How Do I Want to Express Myself as a Woman?

This is the question I have been pondering of late – “How Do I Want to Express Myself as a Woman?” It is very real and raw as I continue to meet deep beliefs within.

Last week the tennis season started. Yes, I have been watching it on TV and was lucky enough to watch two days live with friends at the QLD Tennis Centre. I grew up in the world of tennis and the sport helped to shape who I am today.

However, I have also noticed a limiting beliefs reappear when I was at the tennis about being a woman and continue to do the work to release it. Subsequently, today I wanted to explore that idea about beliefs, so you can then choose to make conscious choices about how you want to express yourself as a woman. Let’s get started…

What Are Beliefs?

Let’s start with having a look at some definitions on beliefs. Beliefs are –

• “an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.” ~ Google
• “Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case, with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty.” ~ Wikipedia
• “Assumptions and convictions that are held to be true, by an individual or a group, regarding concepts, events, people, and things.” ~ Business Dictionary

Now let’s have a look at limiting beliefs.

“If what you believe is actually true, you don’t need to believe it.” ~ Ron Smothermon

What Are Limiting Beliefs?

A limiting belief is something you believe to be true that limits you in some way. The limiting belief could be about you, other people or the world. These beliefs may –

• hold you back from making different choices in your life,
• keep you from seeing the different opportunities presented to you each day,
• prevent you from seeing you own gifts or accepting the gifts offered to you, or
• keep you stuck focusing on the negative aspect of your circumstances.

One of the challenges with limiting beliefs is most of us don’t think we have them and they can be hard to spot.

Where Do Limiting Beliefs Come From?

Limiting beliefs can come from many places, including – family members, teachers, coaches, media, society and culture. They are formed by repeated thoughts and are mostly created in childhood from interactions with the people around us (N.B. this is not about blaming anyone, particularly our parents).

As children’s brains are not fully developed, they can take on many limiting beliefs from their immediate environment as they do not know the difference between what is real and what is not. For example – a situation occurred in childhood, interpretation about the situation was made, which led to making meaning, that lead to a thought. That person then believed that thought (whether it was true or not), kept thinking it as other similar situations occurred over time, Subsequently, it became a belief.

“Nothing binds you except your thoughts; nothing limits you except your fear; and nothing controls you except your beliefs.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Some Limiting Beliefs About Being a Woman

There are many examples of limiting beliefs. They can be general or specific. Specific limiting beliefs relate to specific areas of life – including money, family, friends, work, health and fitness and general beliefs are more global and can relate to many different areas.

Following are a couple of limiting beliefs I have had as a woman –

• “Feminine means weak”,
• “Asking for help is a sign of weakness“,
• “It’s not safe to show my feminine essence”,
• “Expressing emotions are a sign of weakness”, and
• “The masculine is more productive and gets the job done more effectively.”

Maybe you can relate to some of these? For me, I continue to untangle from these beliefs as I do not see them as true. I imagine a different woman now and am very clear on how I want to express being her. It is similar to the woman in the following poem – ‘Imagine a Woman’. Maybe the following poem will inspire you to imagine a different type of woman, like it did for me.

‘Imagine a Woman’ by Patricia Lynn Reilly

“Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.”

Over to You…

How do you want to express yourself as a woman? I hope this post has helped you identify a few limiting beliefs that some of the woman I work with also have about being a woman. Do you have any questions or comments? If so, feel free to share them below!

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