

Hazel C.
So, what makes me a strong woman? It is whatever I put my mind to.
When asked about “What Makes Me a Strong Woman?”, it left me with a good hour of mental writer’s block. I can go on and on about how other Women are strong and powerful, but to think about my own strengths is something I struggled with. It made me reflect and dig deep throughout the years of what makes me stronger than what I was before.
I’ve struggled with the process of starting over, and have found strength and solace in solitude alone.
I’ve always equated being happy to pleasing the ones I love, and found strength in loving myself first.
Strength in training Jiu-Jitsu. It’s not often that I find something that I’m truly passionate about and make it a point to keep training even if other preoccupations (family, career, social life, etc.) take over. Here I am 6 years later and I am still as eager and hungry as I was the first day I stepped on the mats.
Broken marriage. No one expects to get divorced when they get married but just like the millions of people that ends up divorced like me, I’ve learned that my strength came from rebuilding a wall from the rubbles.
It took a few breakthroughs, but with each of my 3 beautiful children (Clayton, Caitlyn, and CJ), I realized that becoming their mom gave me the strength I needed. Without them, I would not have conquered half the things I did in life. They truly changed my life for the best! They don’t always know my “failures” or the choices and sacrifices I’ve made and yet they still love me unconditionally.
So, what makes me a strong woman? It is whatever I put my mind to. It is what those little people who wants me to succeed just as much as I want them to that makes me strong. I am learning to embrace this super power because I know my children are always watching.