Before the question “how to be a woman?” is answered, we must first answer the question “what is a woman?” and in answering the first question, you have answered the second.

A woman, the penultimate woman, is a goddess.

A goddess needs no man, yet chooses a companion.  A goddess is strong, both demanding and yielding.  A goddess inspires all to be better, do better, and love better.  A goddess doesn’t conquer because she encompasses.  A goddess embraces truth in all things.  A goddess is dynamic in heart, movement, and nature.  A goddess is love, and does so with an open heart.

Independent.

A woman does not need a man to care for her, or keep her from feeling lonely, or pay her bills.  A woman chooses a man.

She knows that it is only through the challenge of full partnership that she grows.  So she is picky and, therefore, will not settle for anything less than her complement.  She knows that if she compromises and takes the easy way out, she is compromising her soul.

Strong.

A woman is physically, emotionally, and spiritually strong.

A woman has the most under-appreciated yet critical strength of all.  She has the strength of her feeling, her heart.  Our society looks down upon people who are fully open, this trait is one that is demeaned and unwanted.

The woman who is in full possession of her heart, however, is a strong woman.  A woman who’s family is threatened is the woman who attacks a 300 lb. robber, who lifts a car off of her child, who would rather die than give in to anyone who would hurt those she loves.

This woman loves her family so much that she does not give in to them to make things easier.  She is firm because she knows that she is life, that she is teaching them life, and through that showing her family themselves.

Yielding.

A woman knows that everyone is responsible for themselves.  A woman knows when to step back and allow those she loves to make decisions, right or wrong, because to do otherwise would circumvent their growth.  Just as she challenges, she allows her loved ones to face their own challenges in their own way, in their own time.

A woman knows that it takes strength to stand by and do nothing.

Wisdom.

A woman knows the meaning of life.  While others are trying to run empires and amass fortunes, she knows that the meaning of life is simple.  Love others and live fully.  Nothing else matters.

If she is running empires and amassing fortunes, she knows that – still – the meaning of life is still to love others and live fully.

Inspires.

A woman inspires others to be better than they are, to love others, to live fully.  A woman challenges others to be themselves, authentically, in every moment.  A woman can detect b.s. from a mile away and will not suffer b.s. gladly.

A woman demands the truth in others by demanding it from her self, demands excellence by doing even the smallest tasks with excellence, and inspires others to be better because she can see what they truly are.

Encompasses.

A woman doesn’t try to conquer others because she knows that true victory cannot be attained by subjugation.  As it has not worked for the world, so it cannot work for people.

A woman encompasses all with her love and intensity.  A woman with an open heart, a full heart, can subsume others – because she has brought them into her being; she is their being.

Honest.

A woman is always truthful, because she knows that no one is served otherwise.  A woman is real, authentic, and always her full self.  She knows who she is and what she is because she is always honest with herself and never looks to others to tell her who she is.

Shows up.

A woman shows up her life and lives fully in the present.  She doesn’t shirk her duties or obligations or try to put them on others.  She is fully responsible for herself and her life because she consciously made a choice about everything in her life.  A woman is never a victim.

A woman always keeps the big picture in mind.  She knows that she cannot live her purpose, live on purpose, unless she is fully responsible for her life.

Dynamic.

A woman is dynamic and powerful.  A woman is the ocean, be it calm and still or raging and stormy.  A woman knows that experiencing herself in every moment means experiencing how she is in every moment, fully, without holding back.

While some seek to ignore or cut themselves off from their emotions, a woman knows that it takes amazing strength to suffer unfettered joy or heart-rending loss.  While others can only experience their bodies through sex, sport, or endurance, a woman experiences her physicality as it is – fully and completely.  While others grasp at ritual and religion to find their spirituality, a woman lives the experience of her spirituality through connecting with her core.

Love.

A woman loves because she is love, and she is love because she loves.

Being a goddess isn’t about being perfect.  When you look at history or mythology, the women we considered goddesses were not perfect; however, they moved through the universe with full knowledge of their being.  They lived passionately, openly, and without regrets.  And above all, their love was profound, intense…beyond mind blowing.

A goddess loves so deeply, so openly, that she blows open the hearts of those around her.

How to Be A Man