Keep Going

This essay is an ode to the Ladies out there in the world who have felt defeat this year. 2016 has been particularly difficult; it’s a year that has brought injustice, a year that is rife with heartbreak and rage. So this is for every girl and woman who has wanted to give up, to quit caring, to lose their fight. This is for all ladies who have been consistently told to keep quiet, to not act ‘crazy’ or get too emotional over events that have taken place both in your personal lives and across the world. I recognize your madness. I believe in the beauty of letting it show.

So keep going.

You are beyond the limits that this world will continuously try to press upon you. Breathe in thoughts of your passions, breathe out with sights set on your dreams. Women are often hesitant to speak their own praises and believe in their strengths. I’m here to tell you it’s time to give credit to your power, your intelligence, and your ambition. You are as talented as you think, more so even.

If you feel angry, I encourage you to embrace it. Raise your arm and fashion a fist of protest. This is your time, you no longer need to be silent, shushed or put in the shadows. I am listening for you. Share your story by any means necessary and it will be heard.

I want to let you know that no matter what person in your life has made you feel small, has attempted to reduce your self-esteem or tear down your hopes — you are in fact capable of anything. Women are the backbone of society and we too often allow the load we carry to break our backs — yet we rise time and time again.

Know on the days that you feel weak, there are women who fought before you, who believed in their struggle and pushed onwards. Harness their spirits for strength. There is a community of women worldwide who lift each other up. Know that we’re cheering you on regardless if you can hear it.

Maybe today isn’t your day. Maybe you spilled coffee down your shirt, forgot to put on deodorant or skipped your third workout in a row. That’s okay. Fuck it. Maybe today is a gut-wrenching, anxiety-soaked shit show and you can’t even drag yourself out of bed. That’s okay. You’re okay. You will keep showing up tomorrow and the next day. You can have it all without doing it all every day.

Take care of yourself.

Spend time on self-love. Whisper sweet nothings to yourself when there is no one else there to do so. Because you are loved.

Today is a day of encouragement. So keep going.

by Alison Burdick

Originally published at obviweretheladies.com on September 16, 2016.