One of my favourite days of the year, a day dedicated to celebrating women for all they are, all they do and all they will become. In my opinion we shouldn’t just be limiting this to one day, but it’s beautiful to see nonetheless.

This is my shoutout to all the different women out there who I salute, who I love, who I respect and who I believe we need more of.

The women who suffer from invisible illnesses that have to fight alone daily because no one else can see what they’re going through.

The women who are working so hard to bring up happy and healthy children that they neglect themselves.

The women who are stay at home mums and get told they’re not doing enough.

The women who can’t have children and have to see happy parents everywhere they go.

The women who work their jobs during the day and work on their dreams during the night.

The women who battle self esteem issues and think they’re not good enough.

The women who are going through break ups or divorces that don’t think they’ll ever be happy again.

The women who are going through financial struggles.

The women who are living their dreams but struggle to meet genuine people because people only seem to want you for materialistic gains.

The women who are struggling to accept their toxic characteristics because they’re afraid of change and diving into the unknown.

The women who are working so hard to improve themselves daily.

The women who juggle their family, work, and a million other things daily but still end each day like a champion.

The women who sacrifice their lives to care for their disabled partners out of the love in their hearts.

The women who give more than they receive.

The women who are misunderstood and deal with daily criticism because they are strong enough to not seek validation from anyone else.

The women with ambition who don’t settle for just average.

The women with a no excuse mentality who prove that women can achieve anything they set themselves to.

The women who talk with substance instead of gossiping.

The women who fill each other’s cup without telling the world it was empty.

The women in ethnic minority families who can’t be who they really want to be because they feel obliged to respect other people’s requirements before their own.

The young women who have mindsets beyond their years and prove age is just a number.

The mature women who prove it’s never too late to change or make a difference and you’re never too old to achieve your dreams.

The women who want to change the world, not be a puppet within it.

The women who clap for their friends successes, not become bitter about it.

The women who don’t feel like they’ve achieved much in their day because just living is hard enough for them.

The women who build businesses not excuses.

The women who came from nothing, but give themselves everything.

The women with scars and stretch marks who epitomise the tiger who earned its stripes.

The women who embrace their natural selves because who is society to tell you that you need to look a certain way.

The women who get called demanding and fussy for being strong enough to not settle for anything below their worth.

The women who have to fight harder to get the same pay as their male colleague.

The women who are told their problems aren’t big enough because they have ‘picture perfect lives’.

The women with faith who sacrifice worldly pleasures despite the worlds temptations.

The women who take risks in a world that tells you to play safe.

The women who are unapologetically themselves and do whatever their hearts desire.

The women who break barriers.

The women who get called men just because they find enjoyment in sports or other male orientated activities.

The women who live in under developed countries who don’t yet have the same rights as other women around the world.

The women who have seen the worst parts of the world but still show love to everyone they meet.

The women who forgive the unforgivable.

The women who turn their pain into power.

The women filled with love, not hate.

Women you have real strength, your abilities know no limitations, you were created to do anything, and you CAN do anything. You are a nurturer, you are soft yet so powerful, tough yet so comforting, embrace your feminine because it truly makes you stand out.

You don’t need to do everything that a man can do because what you are able to do is honourable enough.

I applaud you for who you are, I honour you, I cherish you, and I pray that you will always remember what your worth really is and that you’ll never settle for less, because the fact you’re here, the fact you’re still breathing, that you opened your beautiful eyes this morning, that shows that the world still needs you and everything you have to offer it.

You are everything.

I also want to take a moment to wish the women in my life a Happy International Women’s Day.

The women in my family, my Mother, my Grandmother and my Aunty, who are all amazing and inspire me daily in completely different ways. You are all super women in my eyes and I am grateful that parts of all 3 of you make up my foundations.

The women in my friendship circles, you are still a part of my life because there’s something remarkable about you that makes me still want to have our friendship close to my heart, you all have qualities about you that make you the type of woman I’m grateful to know.

The women who mentor me in some way shape or form, I am incredibly picky with who I want to learn from, who I want to soak knowledge from, who I want to give my time and my money to, but you all have qualities that put me in awe, I look at you Queens as women who’s work is really changing my world, and THE world.

The women who I mentor, directly and indirectly, you truly gift me with knowing how loved and respected I am, you show me that even on the days I don’t feel so good about myself there is still so much within me that the world needs and you motivate me to never give up.

To all the women who have any form of association with me, you are unreal. Thank you for staying true and authentic to yourself.

Here’s to the incredible women of this world, as the quote says “may we know them, may we raise them, may we be them.”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY.