Proud To Be Me

Most days I think I have the best of all worlds. I stride confidently and strong wherever I go. Not only that but I feel comfortable whether I'm using the word Orgullosa or it's English translation Proud. It doesn't get any better than that. For me, being a proud (insert description here) is all about being me. I'm proud of the woman that I have become. Proud of the heritage that I carry with me, of the legacy that I am passing down and that I am creating.

I am Dominican by birth, Mulata by a lot of lovin', American by privilege, Latina by ethnicity and most importantly, I am me by the holy grace of God. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? It's not. It's all very simple. And all very true.

One of my favorite shirts has this logo on it:

I love it because rarely do we make a statement to the world that we are proud. I find, however, that this blog has given me a bigger voice (and my teachers didn't think I could get any louder).  I also find that the women that I have the pleasure of meeting share that sense of pride and more importantly encourage others to feel the same way.

I am always astounded at how social media has brought me together with some very special people. How my community of women has grown and my circles continue to be filled with more and more special people. It's one of the things I like about the Orgullosa logo. The circles. It signifies to me the never-ending circles that we find ourselves in as well as the many different circles that I am a part of.

The Orgullosa community is for women who don't settle for walking the same path, but instead make a new one every day. How cool is that?

When I saw Orgullosa's tag line "con la falda bien puesta" which loosely translates to "with my skirt well placed: I immediately identified with it. For me, it means that I'm part of a community that looks ahead, that doesn't let the fact that they're in a skirt stop them. On the contrary, they look around, brush off their skirts and keep it moving.

I was also reminded of the fact that when I walk in a skirt, a lot of times it shifts on me. I'll end up with the zipper in the wrong place. I guess I'm the type of woman that takes that opportunity to do a shimmy while adjusting my skirt to the right place. It means I don't always take myself so seriously and I have a little time to laugh at myself. Which I find is always important.

I think of the groups of women that I currently belong to. My beloved AKA's, my Central Florida Latinas, the SM Latinas, my blogging crew from Blissdom, my content brew crew, and on and on and on. They all have one thing in common. ME!

But seriously, the one thing they have in common is a deep sense of pride in the women that they are. All these women could be put in a room and find themselves to be confident, kind and true. I hope that the same can be said of me.

Being a proud woman ultimately means that I am always myself: genuine, kind and yes, intense. Someone reminded me today that I am always out to save the world. But, I wouldn't have it any other way and I dare to take a gamble and say that neither would you.

Check out Orgullosa's site and don't forget to give them a like on Facebook to find out what they're all about. If you haven't already joined, what are you waiting for?

Disclosure: This post was written in partnership Orgullosa.com and Niche Mommy Network & Conference. I was compensated for this post but all opinions, thoughts and pride are my own.