Growing up in Flint, MI I honestly never expected too much from men, but for some reason beyond my understanding my expectations of women have always been unreasonably high. During my progressive evolution toward becoming a man I was forced to frequently re-evaluate many of my views. I have encountered various types of women during my 21 years of life.
I have met women who were more physically (appealing than the average woman) and I have met females who had personalities reminiscent of Allie Hamilton from the movie “The Notebook”.
From these encounters I learned a few important lessons. The first was to uplift every female I came in contact with. The second and probably the more important lesson was to appreciate each woman for who SHE is. In other words, like the similarities she has with other women, but love her differences.
There are some women who are treated like everything except a queen and stick around with their “man.” Those women have no idea how valuable they truly are.
That is relatively consistent amongst the majority of women I have come in contact with. They usually lack self-worth. I do not know if it’s because they have dealt with males who were less than ready to deal with a real woman; therefore causing them to think they are inadequate.
Maybe it’s the diamond forming pressure of what a “real woman” looks like in our society. Regardless of the reasons why this ridiculous issue exists, there has to be a change in the way females view themselves.
This is why I believe the role of appreciation is substantial. Just think about it, How does it feel when a person, especially someone you adore, tells you how much they appreciate who you are?
Is that not one of the most uplifting feelings in the world? Something so simple as saying, “I appreciate you” can have an everlasting effect.
No matter the type of beauty a woman possesses it is too beautiful for words to describe. Take that last sentence to heart and you will never let another man disrespect you again.
Women have to realize that their value is too greater than anything tangible. Once they realize t they are incredible they will release themselves from being chained to the perpetual cycle of disappointment, which is the result of not accepting their self-worth.
Ladies, part of realizing your self-worth is embracing your differences. Take me for an example. At least once a day somebody refers to me as being weird and for a lengthy stretch of time I thought that was the worst thing in the world.
Somewhere along the road I began to embrace that “weirdness” and eventually accepted it as a part of who I am. The greatest element of difference is that it adds to your personality making you unique. Take the time out to appreciate your differences.
I must admit that at first I found this article rather difficult to write. I was absolutely focused on writing a piece that would be powerful, encouraging, and moving.
I was so caught up in trying to create the perfect blend of words that would invoke anyone who read this article to address their personal lives, that for a moment I forgot that I could rely on my heart to guide my thoughts and let my true feelings shine through. So from the essences of my heart I would just like to say that I truly appreciate each one of you.
Ronald Pikes is a junior marketing major from Flint, Mich.