourself and those around you, encourage other women to stop negative thought patterns and be their authentic selves.
4. Be an advocate
Empowering other women means giving credit where it’s due. If a project one of your colleagues completed gets praise from the boss, be sure to acknowledge it was her work. If there’s an open spot at your company, recommend a woman you think would make a good fit.
5. Disagree Respectfully
To empower others, it’s crucial to be respectful even when we disagree with them. In conversations, make sure to use language that doesn’t immediately dismiss their idea or attack the person. You might just find some common ground.
6. Join a Mentorship Program
There are all kinds of female mentorship programs designed to make women feel empowered, such as Mentoring Her and Revolution Her. You can empower other women by becoming a mentor in one of these groups. If you’re seeking advice, look into certain organizations or individuals in your life that can provide the guidance you need.
7. Support Women of All Ages
In addition to empowering young girls to become strong, independent women, it’s equally important to lift up women at every stage in life. If you notice a college woman, mother, or senior woman in need, be sure to lend a hand.
8. Work Together
Encouraging female empowerment is more effective when women work together. There are lots of ways to collaborate with other women, from discussing harmful media tropes with female friends to protesting at a women’s march, or networking on a women based social platform. The important thing is to be inclusive in the fight.
9. Listen to Others
As women, it’s sometimes challenging to feel heard. To empower the women in your life, let them know you care about what they have to say by actively listening. Give them your undivided attention and respond thoughtfully.
10. Encourage Vulnerability
There’s a lot of power in vulnerability. Be sure to make other women feel comfortable opening up about their struggles, and acknowledge the strength it takes them to tell their story. By encouraging other women to share more about themselves, we can learn and grow together.
By following these strategies, you can empower yourself and other women in your life. Need a reminder to stay confident? Search for empowering artwork to add to your home.