"Who am I?" the truth revealed

Today, I went to church with my son.  I was so happy I was singing at the top of my lungs. As I went on the worship and gospel parts, I reflected on so many things that happened to me in 2018.  Indeed, God has always been great.

Then I realized that to communicate with God we have to be true to ourselves and reveal the truth about ourselves.  The truth will set us free.  And this simple realization led me to decide the truth about myself and mightywomenph – this blog.

As a startup for this blog, I told myself to hide myself in the name of Jacquez Sparroe and be that someone I wish I was online.  I thought it was mighty enough to create such an identity and I even made my own “sparroe” icon. But today, all I want is to be true to myself.

At first I wanted to earn hundreds of followers and impress them with the ideas of Jacquez Sparroe.  Now, I don’t care if would have followers and I don’t need to impress people.  I just want to be me.

Hi, I am Jackie Vacalares, and writing is my passion.  I write even if no one reads and I write even if no one understands.  Though I am an affiliate marketer, I write not to do business but express myself. Business seems not to be my world anyway, but writing is.

So this is me, this is how I look.  I am not the most beautiful woman in the world and I am very far from that.  But all I know is that today I am blessed and I am very happy for the truth.

Enjoy your day and God bless 2019!

Reminders for a working wife

Alright… I understand that you are busy and you don’t have much time.  So let us make it quick and straight to the point.

Even if you are working, you’re still a mom and a wife all at the same time.  You’ve got to weigh things down and keep everything in balance.

Here I outlined three simple reminders for working wives like us.

Don’t forget who you were from the start

Remember your old self. Who were you from the beginning?

Your old self had the qualities that your partner loved about you from the start.  If you had lost your sense of self, your partner might find you changed.

Sometimes, when we are too busy, we forget ourselves and our roles and responsibilities as a wife.  Don’t think that because you are a busy person you are exempted from being a good wife. No, oftentimes, what we need is to go back to that “old brand new self” that you were once before and bring that loving spark to life once again.

Reward and pamper yourself once in a while

How’s your hair? Your nails? Your make-up?

It doesn’t mean that because you’re married you would forget good grooming.

Do you think your partner would like to see you looking like you haven’t washed your face for centuries?

Although relationships are more than just physical appearance, it is also important that you care for yourself and therefore you are capable of caring for others.

Rewarding yourself after doing such hard work is not really an indulgence, it’s something that you deserve!

Common, it feels good when you look good!

Keep growing

At this point, I hope you have mastered something that would identify you as your trade.  If you haven’t mastered yet, then, at least you’re learning and you’re getting better on that something.

Empowered women simply know what they are doing. People look up to them because they have something to share.  If you haven’t found your trade yet, better start reflecting on what you want to do in life. Remember, know yourself first so you could start growing and don’t stop learning.

Warning!

Now you are empowered, you look good, you have your trade, and you are confident with yourself.  It is not impossible that men other than your partner would get attracted to you. I hope you would remember that you are already a wife to someone. And I wish your empowerment yield the fruit of faithfulness in you.

God bless you, mighty women!

Top 5 reminders for working moms

Women today are not bounded to the four corners of a house anymore.  Like men, women are now having careers and are as busy.

However, no matter how busy we are, we should give time for these five things.

Women Tops Tees Military

Quality time with the children

I am a working mom and I have four children.

I am working hard for them but if working hard means losing them, what’s the point of this hard work?

Our children do not need our work, they need our time.

Make it a point to spend quality time with them.

Our time spent with them is a treasure they cherish.  It opens communication wider and understanding our children better.

Still be a good wife

So because you’re working, you’re tired.

But remember, you’re also a wife.

Do not put your love story aside, don’t forget your man.

We might be busy all day, but never neglect your responsibility as a wife. (This one is true for husbands, too.)

Once you forget that you’re a wife (or a husband) after all, you start losing the magic of marriage.

Be as charming as you have been.  Enjoy your dates like you did before.

Kindle the love.

The Steps To My Best Friend's House

Take time connect with friends and loved ones

You might not reach where you are now without people behind you.

Our friends and relatives might not demand time as much as our kids, but we should pay tribute for them once in a while.

Chat with them. Send greetings.  Keep in touch.

The world could have been so cold without them.

Give yourself a break

When everything seems to be choking you, give yourself a break.

Sometimes, what we need is a little pause so we could find the best solutions.

If nothing works out fine, then take a short break and get back on it later when you have freshen up.

Do not suffocate yourself with impossible tasks all at once. Take your time. It’s your choice.

Reward yourself

At the end of the day, when you have beaten yourself for that hard work, reward yourself.

It’s just like giving yourself a break, only that it does not concern about time alone but of something more.

Why not go out for that ice cream flavor you haven’t tried? Or treat yourself on a salon? This could make you a beautiful, refreshed wife and mom, you know.

Do something to yourself like what you did before.

Being a wife and a mom doesn’t mean that you have totally lost yourself.

Be a shining wife and mom by simply being you.

Lavish yourself because after all, you deserve to be rewarded.

And especially if no one recognizes your hard work, recognize the good things you have done.

Sometimes, the world is too busy for itself that we have to take care of ourselves entirely.

5 steps toward empowerment

So if you’re not very sure if you are already empowered, you might like to check out where to start.

Here I outline five ways and a bonus.

Explore and accept yourself

It’s a maxim, “know thyself”.

Before venturing out to the vastness of the world, explore what’s inside you first.

What makes you YOU is your core! So start asking yourself about what and who you are INSIDE.

Don’t cheat yourself by pretending you’re somebody else.

Think of what you can do and what you want to do because that will define the REAL you.

If you love music and good at singing or playing instruments, then go for it.

Or maybe no one can just beat you in chess, be the best in it!

Continue to strive for excellence in whatever you do.

And for all the things that you just can’t do, well, try to do it the best you can first. If it doesn’t work, then let it go.

Remember, we are not meant to be PERFECT in this world.

There will always be things we are good at and still other things we are worse.

As you EXPLORE on your strong and weak points, do not forget to ACCEPT your imperfection.

Voice out and take a stand

Sometimes, all we need is to break our silence. Speak out for yourself or else no one else will.

Be honest on how you feel about things and stand for what you believe is right.

Your voice matters even if you feel you’re the smallest person in the crowd.

There might be consequences for this, but you have to make a decision sooner or later.

When you see that it’s the right time, decide.

Take responsibility

Now as you make choices and decisions, you also have to take responsibilities of your actions.

Celebrate when you succeed, but when you fail, accept it.

Bear in mind that this is an imperfect world so there must be rooms for mistakes.

I am not telling you that it’s okay to do wrong or advising you to be evil, but in times that your good intentions fail, you have to be brave to take accountability.

Empowered people takes responsibility with grace without scapegoating or whitewashing.

Stay positive and press forward

Failure is painful but it is a pretty normal part of life. In times when everything is down and broken, be strong and of good courage.

When you’re down, there’s no other way but bouncing up.

It may sound crazy but indeed there is rainbow after the rain.

I’ve been through a lot of painful times, too, and being positive makes a difference.

Always remember that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Pause and reflect

Though the world seems to be fast-moving, to pause and reflect is a step that would redirect you to the right path.

Check back from time to time and ask yourself simple questions like;

Am I still happy with what I’m doing right now?

Am I on the right path?

Is this worth the time and effort?

What am I fighting for this?

Is the sacrifice worth it?

Am I not hurting anyone?

Is this fair?

Should I hold my silence or should I speak out?

Empowered women are not born, they are built!

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so is a woman.

Building a woman is never as easy as 123 and though I’d be listing down some very important points here, it would always fall short.

Why?  Simply because we are all unique individuals and we are surrounded with different chances and circumstances.

I would also like to emphasize that what I share here is based on my own experience and I don’t want you to think that I am an expert in the field.

I am just a mom of four kids, married since 2005, and working full-time since 2008… And on top of that, changing gear with the internet (the main reason why you’re reading this blog).

What I will be sharing with you today is for you to understand that “Empowered women are not born, they are built.”

So you might be asking now what an empowered woman is, how is a woman built, and just perhaps wonder if I am empowered myself to author this kind of write-up!

Empowered woman defined…

Let’s begin with defining the term “empowered woman”.

You might be thinking that I would point out those popular and celebrated women in the world as an example of the term.

But for me, that is not the case.

Empowerment is not measured by being popular and celebrated, nor by how big a woman’s bank account is, and all the other indication of wealth is.

Being an empowered person is measured by certain attributes indicating power in self.

It is not needing confirmation from others, it is a CONFIRMATION OF YOURSELF.

Therefore, it is not impossible to meet an empowered woman anywhere BUT it might be a little difficult to point out which one is empowered.

To better understand what I am trying to say, I have here listed the characteristics of an empowered woman as I thought they ought to be.

*Composed

This simply means that she can manage herself very well anytime and anywhere. Have you ever heard of the “Cockroach Story”?

*Confident

Accepting both her weaknesses and strength, she doesn’t feel bad if others are better than her in other things.

No self-pity issues. No crab-mentality. No insecurity.

As to things that she can do, she doesn’t need to brag. She is contented and happy for whatever she is capable of.

She celebrates, yes, (who doesn’t?), but never to belittle anyone.

*Down to earth

Empowered women are usually popular to her friends because they are normally achievers.

But being so never blow their heads up.

Most of them are not counting the recognition they get and walk around with all humility.

An empowered woman (or any person) never needs to exalt herself before others.

She is what she is.

*Hard as rock

An empowered woman adopts sound ideas and principles and stick to her faith as hard as a rock.

This characteristic sets her aside from the rest.

She fights for something and she holds on to what she believes is right.

She stands firmly on her ground even if it means not pleasing the majority.

She has word of honor and as much as possible she does not break any of her promises.

*Goal-Oriented

As an empowered woman is a typical achiever, it is logical to say that they set goals to achieve.

The common denominator of successful people are being able to meet what they set for themselves.

Of course, this is paired with determination, also very common for an empowered person.

*Wise decision-maker

Everyone is a decision-maker, but not all of us is wise.

An empowered woman has wisdom and she doesn’t rush decisions… She makes sound decisions not just for herself, but also for others around her.

Although women tend to be emotional, this woman manages her emotion so she could come up with the right decision.

This is a little bit tough, I know. But wisdom is supreme.

*Loving

Okay, you might say that this is a weakness and it could drive someone crazy and becomes a FOOL NOT WISE.

But let me lead you to a scenario of a home where mothers are MOTHERS 24/7!

Yes, if you’re that loving Mom I’m talking about, congratulations!

Salute to all mothers in the world!

For me, this world could never equal to that of a mother’s love. Because of that love, mothers would bear the unbearable for the sake of their children.

Because of love, that house becomes a home.

Love then is fuel for an empowered woman.

Because of love, a woman would do the impossible.

*Generous

Generosity might sound so out-of-place here, right?

But for me, this is a quality that makes an empowered woman shine.

By this I mean being generous of her time, resources, ideas, that she shares whatever she can to others.

As she is not threatened by the success of other people, she shares her achievements, goals, and her steps to go up the ladder with those who need lifting up.

She literally shares her blessing with the world.

She doesn’t keep her success to herself but inspires people around her to succeed.

Up next:

5 steps toward empowerment