There is a powerful and profoundly impactful irony at work in the lives of so many women who have grown up without many, if any, mentors on how to succeed in business and/or life.
Whether working with, or simply observing, highly successful women I see the price they paid and are paying for the success they have achieved. Yes, the vast majority of doors are still closed, however there is thankfully an increasing number of women who have achieved amazing business success whether as an entrepreneur or within the established corporate business model.
One of the major strengths these women bring to the business world is the realization of a need for corporate culture, for what energy, what experience they want their employees and/or customers to have. Collaboration is imperative for most, as is empathy. Nonetheless in business the bottom line still governs the risks, the adventures, and the protectory of where and how a business succeeds.
For many women, the task becomes balancing the moral, ethical, and spiritual purpose of a company, with employee satisfaction, and the need for an ever-increasing bottom line. On a day-to-day basis, it can feel as if it is a battle for survival emotionally or physically. Even when a company is clearly in a state of thriving, I have seen women leaders who are overwhelmed with exhaustion, loneliness, burn-out, and fear of losing either or both their income and/or power.
For some, once they have achieved the level of success they had dreamed of, there is the realization that they strove to the top for the wrong reason. Sometimes they realize it was to prove they could. Sometimes to prove to themselves they had what it takes. For others, it is because they felt pressure from their parents to use an expensive education wisely.
Whatever the reason, when our will rather than our intent is what governs our movement forward, we end up in exhaustion. Our adrenals and our immune systems are impacted. Rather than working because it is what our souls are calling us towards, it becomes success because we “need” the benefits of such an endeavor. Our focus is external, it is about the career, the income, or the theoretical physical comfort success brings.
When we are pulled by intent in service, it is our passion that fuels us. It brings joy, collaboration, and an inner sense of accomplishment because we are making a difference in the world, in our company, and in our personal lives. Because of the personal peace that exists in that space, not perfection just peace, our physical health is enriched. Our joy causes our energy to flow, to increase, and full-bodied health exists emotionally, spiritually, and physically. In that space, we are living our purpose and making the world a better place. THAT is the real benefit of pure success and healthy living. It is also my wish for each one of us.
