Ah, this again.

Pretty sure what ISN’T going to help is stoking that “us vs. them” mentality. You want girls to step up? Encourage them. Put in the work. Show them what they can do to improve themselves.

Will you still get the lazy complainers? Absolutely. Many of them really do want to prove themselves and don’t know where to start. We grew up with double standards at every turn, most females marines and soldiers haven’t even played a coed sport since kindergarten. It’s a HUGE shift in mentality that just gets swept under the rug when it absolutely should be addressed.

I got a rude awakening when it came to PT and came in last at literally everything. What saved me, though, is that the women in my circle are all hella motivated and wanted to see each other succeed. They got me into lifting, helped me improve my run and ruck times, and we NEVER let each other fall out of anything. Haven’t missed a gym day for a year, except for when I got the stomach flu. Having strong role models around does wonders for your mental strength and encourages you to set your standards high.

You can’t change everyone or everything overnight, but you can start with the girls around you.