It’s time to stand up, and it’s not what you think.
The pervs are getting theirs. Amazing. I hate even hearing all those horrible stories. It reminds me of my own experiences, especially the ones where no one was punished for their actions. Which was all of them.
(If you want to know, read my first post.
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@lovea/deep-breaths-here-goes-1st-post
I share a few of my own #metoo moments.) First thing that needs to happen, say something. If you have something happening in your work, in your life anywhere, talk about it. Deal with it. Don’t let anyone tell you to let it go, that time has passed. Your voice will be heard. We're seeing it now and it's inspiring.
As empowering as it is to take down pervs and put the bad guys in their place… there’s a next step to to take here. Why stop at demanding to be taken seriously, and spoken to with respect? That's just the foundation of what should be happening. Now it’s time to really unlock what we women are made of. No longer is there a definition on what women can do and what men can do. Unless its childbirth, but oh wait, we got that one too.
Ladies, you have more capacity than you know. There are so many areas of the world, that so, so badly need a woman’s touch. Reading this right now, you’re probably spending some rare downtime to yourself. Recognizing that the time you usually spend on social media is valuable, you can take that time, and turn it into fire power.
What I’m talking about, is the thing we all dream of. Freedom really. It’s ever elusive and never guaranteed, but it’s worth striving for, and it won’t come to you without serious effort. No one is giving away your perfect life. You have to build it. So you can keep watching the Kardashians, or you can figure out how to become them. (Well maybe not exactly them…)
The goal I think we all have is to escape the traps set for us by society. The 9-5 trap. The debt trap. The consumerism trap. The entertainment trap. It’s all designed to keep us busy, and spending. Now we’re busier and in more debt than ever, as a society and getting less than ever for our efforts.
What does this have to do with women you say? Well we’re either the most enslaved by this system, or we’re the solution to it. Weighing out how much you can make going back to work versus the cost of childcare is a real thing. With the growth of blockchain, amongst all the other ways to make money online, everyone needs to be educating themselves about these opportunities. The more money moves online, the less its made elsewhere. Don't tell me you aren't noticing. When you amazon prime everything to your front door while you read on your computer that ToysRus is closing - you can't tell me it isn't time to reevaluate things a little.
I talk about the virtues of being a mining mom because I believe women would be amazing at this, and more should get in now while it’s growing on my , and because of a very thoughtful comment from 
https://steemit.com/steemit/@lovea/9-reasons-why-moms-make-great-miners
We’re standing up for ourselves better, now its time to stop letting anything stop us from being our best.
1. No such thing as a blue job.
Yes, there are jobs that I leave for my husband to do, it's not because I can't do them. It's because I have a partner who wants to help, and would like to contribute with his strengths while I use mine. Navy blue jobs, aren't my strength. But I CAN do them. A long time ago, I lived on my own for years, and liked it that way. There was no one to ask to lift heavy things or unscrew jars for me. Know what I did? I figured it out. I built my own furniture. Then I refinished my stairs. Then I installed a new faucet in my kitchen. Then I sealed and stamped my concrete basement. Why? At first cause I needed to, then once I saw how I could do anything I set my mind to … I did things because I could, because I wanted something done. I made things happen and I love that feeling. Wanna feel powerful? Make something. Since then I've learned how to do so many things. Making soap, to learning how to weld and making my own structures and art. (if someone asks I’ll put up pictures… just making sure you’re reading!)
I was the only woman in each and every course I took. I didn’t care. If I were a man, no one would blink.
Action: Go where women aren’t… yet.
2. Creating and creativity
You might think of a creative as a painter, actor, musician. While yes, those are creative people, by definition, creatives…. Create things. Ask yourself, are you CREATING, or CONSUMING? Are you a buyer or a maker? Are you a reader, or a writer? If you think about it, the people you admire are ALL creators. Creating a record of their existence is how you even know about them.
Yes, everyone needs to buy things, but creators buy differently. Creators buy materials, buyers buy products. Creators buy information, consumers buy entertainment. When you start creating in earnest, you’ll see the world differently. You’ll find yourself surfing less, and researching more. You might not know what you want to create. That’s ok. Set out to find your passion, then let it take you, then take it as far as you can and keep going. Having a mission, a passion, will drive you to learn, to solve problems that would have stopped you otherwise. You won’t stare at screens for entertainment, you’ll be using their connection to answer questions, find instructions and problem solve.
Action: Find what you want to create, and pour your personality into it. Check out https://steemit.com/life/@lovea/what-makes-you-weird-it-s-probably-your-most-marketable-skill for some thoughts on this.
3. Solve problems.
All success is, is solving problem after problem. As a woman, yes, you might have a disadvantage in some ways. I’m super short. Great. I have a step stool. That’s an easy problem to solve, but it takes an extra step. I’m also not as strong as my 200 lb husband, yet there's very little that he does that I can’t.
A favourite quote of mine (by Archimedes) reminds me that I don't need to be as strong “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
I wall mounted kitchen cabinetry that we’d gotten used (for free!) when I cleaned out the garage, so I could set up my “baby corral” and build my miner in there. Those shelves weigh more than I do. How did I get them up 4 feet and stuck to the wall? A ladder, and a whole lot of boards as shims, and walking the shelf up lifting it an inch at a time. All I did was plan, and add steps. Now instead of begging my husband to get things done, I start the work and he comes to help when he can. Sometimes he’ll just take something on because he KNOWS if he doesn’t, I will. I can tell you confidently, this is a nag-free household. Your action speaks louder than words, and quite frankly, monkey see monkey do is how humans act and how people learn. Or, if you rather a more elegant way of putting it... "Be the change you want to see in the world" is apt here too.
Action: Don’t let anything stop you, and give yourself a pat on the back when you solve a problem. For every problem you solve, is a door that kept someone else out. The more problems you solve, the rarer and more valuable you are as a person.
Think about it. How valuable is a surgeon, versus a fast food worker? Who solved more problems to get where they are, and who solves bigger problems in their day?
4. Empowerment is the best entertainment.
Being empowered is something you give yourself. You can't be empowered by another person any more than anyone can force you to learn math or to eat vegetables, or be happy. You will absolutely need an environment conducive to growing and learning. You can't do this while in a toxic environment. (a topic for another time!)
Empowerment comes from giving yourself check-marks as I call it. I’m a check list kind of mama, and I LOVE checking things off my list. Giving yourself a check mark even if just in your mind is powerful. You got something done. You learned something new. It might not be perfect, but next time you'll do it a little better. There’s very little that I can put on a list that I can’t do for myself. No, I won’t do my own dental surgery, but you catch my drift. And yes, asking for help is a great idea whenever you can. I promise, however, taking the lead will always inspire more support than waiting until someone does anything for you. My husband and I have found no end to the projects to do (we live on an acreage) and our joke is that we date in our coveralls. This to me is real equality.
Action: Start small. Get something done that was bugging you. Something that if only it were done, you would have _____. It might be just a google search away. You might need to enlist some help. You can do it. And if it seems too big. Think about it in smaller steps. If it still seems too big, do a small scale trial ( I'll post about prototyping if you ask in the comments!)
So, ladies. If you have time to watch anything reality tv show based, turn it off. That time can be used for you to create something that only you could have come up with. The world needs a woman’s touch, and the time is right to make your mark.
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