“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” — Alice Walker

By Dawn Onley

Do you have any idea how truly amazing you are?

Can you grasp the full realm of your possibilities?

Women tend to struggle with this more than men. We downplay our abilities, our dreams, our brilliance, and our accomplishments. We give away our power, in a million different ways. We fight internal battles with our worth and, sadly, many times we lose.

We sit silent in the board room. We allow others to take credit for our contributions. We don’t ask for the raise that is long overdue. We hide our strength for fear of being too smart, too confident, too assured, too strong, too …

We sell ourselves short, both personally and professionally. We don’t speak up. We cower. We long for the gold, but we settle for the silver or even the bronze.

Many of us don’t realize how this plays into the big picture. The promotions. The rewards. Our own self-worth. We don’t realize that our children are watching us, our daughters, and that when we our courageous enough to be vulnerable and to go after our dreams, we give them permission to do the same.

Talent is not enough. Neither is love or dedication. Nothing is actually, if we don’t believe in our abilities. Talent, confidence, good self-esteem, drive – these combined attributes are what it takes to reach new heights. This is what will propel us forward. If they are missing, we’ll continue to get more of the same.

Iyanla Vanzant, the TV personality, speaker, author and life coach, says what we believe about ourselves is reflected back in what we attract to ourselves. “We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.”

There are plenty of barriers already out there for women. Hidden sexism is pervasive, not just in the workplace, but in the attitudes and opinions of everyday people. Go back and research some of the primary exit polls for this presidential election to get a glimpse of some of the sexism directed toward Hillary Clinton — and she’s running for the top job in America. Look at the pay gap disparities between women and men. Although we make up more than 50% of the United States population, just 4 percent of women are CEOs of the 500 biggest companies in the United States.

We need to be our own advocates. We need to trust our abilities.

Women, whatever it is you want to pursue, pursue it. Life rewards those who take bold steps.

It’s our time.

Go get your bliss.