Be a Real Woman
In response to Steve Pavlina’s “How to Be a Man” post, I had to join in the fun and write my idea of a true woman. Steve Pavlina’s blog is one of my husband’s favorites to read and this post was a real winner, both fun and thought-provoking. I hope my thoughts on being a woman are almost as good!
How to Be a Real Woman
1. Make your own decisions. Form your own opinions about politics, family life, personal relationships, your faith, and more. A real woman doesn’t have to depend on her spouse, father, mother, friends, or anyone else to make her decisions for her. She is assured and intelligent enough to come to her own conclusions, but is also open enough to listen to and consider the opinions of others.
2. Know your priorities. Learn to tell the difference between what is merely urgent and what is truly important. A true woman can shift aside the meaningless to find what is meaningful and spend her time on the things in her life that matter the most. She understands that what’s important to other people isn’t always important to her and vice versa.
3. Learn to trust and be trusted by others. You don’t have to be in control all of the time and can relax and allow others to take charge. A real woman trusts her spouse to have her best interests at heart. At the same time, she is trustworthy and honest and the people who know her best trust her in every way.
4. Take care of yourself. Take care of yourself; mind, body, and soul. A real woman takes time out to exercise, do Bible study, meditate and/or pray, and educate herself. She knows and understands that doing these things is not selfish, but is essential to her well-being and is also for the benefit of those she shares her life with.
5. Give and receive love and affection gracefully. Never be embarrassed to ask for help, a back rub, a gift, or a favor. Neither should you hesitate to give the same; do both with joy, grace, and energy. Either way, both parties feel good and benefit from the giving.
6. Release your creativity. Everyone is given a certain amount of creativity. A true woman uses her creative energy in fun and productive ways, such as sewing or quilting, cooking, writing, painting, socializing, woodworking, etc. She is not afraid to share the results with her loved ones, acquaintances, or even strangers.
7. Don’t be afraid of hard work, sweating, or relaxing. Women no longer want to be pampered. They want and need to be productive and proud. They will not hesitate to apply liberal amounts of elbow grease and get sweaty and dirty. And, after working hard and accomplishing a goal, they want to reward themselves and enjoy the results before moving on to the next task.
8. Be beautiful. Look your best. This varies, of course, but a real woman looks her best. She doesn’t lie around in a bathrobe, even if she can. She does the best she can with what she’s been given – she gets dressed, maybe applies some make up, keeps an eye on the waistline and cares about her looks without being obsessed with them. She knows that when she looks her best, she feels good about herself.
9. A real woman doesn’t need diamonds, spa treatments, or French manicures to know her self-worth. She views them as wasteful, frivolous, useless, and meaningless. She would rather have a meaningful experience, such as a walk in the woods with her mate.
10. Submit without being a doormat. A real woman can set aside her own desires for someone else. She can serve her spouse happily because she wants to. At the same time, she doesn’t allow herself to be forced and manipulated into doing something she doesn’t want to do.
Comments? Email me at cheryl@familychowhall.com or clh@familychowhall.com
May 13th, 2008