EMPOWERING WOMEN On our previous issue, we shared to you on how you can deal with stress.

Dealing with stress is essentially reacting to a situation. Now, we want you to practice being proactive by doing steps in order to achieve empowerment which takes many forms and facets, but for now we will be focusing on the concerns of women and other marginalized segments of our society. The statistic will speak for itself. There are more women on this planet than men. Even in what is used to be dubbed as Mens world such as the military, boxing, and other fields requiring more brawn, women have penetrated and some even excelled. We even had two women presidents, a rarity in other countries! But despite of these accomplishments, many working women are victims of inequality and even abuse in the workplace. It is good that most companies now are conducting women empowerment and gender sensitivity trainings for the benefit of their workforce. However, not all companies have the willingness and the budget to invest in those kinds of seminars. That is the reason why we decided to impart our thoughts on empowerment. Our message for this issue goes out to all the men and women who want to unveil their inner strength, to be empowered not only for professional but for holistic growth. Here are the PLANT ways to empower yourselves: Protect yourself. Know your rights so that you will not be abused and discriminated. Familiarize yourself with the Magna Carta of Women which guarantees the civil, political and economic rights of Women. Also, our legislators enacted the law on Violence Against Women and their Children to protect you against cruel and derogatory acts towards women and children. Love yourself. Love yourself even more so that you dont need to beg for love from anyone else. If you do not love yourself, it will show. It builds positive self-image and self-confidence. Accept your weakness and transform it to strength. Those weaknesses are not there for no reason. According to studies, insecurity is one of the weaknesses of women. One way to transform this to a positive Learning. This can be done by continuous education, learning new things or enriching your knowledge. Learning new skills and higher education will give you a wider range of opportunities within and outside your current job. As a starter, you can take driving lessons which can take a week or two.Driving skill is always a premium in any line of work. Have a weekend to spare? Enroll for a Masteral degree. A trend that is gaining popularity right now is the enrolment in open universities. For those who have the heart, the passion and the time, try law school. Team-up. Number alone will not make you win any battle but unity can. Join groups which promote women empowerment and gender equality. They can give you the needed support, education and guidance . Who knows? They might even pave the way for opportunities for you to help others.

If all else fails, you should re-assess your status or where you stand at the moment. If you feel that you are left out, stagnant, discriminated or abused. Remember that you will always have a choice and you do not deserve to be treated that way. Find comfort in a workplace or a company which will value you with worth and dignity. For comments and suggestions: see our facebook page.