Many men can't handle a woman with boundaries

In today’s life, any person who shines with vibrant health commands respect as it is a sign of commitment, discipline and dedication. Self-respect is not selfish, it’s admirable.

Living a life from a strong position of mindset denotes that one should hold their standards high. It definitely takes a shift in the mindset and habits. It is a trait that can be completely developed at any stage of life.

In similar fashion, there comes a time in every woman’s life when she has to choose from two options; accepting the scrap from men or deciding that she deserves more than that. It’s quite obvious that any woman made to be independent will choose the second option.

Standards

Strong women do not have attitudes; they have standards and boundaries, and are unyielding in their worth and unstoppable in their grace. As a woman, one should be unapologetically herself—be proud of her strength, stand tall with her standards and make her ambitions shine high.

It’s said that the closed mouth doesn’t get fed. Similarly, a woman who does not expand her idea of what’s possible will always get less than what she deserves. There is no denying the fact that the greatest things come from humble beginnings.

However, one should have the audacity to ask for what they want—ask for more than what people expect to be okay. Above all, the woman of today should command self-respect. Self-respect protects an individual from all manner of crappy people and circumstances.

Kenyan ladies are really strong. They understand how to regulate their emotions and conduct. Not only that, but instead of giving up, they face challenges head-on. They can swiftly devise remedies that may prevent a large loss.

Of the successful women of today, five Kenyan women, drawn from business, media, sports and telecommunication, have been listed by the Forbes Magazine as emergent female leadership from the African continent.

The list, recently released by the magazine, which is written in French, has Ngina Kenyatta, Juliana Rotich, Patricia Amira, Lupita Nyong’o and Wangari Kuria. Wangari, a community leader, has received this year’s Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award for her work with Kenyan women farmers.

Faith Kipyegon established herself as the best women’s 1,500 metres runner of all time in Florence, Italy. With a time of 3:49.11, the two-time Olympic champion broke the world mark for the distance, becoming the first woman to do so.

Also, Martha Karua — a senior counsel and former long-serving member of Parliament for Gichugu — and Ory Okollo were named as powerful women with political and financial influence in the country. Martha also served as Justice minister and is generally known as the Iron Lady because of her confrontational personality and unwavering determination.

Personalities such as Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift or Ellen DeGeneres, and the list goes on, show that whatever they have achieved in their lives is due to the fact that they dared to ask for it and believed that they were worthy of it.

In today’s world full of stereotypes, many men don’t even know how to handle a woman with boundaries, schedule and busy life. They are still stuck in the retrogressive belief that a woman has to be at their beck and call. Remember, a woman who decides she is worthy of the dreams she has, no matter what her circumstances look like, is on her way to a life of power.

One should never be bullied into accepting the crumbs if fulfilment, sophistication and satisfaction is the ultimate goal in life. Fulfilment doesn’t come from another individual. It comes from within when a person understands that she was made singularly for the intent of love.

No healthy, wealthy and quality man will ever respect or fall for a woman who has no self-respect. They will always want to have a woman whose personality and energy brings out the most capable and confident version of them, rather than the one standing by his side and propping up emotionally, financially or otherwise.

A confident woman knows her worth and will attract a man who values her throughout. Nobody can respect individuals who don’t respect themselves.

Surjit Singh Flora is a veteran journalist and freelance writer based in Brampton, Canada.