Celebrate YOU today and everyday! #IWD2021

Women’s Day is every damn day, or it should be.  My #choosetochallenge is celebrating ourselves.

Yes, there are a few days a year to recognize and publicly commemorate us but don’t wait to be celebrated.  Let’s just do it!

Celebrating ourselves can take many forms.  Taking and making time for ourselves includes and is not limited to treating ourselves, being kind to ourselves and hey, giving our badass selves a shoutout from time to time too won’t hurt.  That last one is hard for many of us.  We don’t like to toot our own horns but why shouldn’t we?  Being proud and sharing our accomplishments IS a celebration.

I am a big fan of selfcare and a believer that a better me equals a better them.  Selfcare has come to the forefront a lot more these days and I’ve heard it being called a buzz word.  Regardless of opinion, the truth is that it’s been a long-time necessity.

Celebrate like a kid.  My nine-year-old recently participated in a photoshoot. She was a natural and did a phenomenal job.  Being so proud of the work she did, she printed a few copies of one of the pics and took it to school.  When asked why, she proudly stated to us that she was going to sign it and give to her three best friends.  We let her do it because she was proud of her work and wanted to share it with her girls.  A part of me wanted to say to maybe not do it but hey, this is self-love and self-celebration in its purest form.  The girls loved it and celebrated with her.

Acacia at a recent photoshoot. Campaign to launch later in March.

Self-love and self-care looks different to everyone and for me, it can be something different each day.  From taking an extra rest day physically to meditation to journaling and heck yes, a face mask and a hot Epsom Salt bath does wonders for the body and soul.  These are all great things, but the key is to be consistent.  As little as 15 or 30 minutes per day.  A short self-care pitstop mid-week to get you revived and rejuvenated to finish the latter half of the week strong – now there’s an idea yes?  My non-negotiable is daily movement.  That is my consistent gift to myself.

No Zoom calls can still include red lips – just because!

I’ve also introduced a daily dose of positive self-talk.  I’ll be honest, it took a while to become consistent but here I am, doing it. Daily affirmations, believing them and saying it out loud have been a blast.  And ladies, don’t be afraid to include body positivity affirmations.  We (myself included) tend to shy away from this and we shouldn’t.  My hormone battle and inflammation due to perimenopause added to my existing negative body issues – that still pop up from time to time – and is an ongoing journey which I am here for!  Celebrating my progress in this area is a big deal and I celebrate it!  Treating my body like something magnificent and celebrating all the things it can do vs picking out the negatives is freeing and liberating.  Seeing my daughter mimic this part of me as she’s growing up is so very important to me.  Hearing her refer to herself as strong, beautiful and so many other positive adjectives makes my heart smile!

I believe that positivity breeds positivity.  Say it out loud.  Say them all out loud!

• I am strong!
• I am beautiful!
• I am smart!
• I am funny!
• I can do anything!
• I can be anything!
• I deserve a seat at any table!
• I can break barriers!
• I can pave the way for others!
• …insert and add to the list…

Celebrate other women!  This act is selfcare.  Giving is receiving.  When she does her “it” or has her shining moment, give her a shoutout, support her business – and by that, I mean actually buy something without expecting anything free – share, like, re-tweet and subscribe.  Recommend her to everyone!  By lifting her we lift ourselves.  Straight facts.

Successful people in general inspire me.  Successful women drive me to think and dream bigger and at the same time work harder.  Successful black women is representation!  So, celebrate the women you know just like you celebrate and cheer on celebrities who you don’t know.  You’ll feel amazing.  Promise.

Three years ago I wrote a piece to celebrate all the women who inspire me.  Take a read here.  They all still do and it’s wonderful to see how they’ve all grown as humans, achieved their goals and set new ones.  I definitely have a few more I can add to my list of amazing women so cheers to all those who inspire and mentor us whether they know it or not.

My message this International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month is:

Celebrate.  Celebrate you.  Celebrate her.  Celebrate us.