In this month’s article, to honour International Women’s Day, I tapped into my network of women in Shanghai I admire and asked them to share their nuggets of wisdom. Get ready to be inspired!
I asked them, “What three pieces of advice would you give your younger self?" And here is what each of them told me…
Julie Pang - Founder & Designer at Okra Jewelry
🌿 Live by the power of intention setting.
🌿 Love your unique body.
🌿 Understand your personal finances as early as possible.
Bibiana Rueda- Bueno Psychologist- Psychogenealogy
🌿 Listen, listen, listen, listen to the people, listen to the messages, observe and listen carefully, receive the information, and overall listen to yourself.
🌿 Everything you do, do it because it comes from a joyful intention, otherwise is not worth it. Anything you do from duty or need of approval is not going to be sustainable in time anyways. Do it from joy and it will last!
🌿 You are perfectly enough the way you are!
Jelena Fu - Meditation Teacher
🌿 Trust your intuition, always! The logic isn't necessarily right, but your inner voice is. It knows what you need, what is good for you and how to get where you want to be. Silence the mind and listen to your intuition. Your body is your guide to it. The pain, pressure, contraction mean you are going against yourself and the life flow. Openness, calmness, peace are the signals that you are choosing the right thing.
🌿 Embrace your sensitivity. Don't let what others say about your sensitivity get to you. Ignore those snarky comments and allow sensitivity to grow into power. Being soft, open and vulnerable only means that your heart is open, that you have understanding and compassion for the world. Nurture it, as it will turn out to be a great gift.
🌿 It's OK to say NO and not explain yourself all the time. Make sure you say YES to yourself and your needs, to respect your own boundaries and give yourself lots of love. Do not attach your worth to other people's approval. You only need your own acceptance.
Nos - Yoga Experience Curator & Elementary School Teacher
🌿 Keep having conversations with your heart, it’ll make it easier to drown out the noise when you’re older.
🌿 I know the world feels harsh right now but continue to choose kindness, continue to choose compassion, and continue to choose love where you can.
🌿 Seek validation from yourself and not from others. There is beauty in the way you navigate through life - I promise.
Sera Shivnan, Reiki Teacher
🌿 Let soul connections flow and have fun in the experience and lessons each connection brought. Don’t dwell, analyse, hold on or suffer over the emotion when the connection has already dissolved.
🌿 Be more present. Stop thinking about the past and stop worrying or planning your future.
🌿 Never doubt your intuition. Nurture your feelings and act on your sensitivity.
Leela - Educator, Organisational Development & Assessment Specialist
🌿 Leave your closets and drawers half empty. Recognise the meaningfulness of empty spaces, whether they are physical or mental. Intentionally create open spaces with your life’s loves. Read more poetry; relish the spaces, not just the words.
🌿 Question relentlessly. No matter how well-cited an article may be, a million dollars is not a requirement to raise a child in this world. Life events are not formulaic. Magical possibilities are out there for meaningful life aims. Think independently. You can never regret seeking out truth with fire and independence.
🌿 Happiness is a choice. Nobody owns your happiness. No one is responsible for your happiness. Wake up every morning and decide. Always be clear: that choice does not rely on material or emotional comforts. Be confident in the ripple effects of the joy that you bring to this world.
Danielle Coats, Deep Ecology & Intercultural Coach & Educator
🌿 In all things be Gracious, Grateful and Groovy
🌿 Love Courageously - be vulnerable and authentic to create and maintain deep connections with others
🌿 Most importantly Know this - YOU are enough, beautifully brilliant and unique. Stand in your power and light, and share your brilliance with others.
Jayna, Yoga Teacher
🌿 It gets better, so much better
🌿 There are many different paths in this life, trust your intuition and explore
🌿 You are worthy
Adja, Founder of Lalu Raw Beauty (WeChat: LaluRawBeauty)
🌿 Embrace life, you will go through many challenges but each one of them will make you the person you always aspired to be.
🌿 No matter how hard life can be, stay hopeful. With hope, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel.
🌿 Turn your dreams into actions and you will never feel alone again. You are loved and you are safe. Live on little girl and do not let anyone deem your light and LOVE, love life, love even if you don't feel like it and don't forget to Smile!ight and LOVE, love life, love even when you do not feel like and don't forget to Smile!
Ana Quiroga, Wellness Program Director at Octave Institute.
🌿 Believe in yourself more. You can do whatever you dream of.
🌿 Focus on positive things
🌿 Appreciate what you have
Mona- Executive Assistant & Commodity Trader
🌿 The greatest victory is the ability to live with yourself & accept your shortcomings.
🌿 Be yourself - you will find that the world worships the original so always follow your heart instead of the “trend”.
🌿 Sometimes the thing you are most scared of is the same thing that will set you free.
Eden, Diana, Simona & Winxi – Chief Vibration Officers @The Oh Collective (WeChat: TheOhCollective)
🌿 At The Oh Collective we believe you are at your best when your mind and body are connected. We believe Sexual wellness is beyond sex and masturbation. Sexual wellness is related to our overall wellbeing and happiness, it is how we feel in our body emotionally, mentally, and physically. Learn to know yourself and to respect yourself and practice asking for what you really desire.
🌿 Take masturbation slow and get to know your anatomy. Take time to explore and find what you like, don't rush to the orgasm but enjoy the journey towards.
🌿 Book tip: Come As You Are - Emily Nagoski
Ana Terra - Nutritionist & Managing Partner of Goma
🌿 Take care of your body: don’t forget to sleep, drink plenty of water and eat your veggies. You will thank yourself later :)
🌿 Trust yourself and be confident. Everyone will love you just the way you are. And the ones who don’t, they are not meant to be in your life.
🌿 Write love letters for your future self, no matter if you are happy or sad. They will remind you that life is the best rollercoaster.
Shreni Shukla, Wellness & Connection Facilitator
🌿 You can be anyone who you want to be. Really. Don’t let your current circumstances limit your imagination of who you can be in the future.
🌿 If you let them, your struggles and challenges will be your greatest teachers. Every difficulty that you face allows you to have more compassion for other’s who have gone through similar difficulties.
🌿 Don’t take life too seriously. Really, nothing is as big of a deal as you think it is. Life is always changing. Enjoy the chaos.
I felt very inspired listening to all these wise ladies, how about you? What pieces of advice resonate with you the most?
And here is what I would tell my younger self… I know I am supposed to keep it to three nuggets of wisdom but once I started writing, it was difficult to stop. So here is my two cent’s worth of wisdom:
🌿 Learn about yourself, learn what is and what isn’t ok with you. Know your preferences, desires, needs and deal-breakers, and communicate these confidently and unapologetically.
🌿 Know that the qualities you admire in others are the qualities you need to recognise and nurture inside yourself.
🌿 Be of service. Have a generous heart. That is how you make a difference in the world.
🌿 Sometimes figuring out what you want is a process of elimination. Let yourself experiment and try different things. It’s okay to change your mind, and the only way you’ll know if something is a fit is if you try it.
🌿 Don’t wait for fear to go away before you go after something you want. You’ll become more courageous each time you feel fear and do it anyway.
🌿 “No” is a complete sentence. You don’t need to follow it with justifications and apologies.
🌿 If your romantic partner can’t hold space for you when you need to fall apart - they are most probably not your person.
🌿Be constantly evolving and let old beliefs and stories drop away.
🌿Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support. It’s ok to have needs outside of yourself and it is not a weakness.
🌿 Cultivate your friendships. They are the family you get to choose.
🌿 And finally! Smile, dance, take deep belly breaths, and don’t forget to have fun!
Now, I would love to hear from you. Open your heart and share with us what nuggets of wisdom would you tell your younger self?
With love,
Iza
Coaching Psychologist and Relationship Coach
selfgrowthcourses.com thriveinshanghai.com
P.S. How are you celebrating International Women’s Day? I might have a healthy lunch with my besties! Share below, I would love to know!