When she discards her old ways like tossed shoes in the garbageWhen she shreds her list of “shoulds” and obligationsAnd when impossible expectations are burned in an incineratorThere comes a time in the life of a womanWhen the hunt for another is now replaced by a hunt for herselfAnd when parental tentacles of tradition no longer define her truthThere comes a time in the life of a womanWhen her desire to fit in with the crowd dissolvesWhen her manic compulsion to be perfect vaporizesThere comes a time in the life of a womanWhen she simply says “no more”There comes a time in the life of a womanWhen she no longer fears conflict but faces it boldly like a lionessWhen she guards her authenticity as fearlessly as she guards her babiesAnd when she drops the role of savior knowing she can only save herselfThere comes a time in the life of a womanWhen she no longer plays small so others can feel bigAnd when she swaps the role of victim for the role of cocreatorThere comes a time in the life of a womanWhen she finally feels ready to claim her space in the worldAnd when she redefines compassion as unequivocal self-loveWhen she dares to rewrite a new mandate that says:I end the pretense of being someone I am notAnd from now on I declare...I will ascend into my highest powerI will celebrate my deepest worthI will embody my fiercest courage and manifest the most authentic meThe time is nowI am ready~Dr. Shefaliart:Dan Don Santos