Bridging the Gap
Author: Alice Turner
What exactly does ‘bridging the gap’ mean:
Mr. Clinton singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
English dictionary definition: if you bridge the gap, you make a connection where there is a great difference.
In this discussion, I refer to the term ‘bridging the gap’ as an idiomatic expression, thus I refer to ‘bridging the gap’ as going beyond the literal expression of the phrase. Idiomatically, ‘bridging the gap’ in this discussion means creating ties or connections, negotiating, educating one another in positive ways to improve our life style.
In the process of making an effort to ‘bridge the gap’ there are barriers – both visible and invisible – that you have to overcome. Visible barriers may include structural, financial resources and material resources to mention a few. The invisible barriers may include mental barriers, which are by far the most important to overcome. As long as your brain tells you that you cannot make it you will not try because of fear of the unknown. What’s more when you do start to see yourself succeeding negative thinking can stunt your personal growth. Government legislations and policies, cultural beliefs and cultural expectations also are invisible barriers within themselves.
Are you an individual who is psychologically ready to ‘bridge the gap’?
Or have you convinced yourself that you are not capable?
Ladies, do not allow yourself to suffer self defeat.
You have the capacity to create ties, connections and negotiate your way through visible and invisible barriers.
Do you believe you have the means to ‘bridge the gap?’
Yes. If you are determined you too can make it happen.
If you had the power to look into the future:
· Where would you see yourself in the next five years?
· What would you see yourself doing to please yourself?
· What achievements would you have made?
You too can make it happen as long as you turn your dreams into a reality. Do not be content to just sit back and never tackle issues that you feel are obstacles or seem too large to solve.
Ladies, this is the time to change the impossible to ‘I am possible’. Stand up now and make your dream a reality. Your life is in your hands. Lets hold hands and bridge the ‘I am possible gap’ together. Step into the future with confidence.
There are so many hurdles in our way as women. These hurdles range from financial constraints, our upbringing, stereotyping, emotional distress, war experiences, health issues, disability, family commitments, fear of the unknown, being told we cannot make it in life etc. The list is just too long to finish. All these obstacles pull us down but the only way forward is not to close the door behind us and shut ourselves away from the world. Instead we need to step into the world and seek help from our colleagues or our fellow sisters. There are numerous support systems, and some are specifically engineered to support women. But all this help is there if only we open our hearts to bridge the gap.
We are often our own worst enemy. We hold ourselves back because we tell ourselves that we cannot ‘do it’ it needs the men to achieve our goals. Some of the more ‘traditional’ minded of us women fear that ‘over-ambitious’ women will displace men. After all it is a man’s world.
Why not turn it into a woman’s world? We have the capacity and capability to do it. Now is the time to bridge the gap. We should set goals and objectives to achieve with specific timelines and we will do it. Together we will make it happen.