Do you feel disappointed in the latest political developments? Have we put too much faith in our leaders to sort out the mess this world is in? I’m not going to go into a deep political analysis, but there’s one key message that is very relevant for our growing community of driven women.

Don’t you think it’s time we all start taking greater responsibility in our daily choices and start making a positive impact in the communities around us? Deepak Chopra summarised this message brilliantly in his recent tweet:

“Leadership at the top levels may be irrelevant if we take responsibility for personal & social transformation, equality, social justice & love.”

Same applies to women’s empowerment. We must take responsibility for healing and empowering ourselves.

Yes, the world is unequal and unfair and mainly still dominated by the male agenda, but why wait?

I’m personally tired of articles and comments that reinforce our apparent ‘victim’ position. Do you really believe it’s because of lack of female role models that we don’t have more successful women entrepreneurs.

There’s never been more successful female entrepreneurs, social activists and other fantastic ass kicking women role models to aspire to! Neither do I buy into lack of support, funding, leadership programs.. or any other explanation that women still feel they are unable to define success in their own terms.

The only outcome from comments like this is that women may feel it’s OK if you stick your head in the sand and buy into a victim position, because the world is not fair.

But the world may never be fair. The truth is — we women are still hiding. We are a shamed to raise our hand, to speak up, to share our ideas and to chase our dreams.

What really holds us back is our desire to hold on to the old definition of success, the patriarchal way of climbing up the ladder. It makes us shy as we struggle to see deeper meaning in it and are confused why it doesn’t match our internal belonging to something else.

We keep comparing ourselves to men and their metrics. We are ashamed to admit that what we have been told we should want is not what we really want deep down. And many end up thinking if they’d admit it, it would be interpreted as a sign of weakness. In the men’s world, showing weakness is still bad in many circles.

Therefore we must create our own circles where showing vulnerability is a strength.

Now, ask yourself —

What is it you truly, deeply want. Do you dare to dream big?

Do you desire to follow your heart and do work that matters?

Do you want to get out of bed every morning feeling intensely passionate about your day ahead?

Do you wish to make a positive impact to people around you or to the wider world?

And do you dare finish off your wish list with a balanced lifestyle, having time to spend time with your family and take care of your physical and mental health?

But perhaps you don’t believe any of this is possible so why even try. Such a dream seems so out of reach that why bother!

We are not held back by lack of role models or lack of ideas/ funding/ support. We are held back by procrastination, our lack of self-belief and fear of failure.

You may not want to hear this, it’s much easier to blame the world around us, how unfair and unequal it is, than to actually do something about it.

It’s time women stop playing small and start dreaming big. It’s time we all come out with our deepest dreams. Yes, those that we are ashamed to tell anyone.

Why?

The dream you don’t dare to tell is your most powerful dream.

Just imagine if we all said out loud what really matters to us, then we’d find the courage to start changing the world around us. At DrivenWoman we believe very dream is equal. All we have to do is to stop comparing ourselves to others.

It’s time to expose our dreams, our passions and start living a bigger life. It’s time we start supporting each other and start taking small, consistent and determined steps to make things happen. It’s time we stop hiding and stop waiting for the world to change.

It might sound impossible, but it’s much more doable than you think. And at DrivenWoman we have already started the journey. Everyone is capable of change. And personal change, my dear sisters, is what we must accept in these changing times.

~ Miisa