The Battle Within & Among Us...

QUEENS DON'T FIGHT!

As I work with women globally, coaching mentoring and empowering them to live their best lives and to unapologetically SHINE the spotlight on their brilliance, I  know for a fact that the battle inside is being fought and won in individual women's lives on a daily basis. 

I have seen women overcome obstacles such as fear, self-deprecation and the almighty Impostor Syndrome, to take up their rightful and deserved places of leadership in the corporate world, in politics, in academia and everywhere else. Kudos and a happy high-five to us women for that - as we overcome The Battle WITHIN us!

So, yes - across the UK two days ago, marches were organised by thousands of women to mark the Suffrage Centenary, to celebrate 100 years since women won the right to vote. 

In 1918, this was a huge victory, elevating the rights of women. 

Fast forward 100 years, to 2018, it is great to see the many ways in which women are being empowered, and of course I applaud every single victory (big or small) that we, women all over the world have won - victories we shouldn't have had to fight for, in the first place - but hey.

I am of the opinion that the greatest battles women have had to fight is not over the right to vote, gender parity, equal pay or anything else (as important as they are) - instead the greatest battle women face today, and which we all MUST win together, are two-fold: the battle INSIDE us and the battle AMONG us.

The battle AMONG us - worries me, because I look around and I still see too many women 'at war' with each other - not necessarily in terms of cat-fights, hair-pulling and fisticuffs, but in a subtle yet no less dangerous way.  

I do not mean to 'insult' women by painting us all with the same brush (so please do not accuse me of generalising) but as a fellow woman in leadership  (all women ARE in some form of leadership) how supportive are you of other women?  

More to the point, HOW do you treat or support other women you encounter every day? Let's count the ways, and find room for improvement.

Here's my pledge to you:

If you are a woman reading this, I would really love to hear your thoughts on how best we can support each other. 

I am Clara Rufai, The Shine Strategist, and I do believe that as women, none of us wins, until ALL of us win!