“This book is a heart-to-heart edition of what Charity Mbabazi Byarugaba, the author, would say to the woman smiling in the mirror. She was created to colour the world and besides DNA, who she is, brings unity, calmness and answers to different environments,” says the back of the book.
“This book seeks to show women their potential with an aim of unleashing it to the world. I share 10 Precious Principles to help women radiate their essence.”
Although, with no intent to scream “fire!” in a crowded theatre, the author says this book is for women, in the sense that she is primarily addressing women, there is more.
This book actually addresses women as part of a world in which men also live. Thus, by setting forth several principles by which women may radiate their worth, the author is telling men what standards women should be treated by. Here’s a hint: they are not low.
“Smiling in the Mirror: 10 treasured principles to radiate your essence”, a 153-page offering by Charity Mbabazi Byarugaba, will enlighten you on these standards, and a lot more. Accordingly, this book is not about what women demand. It is about what they truly deserve.
In chapter one, the author trumpets the importance of being authentic in order to reach one’s full potential.
“The first thing that we have to do to be authentic to is accept our calling. Every person who knows themselves will automatically identify that there is a calling upon their lives. There is no “self” without a calling,” writes the author.
The subtext reads like words said by American writer, Mark Twain, when he said: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
A woman must discover what the French call her “raison d'etre”, purpose or reason for living. This is located within. No externalities to one’s self can determine it, unless the woman allows it. Authenticity, in this sense, is power. That is because it by the woman, of the woman and for the woman.
Leaping, as it were, to chapter five, the author asks us questions as a preface to seeing our true face, beyond lace curtains and masks.
“Let me ask you another question,” she begins. “If you were the only person on earth, would there be a need for integrity? I always wonder what it was like for Adam when he was alone. Did he need discipline, integrity, trust, and all these wonderful values that we have as individuals and as corporations?” the author asks.
This Socratic approach to personal inquiry is quite thought provoking. Now, without giving away the precious jewels the author shares in the shape of answers, I will say society is a product of itself.
We tend to behave in reference to others; we are defined in this manner too. How have you been defined? Can you be trusted? How you answer several questions in this book will ascertain how much integrity you truly have.
In the next chapter, Circle of Friends, we get some advice on the need to have Progressive Peers.
“The purpose of progressive peers is to inspire you to burn the fat of your potential. It is to offer a safe space where you know that you are in the right company of “radicals”. These are people that will not be shocked by the daring steps you are taking to purge your fears because they are doing the same themselves,” the author writes.
It does help be around the right circle of friends, if friendship is to mean something.
