Dear women, there is much to know—about life, men, relationships, and career. We asked a couple of women what they wished they had known when they were less experienced. And from their answers, we compiled this list of things every woman wishes she knew.
Here are 10 things every woman wishes she knew.
1. It is Best to Be Kind to Yourself First
Majority of women we questioned agreed that if they had known better, they would have been kind to themselves first.
We live in a world where people are so invested in what others might think about them. Sometimes, it gets so bad that they only think of pleasing other people and never really please themselves.
First, be kind to yourself. Do not make a habit of putting another person’s need before yours, especially if you feel you will regret the action later.
Read: 15 Things Women Do, But Will Never Admit
2. It Never Helps to Shrink
The award-winning novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi, says: “We teach women to shrink themselves—we say they can have ambition, but not too much.”
In some way, this is true. Every woman wishes she knew better than listen when people said she was just a woman and so needed to shrink herself.
Do not shrink yourself. Take all your dreams and aspirations seriously, such that all that comes first are your dreams.
3. Female Friendships Mean the World
A UK-based woman was bold when she said: “I wish I had established more bonds with other women.”
Many other women said similar stuff. The editorial team thinks they are right, and it is true that women wish they knew better than to let female friendships slide.
Be friends with other women! Love them genuinely. Don’t be half in and half out, afraid that you may at some point be hurt.
Fearing hurt will only keep you from establishing great connections with people. Let it go. Remember this: whether you get hurt eventually or not, you will deal with it, and it will make you a lot tougher.
Read: 15 Things Women Secretly Want
4. It is Best to Love Your Own Style
Many women struggle with style. They take all lessons about style from the internet, often trying to imitate their icons.
Sometimes, they may not even love their own clothes but put them on anyway because they want to look ‘peng.’
A woman from the US told us that if she had known better, she would have been herself and put on only clothes she loved. She agreed that loving your own clothes can boost your self-esteem.
“When I put on the clothes I truly love,” she said, “I feel like my true self. Whereas, when I put on clothes I only saw on the internet, I might feel bad so often, telling myself that I don’t quite look like the model on whose body I first saw these clothes.”
5. Diet Isn’t Meant to Suck Out All The Fun
The idea of dieting puts off a lot of women. They believe dieting to be a boring practice that takes all the fun out of a person’s eating life.
This, so many women agree, is not true.
Almost every woman wishes she knew better than to ignore dieting. Alongside exercising, dieting can make a person more fit. It can bring you into your pretty, most classy look.
Read: How to Be Classy: 10 Top Traits of a Classy Woman
6. Not all Advice Should be Applied
In a woman’s world, a lot of advice floats around. From family, from friends, many of which truly mean well. But here is the thing every woman wishes she knew: no matter how great a piece of advice sounds, if it does not sit right with you, then it is probably best you just ignore it.
Especially when about to make a decision whose consequences you will have to deal with on your own, then it is best to follow your gut.
Do you like the possible success that might come? Can you deal if the success doesn’t come? Then you should just go ahead and do it.
Read: 5 Top Dating Tips for Ambitious Women
7. Love is Beautiful, Fighting It Is Needless
One of the most beautiful feelings in the world is the one called love. Love can be overwhelming, but sure is beautiful—it makes a person feel like a child again in all that innocence and vulnerability.
Every woman wishes she knew better than fight love when it came to her.
Vera, a pharmacist, says: “I wish I had not fought the love so hard. I let it slip out of my grasp just because I was afraid. There is really no need to be afraid.”
8. Losing Yourself in a Relationship is a Wrong Move
While love can be beautiful, it sure can be overwhelming, especially if you get into a relationship.
When you get into a relationship, losing yourself to that relationship is quite the wrong move. By losing yourself, we mean paying less attention to your own likes and dreams just so the relationship lives.
No. You should not do this. You should care for yourself and be kind to yourself even more when you get into a relationship.
This is what to do if you are already in a relationship and find that you are losing yourself to that relationship.
9. Boundaries are Everything
Firm boundaries give us a sense of security; they give us a sense of control of our own lives, and this is something every woman wishes she knew.
As a woman, you should be able to establish firm boundaries for yourself and for other people.
Tell yourself that this is how far you are allowed to go. And tell others that this is just how far they can go as well. It doesn’t translate into being mean. It translates into being in control.
10. Some People Only Want to Take Advantage of You
Jesse said: “Some people mean well; others don’t. Be careful around those who do not quite mean well for you.”
You sure have to be careful to avoid people who will ruin you.
Be your own best friend, but meet new people as often as you can.
Summary
Women ought to learn from other women. You can become anything you want and enjoy living your life.