You Can Be Grateful and Still Want More
Dear Women Leaders,
Being grateful is the enemy of wanting more. From an early age, we are told to be thankful for what we have and to avoid rocking the boat. Gratitude becomes a code word for compliance. It becomes a way to keep us quiet, agreeable, and easy to manage.
Women hear this in all corners of their lives.
Be grateful for the relationship you have.
Be grateful to even have a seat at the table.
Be grateful for a job with flexibility, even if the pay is inequitable.
Be grateful for the leadership role you were given, even if it came without the authority or resources you need to be successful.
These messages are often cloaked in encouragement, yet they reinforce a limiting idea. They suggest that wanting more is a sign of greed rather than growth.
The truth is that women want more, and we should. We want more pay that reflects our contributions. We want more time to care for ourselves and our families. We want more leadership opportunities that match our talent and potential. Yet many women feel a deep sense of guilt for wanting these things. We question whether we are deserving. We wonder if ambition makes us selfish. We worry that speaking up for ourselves will invite criticism or judgment. In reality, these desires are not rooted in entitlement. They are rooted in a desire for fairness, dignity, and equal standing.
Gratitude and ambition are not opposites. They can coexist, and they should.
Showing appreciation for what you have does not mean settling for less than what you deserve.
Gratitude is expansive when it inspires growth. It becomes restrictive only when used as a tool to keep women in place. When someone tells you to “be grateful” in a way that dismisses your needs or minimizes your aspirations, they are not asking you to practice gratitude. They are asking you to shrink.
Be grateful for the good things in your life, and keep pushing for what is rightfully yours. You are not greedy for wanting more. You are not selfish for expecting equality.
You are simply a woman who understands her worth and refuses to apologize for it.
Sincerely,
Your Leadership Coach
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