Wednesday, April 22, 2015

ARMOR UP OR OPEN UP. LESSONS FOR THE FEMMEPRENEUR ON STAYING AUTHENTIC


Two authentic joyful world leaders 

 Armor Up.
It's what we do when we are afraid, hurt, angry, uncertain, or ashamed.
It's what we do when we feel bad about our business, our achievements, or our lack of clarity.
It's what we do when we know we are lying to ourselves, but want to save face.
It's what we do when we feel threatened by someone else' s success, or beauty, or whatever it is we don't "have".
It's what we do when our hearts are breaking. And they are breaking much more than we think.

We femmepreneurs put our whole heart in our business. Try as we might to be positive, sometimes it's not exactly what is going on inside.
Every time I see someone succeed on the coattails of content(pretty much stolen) that I created over years of teaching and mastering my craft, I have to swallow and "swim in my own lane". Except sometimes I feel like  I need to build cement walls around my lane so no-one will dive in and swim faster to get to the finish line before me. And then what. 
So what? 
Every time someone who I know is competing with me(yawn)  asks me how my business is doing, I give my best and only answer. " I am so fulfilled by the work I get to do on the planet".  It's about the calling , not the cash.
As a woman, I just don't buy into my value being linked to my number or clients or my cash. 
My value comes from within. The cash comes after. I couldn't live with myself if I was driven by competition alone because it separates me from ME. Yuck!

Open Up
It's what we do when we feel safe with someone.
It's what we do when we are relaxed.
It's what we do when we feel supported and nurtured.
It's what we do when we realize how much we DO have, how much have ALREADY accomplished.
It's what we do when we honor our own efforts and achievements.
It's what we do when we are comfortable in our success, in our beauty, in our SOUL.
It's what we do when we can just exhale and be ourselves.
We femmepreneurs are at a unique juncture in the world. Do we open up or armor up?
What might happen if we allowed ourselves to trust our instincts even more? If we chose women in our business circle who can share authentically and with heart? If we chose to support the right kind of women, rather than drain our energy on women who are still armored( but maybe we think we should get to know because they are so well known. "successful", have the cash, are well connected.- ) But guess what? We don't like them!
We'd rather be ourselves, know who our posse is. Let the wise heart do the talking.

Swami Kripalu ( the lineage from which I studied yoga) once said "Each time you judge yourself(and also others ) you break your own heart."

Please don't break your own heart, sister entrepreneur. Stay authentic. You deserve to be yourself.



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