WE define our own value

Welcome guest blogger, Shannon White! I met this beautiful young lady when she was just a wee freshman in high school. I adored her immediately - she was bright beyond her years and many of her peers, she thought outside of the box and stayed true to who she was, even when she was figuring that out (see below). It was an honor to work with her as a senior and to still continue to watch her grow into the successful woman she is. And she always laughs at my jokes but I'm still waiting for her to agree to a hair exchange with me - total bonus! LP

I’ve been one of the lucky ladies who has had the incredible opportunity to assist in the Lotus Project. Although my role was as a senior leader to assist the Lotus Momma and help with sessions for the younger women, I can say with certainty that I grew through the content almost as much as any of the other girls for whom the sessions were designed.

Reflecting back on my time, I’m reminded of two overarching lessons that I learned: the first being that, as women, we should celebrate each other’s strengths and also flaws. In my own life, I was ashamed of my “imperfections”- my quirks, my body, my whatever, you fill in the blank- however through the Lotus Project I came to realize these are all simply a part of who I am.

Imperfection is not the antithesis to femininity.

The sooner we come to understand our own attributes and blemishes, the sooner we are able to reach out and celebrate the character of those around us, and the sooner we have created a culture of empowerment.

Unfortunately, each one of us still feels that we have certain traits we need to change or eliminate but, in reality, these traits do NOT subtract from our value.

Which leads me to my second revelation-

OUR VALUE IS NOT DEFINED BY ANYONE.

No test, no award, nobody can quantify my worth. Our value as women is not dependent on who notices, desires, envies, or praises us. It is intrinsic, it’s naturally occurring inside of us.

You and I have immeasurable worth because we are who we are. It can be tempting to look at other women and deem them more worthy than us but, I’ve got to tell you that this mindset belittles us, pits us against each other, and can destroy our sisterhood.

I am so grateful that the Lotus Project exposed my tendency to do this, challenged me to rid myself of this toxic perspective, and equipped me to move forward. I don’t necessarily love to dwell on who I was in the past nevertheless, by the hand of the Lotus Momma and her Lotus Project, I was plucked from my insecure bubble and was truly believed in. Today, I am confident, aware of others around me, open-hearted, and willing to speak my mind. I’ve still got a lot of growing to do. I am not perfect and I never will be, but I am perfectly content with who I am. Thank you Lotus Project.

Shannon White