What is a Warrior Woman? My guess is that she probably looks a lot like you. A warrior woman is an ordinary woman, doing ordinary things, living an ordinary life, who probably feels, in every way, that she is distinctly ordinary and that there is nothing particularly special about her. Yet there is NOTHING ordinary about the ordinary woman. Every woman, every day, is extraordinary, in her own individual way.
A warrior woman defends the things and people that she values, whatever those values are, and whoever those people may be. A warrior woman stands up for her femininity, whatever that femininity looks like to her. Whether that is wearing a full-face of make-up or none, whether that is as a mum or not, whether that is as a full-time home-maker or a 24/7 career girl.
Defending our femininity is a defence of our right to choose OUR path and OUR identity, to live life on our OWN terms, in our OWN way. Maybe you are a wife, a mother, a carer; maybe you are a peace-maker or an activist and passionate supporter of a cause close to your heart, or maybe you tick none of these boxes. Being a warrior woman is not about ticking boxes. It is about being authentically, unapologetically YOU.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you do, you reach your own goals and you live life on your own terms, according to your own values. You stand firm and push against boundaries; you wobble and fall and get up again and stand tall once more, no matter how small or insignificant these boundaries may seem, and even if those boundaries are created by you through limiting beliefs you hold about yourself, still you stand.
Warrior women are ALL women, everywhere, and there is nothing ordinary about a single one of us. No, none of us are perfect; we have many imperfections, but we are not defined by them, and rather than telling ourselves - or perhaps being told by society or those around us - that 'I can't do x' or 'I'm no good at y', we should change it up a little bit and write ourselves a new story to tell ourselves and those we gather around the campfire with - or electric fire, if that's where us modern warrior women gather in the 21st century!
We are NOT helpless victims of our own flaws, or life's imperfections, and we do NOT succumb to 'weaknesses - if we are going to use that word - whether they are internal or external to us. The world is full of stories of people who have overcome all sorts of adversities. Every single one of us faces adversity, and we come through it bruised but stronger, and having learned something about ourselves, our mettle and what we are made of. Our weaknesses, lacks, inabilities, and tough times all serve to empower us as we stand up for who we are, what we want, what we believe in, and overcoming whatever makes us exposed and unguarded.
In your story of who you are, treat yourself as the hero, the survivor, the thriver. Because YOU are. YOU are not a 'victim' of circumstance or a 'victim' of anything. You are a survivor - we all are - and that means living from a position of great power and strength.
Find your tribe, find your community, find those you can gather together with to listen and to tell YOUR story - but better. Tell the version that allows your true inner light and strength to shine bright. Who are YOU? Where are your fellow warrior women? Just look around you. You won't have to look far. The woman who sits next to you at the office, the new mum in your street, the local checkout girl... Warriors, all of them. And each of them have their own story to tell. They are our community.
So let's reach out, share a smile, share a story, share a kind word or a little encouragement. Let's tell each other how amazing we are, and hold up a mirror to show each other what a warrior woman really looks like. A warrior woman need not look like Boudicca. She can wear the uniform of a supermarket checkout operative, or a nurse, or a teacher, or she could be dressed in a suit, the armour of the office ... What we wear is irrelevant. It is merely external. Our truth, and the truth of who we really are, lies within us. You could dress Boudicca in heels and a ballgown but she'd still be a kick-ass warrior woman.
Uncover your inner warrior woman by asking yourself: What matters to you, and why does it matter? What are the things, and who are the people, that you treasure? What have you experienced in your life - the good and the bad - and what have you learned from all this about who you are? What have you learned about your spirit, your strength? What adds colour, texture and joy to your life? What ignites a fire in your belly? How do you use your YOU-ness to make an impact on the world and people around you? How do you make your mark on the world, in your own inimitable, Warrior Woman way? Because whatever you think of yourself, you are a warrior woman, you do make a mark, and wherever you go, you do make quite a stir ...