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BREAK THE BIAS
By Julie Cross
As we celebrated the week of International Women’s Day, and being an industry that is predominantly female, I thought it only fitting we take a moment to celebrate us, and all those that continue to break the bias! So, we celebrate all of you, no matter how you identify… because that truly is what breaking the bias is all about, and that is the theme for this year. #breakthebais. And breaking the bias happens on all kinds of stages in all kinds of ways … especially in the way women can judge other women, so let’s not do that. Every bias broken creates a momentum that will give power to the good, the growth and the loving and that will create a change in all kinds of ways and all kinds of areas of bias. More loving, less judging, so with that in mind … To all the wonderful women that have chosen to be stay at home mums, homemakers and nurturers… I salute and applaud you. Congratulations for following your heart and calling and resisting the pressure in society that is increasingly trying to convince us that out title, our paycheck, the car we drive and the labels we wear define us. Thank you for staying true to what calls you, and I know it is often you that will be our unsung sheroes, caring for the more vulnerable in our communities, fostering and caring for the children that need it the most and spending your time volunteering. No fame, often little thanks, and sometimes criticism to bare… even from the sisterhood but know that you are so often the foundation and backbone of what keeps a society emotionally healthy and strong. Thank you! To the amazing women who choose to serve their communities in the corporate world, in government, as entrepreneurs, and on all kinds of stages in the workforce, sometimes choosing not to have a family (and getting some criticism from the sisterhood along
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the way), and sometimes juggling both. You continue to have the courage to step out and into your dreams, you risk failure, criticism and yet you still go on, you pave the way for future generations, empowering our young girls to know that they have choices, and they can achieve their dreams and goals and they need not let their music die in them, but instead they can stand proudly and sing loudly! And to those women doing a bit of all of the above (which is probably most of us), always juggling the stuff, your time, your emotions and feelings… always trying to get the perfect balance and doing the delicate dance between family, work, health and wealth… and often laying there at night wondering if we got it right today… (and how on earth we will find the energy for sex!) ... keep on! You are stronger than you know and more often than not you will be doing better than you give yourself credit for. And to all women, let us never stop ‘growing through’ the marketing and media campaigns that will coerce you into thinking that you are not enough unless… unless you wear this, have legs like that, have lips like this… we are much more emotionally intelligent that that! Let us continue to stand proudly and confidently in our space starting with our physical space. Let us let go of perfection so we may relax into the amazing and unique women we are, and let us look into our souls and our achievements and remember to love the body that this soul chose to move through the world in and to express herself in. To the men that support us, stand beside us and are prepared to lift us to success treating us with the love and respect we deserve, I thank you. So, to all my beautiful female friends and those women I am yet to meet, let us face into the breeze, leap into the future with courage and the freedom that says that we know the best gift we can give to this life and to each other is to be ‘Fearless and free, and unapologetically me!’ #breakthebias Julie x Julie Cross is a mulit-award winning speaker and author. juliecross.com.au
