Margaret Mead, an American cultural anthropoligist once said; “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”. The International Women’s Day theme for 2014 is ‘inspiring change’ and encourages women the world over to think how we can challenge the status quo and inspire positive change. International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th of each year and it is a day dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women all over the world.
International Women’s Day is now an official holiday in many countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The offical colour for holiday is purple , so it has become very poular to wear a purple ribbon to show your support and appreciation for International Women’s Day.
It has become a popular tradition for people in many countries, including the UK, to send the important women in their life flowers on Women’s Day to communicate the respect, love and appreciation they have for them. This could be your wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, co-worker, neighbour, or a good friend. Whether they live just around the corner, or on the other side of the world, sending them flowers for Women’s Day is the perfect way to remind them of the important role they play in your life. According to the floral designers at Todich Floral Design, sending purple arrangments to your loved ones on this day has become a big trend due to purple being the colour associated with the holiday.
The theme this year is very special and something everyone can think about, man or woman, i.e. how you can make positive changes in your life and inspire and support others around you to make changes in theirs? Women’s Day provides a good opportunity to think about the little things we can all do daily to inspire positive change, and how by altering our behaviour or perception even just a little, we can make a truly positive contribution to not just our own, but others’ lives.
So why not take this opportunity to do something positive for yourself or those around you? For example you could volunteer your time at a women’s shelter, or finally take up that new hobby you resolved on doing in the New Year. There are many ways you can use International Women’s Day as an inspiration to make positive changes in your life.
For example why not make that career change you have been thinking about for some time? Or maybe you could improve your communcation skills and pick up a new language. You could take time out to try a new sport or exercise, or something more relaxing like yoga once a week, or discover your creative side, perhaps with a floral design, sculpting or painting class, or photography lessons. There are so many little things you can do to make changes in your life, not only to make yourself happier but also those around you.
Most importantly, simply resolve to make a concerted effort moving forward to regularly tell the women in your life how much you care and also encourage the young girls in your life that they can be anything they want. Just by giving young girls the knowledge that they have the power to change and drive their own lives is something that will change the future of women all over the world.
Zlatko “Todd” Todic is founder and owner of UK flower shop Flowers24Hours.co.uk. After working on the stalls at Covent Garden Flower Market he gained several years experience working for some of the top florists in London before founding Flowers24Hours in 1998. He has always had a passion for flowers and loves the varied work and ongoing creative challenges that being a florist provides.
