The Chingona Manifesto
Mujer, chingona, poderosa— This is for you.
Let me tell you what you are NOT:
You are not a statistic.
You are not a sex object meant to be eroticized.
Let me tell you what you are:
You are powerful beyond measure.
You are magic.
You are La Loba, wolf woman, mujer de carne y hueso y corazon llena.
You are Sandra, Selena, Frida, tu madre, tu abuela and all your ancestors who came before you.
Recuerda tus raíces.
Be present.
Wake up every day and live passionately and unapologetically raw.
Look in the mirror and see someone you are proud of.
Surround yourself with people who speak life into your future and want to see you grow.
Get inspired.
Listen to your body. Take care of yourself – mind, body and spirit.
Find your voice. Navigate through the stereotypes, the cultural biases, the inner self judgement and embrace your story.
Fall in love with yourself and your scars, learn to follow your corazon, break the chains of tradition, and have respeto but never at the cost of your own self-respect.
If someone calls you beautiful, say ‘thank you’ but remember that is not the most important thing.
Embrace challenges. Build resilience in yourself and others.
Remember to be Chingona does not mean you are hard. You can be soft. You can be tender. Understand that vulnerability and weakness are not synonymous.
Sometimes there is pain and sadness in your journey. Acknowledge it. Learn from it.
Then let it go. Let go of all the things that no longer serve you.
Live life on your own terms.
Love hard.
Respect your intuition— that gut feeling.
Know that you are allowed to change your mind.
Document moments of intense emotion. You have the power to recreate that.
Remember, you don’t have to be perfect to inspire others. People get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.
They want your passion, your fire. And as a woman with struggles, you are forged from the fire.
Invest in yourself and your future. Saving money and planting roots is sometimes an act of revolution.
Be the architect of your own life plan because no one else is going to do that for you.
To manifest your desires, give them attention, intent and emotion.
Lead with your heart to decide what you want, what seeds you need to plant.
Write it down. Make a plan. Work on it every single day.
When you doubt yourself, remember everything you’ve been through and overcome and keep on going.
The journey isn’t always easy, but trust me, it is always worth it.
With Love,
Monica Rivera
