Unstoppable Women

What makes someone unstoppable? What is it that goes in to making someone who under no circumstance would stop from achieving and moving ahead? I truly believe the absence of the fear of failure that makes one so resilient and strong mentally that they just become unstoppable. So when does this fear of failure actually disappear/ seize to exist? I think apart from conditioning, environment, circumstances and upbringing, the one thing that eliminates the fear of failure is having hit the rock bottom/ the lowest level at some point where there is nothing left to lose, and the only way is to go up from that juncture. Historically we have seen how women across the globe have had to struggle and are still struggling to break cultural, religious and even professional barriers to their growth. Yet their sheer perseverance is the sign on the unstoppable upward journey

While truly this journey for women has never been easy, it has given some valuable learning that perhaps our male counterparts have had to miss. The best example was during the pandemic , where we clearly saw how female led countries such as New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Taiwan focused on families, children, and vulnerable groups with messages of compassion and solidarity and also quickly enacted policies that helped cope with Covid-19 more effectively at early stages itself. Similarly, research also showed that US States with female governors had fewer Covid-related deaths than those with male governors. Women leadership is unique in that apart from being goal oriented, it is also compassionate, empathetic, and enables working out compromises quickly, and the world we live in today, demands these qualities for survival. I can absolutely relate to every bit of Jacinda Ardern's statement below

"One of the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate & strong." - Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand

To me there is no special category of women called the “unstoppable women”, every woman around me today is unstoppable, we couldn’t have come this far otherwise. Our perception of the self is the most important and that is what we will exude to the world outside. Our light comes from within and hence one should not expect someone else to take a torch/ spotlight to throw light on us, we are capable of shining on our own and need to take up the ownership. As Women, we are very hard on ourselves and when it comes to being ambitious or taking career breaks/ quitting too this applies. One has to first put in perspective that there is no need to carry any of this baggage at all, and to develop a sense of empathy towards yourself and understand that you have the right to make your dreams come true and make choices that make you happy professionally and personally. The decision of balance is up to you and you have to learn to respect that first and others will learn to respect your choices along the way. Women do not have to prove their ambition or their reason for being content either. The one and only big demon you have to fight today is “I am not good enough” (the classic imposter syndrome) and continue being the unstoppable you!