More often than not, I see women tearing other women down for the most trivial of reasons. I see constant criticism and even when this criticism is approached with the best intentions, it is done in a brash and self-righteous manner. From the amount of makeup a woman chooses to wear or not wear to a woman's ambitions, there seems to be a cloud of judgement over everything we do. It's so easy to point out the imperfections in others, but not in ourselves. However, it's even more important to acknowledge the strengths of those around us. There are so many incredible women in my life who are the archetypes of love and grace, and I know they are not the only ones. These are the women who are too often overlooked and not appreciated enough because we're all too busy searching for their Achilles heel. So, to those women, I would just like to take a moment to say thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you all of the women who are not afraid to encourage other women. Thank you to all of the women who are not afraid to recognize when another woman's highlight is brighter than any star NASA could discover. To all of the women who can simply roll out of bed and head out the door, without a single ounce of makeup on their faces and without feeling the need to critique other women whose only culinary abilities are baking their makeup. To all of the women who train like warriors and are constantly setting new limits, both physically and mentally, for themselves. To all of the women who are finally learning to love the beautiful bodies they were born in, despite what anyone says. To all of the women who aspire to break all societal chains and aspire to be engineers, doctors or lawyers.

To all of the women who speak JavaScript as a second language and are a Bill Gates in the making. To all of the women who risk their lives day after day, for hopes of a better future for this nation. To all of the women who want to dedicate their lives to nothing else, but loving their children. To all of the women who have taken on the task of educating the youth of today. To all of the women who have been victims of assault and abuse, but refuse to victimize themselves any further. To all of the women who are still on a journey to find their own voices. Finally, thank you to all of the women who are comfortable and confident in their own abilities without feeling the need to bash or degrade other women for their flaws.

Saying thank you for some of these may seem frivolous, but appreciating even the smallest efforts makes a difference. It slowly degrades the schism that is imposed on us women. There are enough forces against us. In fact, there's an entire system against us. We ourselves do not need to be one of those forces. We're so much stronger together. I have so much faith in the abilities of women due to the inspirational women in my life and I believe we can do so much more than the world expects of us. But before we can continue to take the world by storm, we need to refuse the cage of perpetual competition that society forces upon us and we can't do that if we're constantly putting ourselves back in that cage. Instead of competing with each other, let us exude love and compassion. I am by no means a master of this at all as it's something I'm still trying to implement in every aspect in my life. And I can attest to the fact that by openly supporting other women, I have befriended the most genuine souls and have been inspired to always try to carry myself with poise and dignity. So, to every single woman in my own life, thank you.