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How to Put Yourself First (Really!)

How to Put Yourself First (Really!)

Pamela Johnson2017-12-19T17:09:41+00:00April 14, 2016|Guest bloggers, How to, SHE Magazine|

Does the idea of putting yourself first seem radical? Does your inner voice say: “That’s selfish!”

In my work with women who run community economic development and non-profit organizations, I hear a lot about the struggle to find time for self-care and to set healthy personal/professional boundaries.

There are entrenched social norms that say women should put others first. We’re not always rewarded for being assertive, and we’re not socialized to take leisure time. Self-care is even harder for women in particular situations. For example, single working moms usually can't afford to pay someone to take care of their kids so they can take some personal time.

Learning to Hold Yourself Up

Learning to Hold Yourself Up

Pacinthe Mattar2016-04-11T13:05:39+00:00April 11, 2016|Guest bloggers, How to, SHE Magazine, Women in media|

When I was asked to write this guest column, honestly, my first thought was: “Why me?”

This feeling only got stronger when I heard award-winning journalists Michele Landsberg and Sally Armstrong had also written this column. As I began my “Thanks but no thanks” email reply, I thought of others who would do a better job.

For me, this behaviour isn’t unusual: I consistently undervalue my qualifications and second-guess my skills. Here’s another example. I recently co-facilitated a six-week media workshop for young Muslim women called Outburst! (it’s funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation). As I approached the workshop location, with every step all I could think of was the person I thought was better qualified to lead it. And during the Calgary flood, my senior producer asked me to fly there to cover the emergency for the Current. Inside, I panicked, thinking of all the other producers who were more qualified to go. In the end, I gulped and said: “Sure.”

Michelle’s Story

Michelle’s Story

Diane Hill2016-04-07T12:47:11+00:00April 7, 2016|Gender-based violence, Impact stories, SHE Magazine, Women’s poverty|

Michelle Lochan had the passion to be an entrepreneur, but raising five children on her own made it tricky. Then she got the right kind of help. As told to Diane Hill.

When you help a woman start her own business, you affect her children too. They want to mirror her independence and they learn to trust their own decisions. Improving her self-sufficiency also means she can leave an abusive husband if necessary, because she has her own income. That is the voice I speak from.

How to Leverage Your Strengths

How to Leverage Your Strengths

Chanel Grenaway2016-04-05T13:17:49+00:00April 5, 2016|How to, Infographics, SHE Magazine, Women’s poverty|

Are you too hard on yourself? Do you tend to focus on your limitations rather than your strengths? You’re not alone. As women, we often find it easier to see our flaws than our abilities.

But in my work with low-income women, I’ve learned the value of taking a more positive approach. For them, learning to recognize their ’hidden’ assets is often the catalyst to taking those first difficult steps out of poverty.

Every woman who attends one of the economic development programs we fund is asked to fill out a special questionnaire. It captures all of her assets—not just how much money she has but also things like friendships, self-confidence, and leadership skills. This approach is grounded in the Sustainable Livelihoods framework we’ve been developing over the past 15 years. The women learn first to notice all of their assets, then to leverage them to reach their goals. One participant said, “mapping my assets was an ‘aha moment’ and a positive way of looking at my current reality.”

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