My Womanifesto

I have been seeing this around a lot lately, first from my bloggy buddy Camille, and then when I was digging around for sponsors I found one on Vanagon Champion and Kitty and Buck.  Turns out it was a challange started by The Militant Baker and she was urging everyone to take it.  So I am thinking "why the hell not?" I'm in!

WO·MAN·I·FES·TO  

NOUN \ˌWO-MA-NƏ-ˈFES-(ˌ)TŌ\

 A written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, and views of its female author. May include themes of empowerment, independence, self love, consciousness, affirmation, and individual acceptance; your positive beliefs about yourself. Created to give self-described definition in regards to the innate beauty inside of every woman. Yes, even you.

I am me.  My name is Angie.  

I am not just my name, but a culmination of a multitude of tiny things.

I am made of stars.  I am made of earth.  I am made of more love than I can express.

I am the combined effort of the people surrounding me throughout my life.

My parents, my teachers, my schoolmates, my family, my friends...

Like dough they have molded me, but they and their beliefs do not define me.

I define myself. 

I get to choose what I want to be.  Who I want to be.

The path that is laid out before me is one of my own choosing.

The destiny that awaits me is created and shaped by me, and me alone.

I want to grow and flourish into the woman I know I can be.

I choose to: 

Spread love | forgive easily | surround myself with those who are good inside and out | help others | devote time to saving more animals in need | dream big | reach for the future I know I can have | improve myself for ME and no one else | make relationships meaningful | stay in touch with my inner self | reconnect with my spirituality | love with everything I have | protect what I love | honor my integrity | stand up for my values | and so much more...

I will no longer allow myself to be defined by trivial things.

I will no longer think of myself as "the fat girl" and hide behind my humor.

I will no longer allow society's view of "pretty" be my comparison.

I will let go of this negative body image and stop berating myself for these pounds.
Until these pounds and this self-imposed title stops weighing me down, I can never change.

I will get healthy.  I will be more active. But I will do it on my own terms.
By letting go of this definition I've carried around I can better embrace this change.
I can find myself in new shapes and sizes and love them all along the way.

I will learn to embrace my flaws.

For they are a part of me, and whatever cannot be changed needs to be accepted.

I am allowed to feel my feelings; whatever they may be.

I wont allow society or my pride to tell me how I should feel.

I wont bottle things up and try to close the aching off.

I will live through it, experience it, and learn from it.


I will be happy on my own.
I will not seek my happiness from others.

I will not date to fill an emptiness.
I will not date because people tell me I need to.
I will not date because I'm nearing 30 and it's scary.
I will not date because this society thinks I'm an "old maid"

I will be ready before I choose to date someone again.
I will be whole on my own before seeking a relationship.
I won't let the past failures taint the possibility of something great.
I will leave the past in the past.

I will learn to handle disappointment with grace.
And to roll with the punches and the changes life throws at me.
Change is good, and can be embraced-I wont let my fear hold me back any longer.

There is so much beauty in this world, and I choose to be a part of it.
I choose to open myself to love, and do my best to spread it to others.