Good afternoon Darlings!
Thank you for tuning in for our next installment of the femininity series! I cannot believe we are almost to the end. Five weeks goes by pretty quickly: I feel like we still have a lot to unpack in this topic however, and I AM planning on doing some deep dives and detailed discussions about femininity in the future.
Today we have the concept of cultivating our femininity in the area of our MIND and TALENTS.
As I've discussed before, femininity is not passive: it is about nurturing, tending, and growing. Today, we will discover how we can nurture, tend, and grow our mind and talents.
Femininity and Your Mind and Talents
I chose to combine the two concepts of "mind" and "talents" because both the mind and our talents require an active participation to develop. These things will not grow on their own: we need to work on them, develop them, and continually strive to develop these areas.
Talent development and learning should not end when the need for a college scholarship passes. We should spend our entire lives working to acquire knowledge and cultivate our talents. Don't stop growing.
Femininity demands a nurturing attitude towards all things in life, and this includes your mind and talents.
These enriching activities will bring out a feminine spirit through the idea of creating, nurturing, and beautifying our minds and lives. This practice also has the power to create connection with others and to satisfy our need to achieve.
Remember to CUSTOMIZE this area to fit who you are. If all your interests, tastes, and past-time activities revolve around what everyone else says is cool and good, but not what YOU are interested in, then you are not actually nurturing yourself.
Move on from being general and begin developing your specific set of interests and gifts. Find out what you are good at and nurture those gifts.
Replace Passive Entertainment with Life Enrichment
When I worked at an assisted living facility we used the phrase "Life Enrichment" all the time. It was the idea that we didn't want our residents to just mindlessly watch TV every hour of the day: we wanted them to engage with others, engage their minds, engage their bodies, and enjoy the world.
My encouragement to you today is to replace passive entertainment with life enrichment as well. Take your free time and turn it into something that will help you excel in life and find pleasure.
The wonderful thing about life enrichment activities is that they can provide just as much rest and mental peace as passive entertainment, but with the added benefit of self-improvement.
Spending an hour sewing, baking, or drawing gives me just as much rest as an hour of watching Netflix, but it gives MORE joy, peace, and pleasure than an hour of watching Netflix.
Life enrichment comes in many forms for different people: it is up to you to discover what areas you want to develop. Focus on activities that are pleasurable, but somewhat challenging. Having a level of challenge is key in building up our skills and nurturing our minds.
Never Stop Growing Your Gifts
We all have special interests and gifts that are special to us in the world. Unfortunately I feel as if a lot of people have not tapped into what makes them special and instead choose to be like everyone else.
Try to tap into your specific talents, then work on developing them in your free time. Reflect on what makes you unique, and zero in on those talents. Maybe you haven't picked up a paint brush in years, but I promise you, if it is your talent, you will fall back into it in no time.
For me, I love art-direction and writing. When I began this blog, I was focused on developing those talents and interests, and here I am, 6 months later, still developing these gifts.
Don't be boxed into thinking that talents only revolve around things like singing, dancing, or sports. Talents are so diverse and varied that it's impossible to list them all! They could be in the areas of people, social skills, administration, organization, and more.
Whatever your talents, USE them and seek out ways to bless others. We can nurture ourselves by nurturing these gifts that make us unique. Not to mention the fact that we will feel EXTREMELY fulfilled throughout this journey.
Talents also help us bless other people.
There is a woman at my church who sings on worship team and her voice always helps me connect with the Lord. She uses her talent to bring others closer to God! I know other women who use their talent for health and exercise to motivate their friends and create social opportunities around being healthy.
If your talents are more centered around people, take time to volunteer, reach out to friends, and lead committees in your downtime. Use your special set of skills to nurture others. Find out what makes you unique in the world of talents and begin developing!
Never Stop Learning
As far as the area of the mind, I believe we can cultivate our femininity by nurturing our intelligence. This is different than talents because it is just general learning.
Sitting back and allowing a parade of Netflix shows, pretty Instagram images, and funny memes to inform our world or minds is to let go of your own agency and individuality.
Cultivate your femininity through your mind by being aware of the world around you: it is impossible to nurture those around you if you have no understanding of what is going on.
Begin to learn about philosophy, culture, history, and politics. Discover new things and try to achieve excellence in the area of your mind. Watch informative YouTube videos, read articles, and read blogs!
Begin LEARNING, begin GROWING, and USE your mind. Meet up with people who have similar interests as you, online or otherwise, and discuss the things you are learning. Don't stop learning and discussing things just because you are no longer in college.
I know it might sound exhausting to use your mind after a day at work, but often it will enrich your life and extend your cognitive abilities!
Again, just because we're not in school means we need to stop learning. Always try to learn every day and nurture your mind. You will find that you will become a much more well rounded person.
Never Stop Doing Things
What do I mean by this? Well I mean that we should never stop doing interesting HOBBIES. Take time to figure out what areas you can begin exploring as a hobby.
Take time to write out your hobbies, or perhaps some hobbies that you WANT to be interested in. For example, mine are the following:
sewing
baking
cooking
Internet culture & history
writing
cultural commentary
Bible reading
art
reading
You may notice that most of these are pretty low-key and introverted. But honestly this list has helped me gain so much confidence and enrichment!
I used to spend my evenings solely focused on the next Netflix series to begin or the next photo on my Instagram feed, but now I am spending my time creating and exploring rich things in life.
Hobbies help us enrich our minds AND our talents by challenging us to grow, develop, and create.
I would like to encourage you to not feel caged into seemingly "feminine" hobbies, talents, or activities if they don't feel right for you. However remember that the more your hobbies focus on nurturing, creating, or beautifying, the more feminine traits you can cultivate.
Hobbies can also include things like horseback riding, hiking, or more active competitive sports. They can be surrounded around the idea of spending time with people, or practicing administration tasks. They don't exclusively have to include sitting down on a couch and working with your hands. Whatever it is, find something pleasurable and fun that you can also share with others.
In Conclusion...
Enrich your mind and your talents, and begin doing some hobbies. Cultivate femininity in these areas by nurturing the gifts within you and remember that intelligence is feminine!
Choose CHALLENGE over passivity and ACTIVITY over the sedentary.
Allow yourself to begin nurturing your own skills, and you will notice that these skills have the power to bless others as well. Take note of how you spend your time and make small improvements.
Taking time to improve your talents, gifts, and hobbies will absolutely cultivate your femininity.
xoxo,
Cait
Comments