Often, we hear the adage that “Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman.” So, who is the pillar of a successful woman? My belief is, “Behind every successful woman is herself.”

A women’s success should not only be defined by positioning herself equally as our male counterparts in society or in this context known as Feminism that is trending in today’s topics.

Being a successful woman can be measured by the number of x times she failed, tried, and got up in life again. The number of lives she inspired and touched positively made it possible to empower others without disempowering herself.

A successful woman acknowledges that she needs a break from everything which allows her to enjoy relaxation without doing anything. A successful woman understands that her needs and wants are equally as important as the people around them and can self-preserve themselves. They know how to take care of themselves before they let others count on them.

Are We Selfish When We Self-Preserve? Definitely, No. Self-preservation is not the act of being selfish; it is about being selfless with ourselves and others. Taking care of ourselves seems to be the most difficult challenge we women face, especially balancing our professional life vs. personal life.

A woman should learn to nurture herself and be more self-protective. Setting limits and boundaries with kindness is the essence of self-preservation. The 3 keys of self-preservation that every successful woman should possess are Self-Identity, Self-belief, and Self-Love.

Self-identity defines the whole picture of who we believe we are and who we tell ourselves and others that we are. Besides being “a daughter of,” “a wife of someone,” or “a mother of,” we as a woman need to have self-identity of what is vital in our life, which is not evolving around others but our own wants and needs. Every woman needs to exercise a set of boundaries with their family, partners, or even friends. It helps to guard against our feeling of being manipulated, especially in a personal relationship.

Next is Self-belief. It is not defined only by our ability to achieve our goals or the thing that brought us to our success or our direction but also because it allows us to stand up and tell the whole world how proud we are of ourselves. A confident woman is an inspiring woman individually. Having self-belief will enable others to see you lead by example and bring out the best in others by helping them perform because they saw the potential it unlocks first-hand.  

Lastly, Self-love is defined as the “love of self.” It is the ability to take care of your well-being and happiness. A self-love woman will never give up her own dream just because it may go against society’s acceptance or perception of what they think is right for them. Self-love is the ability to love ourselves in all aspects of life, including our flaws, weakness, and the ability to hold a high standard to our own well-being and happiness.

Self-preservation is a learning process; as with all changes, it takes time and practice to build that self-relationship. Behind every successful woman is a woman who knows how to self-preserve.