International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of all the women we know and admire. This year we are taking the opportunity to celebrate the power and wisdom of women.

As we move through our lives, we acquire understanding and wisdom that comes from living through experiences – both positive and negative. At St John’s, we believe in the importance of embracing our experiences and sharing our knowledge to contribute to the creation of communities where everyone can thrive.

Celebrating women starts with recognising our power, and that walks hand in hand with acknowledging our past as much as preparing for our future. Sharing our stories and wisdom is a way in which we learn. In the spirit of this, we sat down with some of our residents to ask them to share the advice they would give to their younger selves.

We hope that by sharing these inspirational thoughts, we will start a conversation about our experiences as women, whilst encouraging the girls and women of today to stive towards their dreams and gain wisdom from life and all the experience it has to offer.

Pam:

“You must look on the positive side of life and embrace change. Change happens consistently throughout our lives and invariably, we get very nervous about what will happen and what it will be like. Whether you’re moving jobs, moving house, or making a lifestyle change, everything is an exciting new venture and I think we need to face that change with a positive attitude”.

 Maddie:

“The world will develop faster than you can ever imagine, so if you can’t do what you want now, just bide your time and work towards achieving your goal. Be selfish in this instead of trying to please others and doing what is expected of you. Follow your dreams and fly”.

Anonymous:

“Education is so important – not only to help you excel in society, but also for your soul. Now I am in my later life, I would have liked to have taken up more creative pursuits, perhaps music or the arts. Supporting education and respecting people’s choices are very important and we should all work towards these ends”.

Anonymous:

“Take your time. Don’t let anyone rush you into something. Be in charge of your own life. Women can do anything they set their mind to it. That’s the secret, be guided by people, but don’t rush into things”.