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Ze vragen mij nu om raad en geven aan mij als voorbeeld te nemen als ze worstelen met leiding geven.
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Drie fabels over vrouwelijk leiderschap die 92% van de leidinggevende vrouwen onnodig doodmoe maken.
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Sound Familiar? That something has to be ‘tough and difficult’ in order for it to be worthwhile, count in life, deserve praise from others and be valuable? And if it isn’t then I am less worthy and I will be less proud of my results. I hear myself saying “It really doesn’t mean a thing!”
You might believe that: when it is ‘tough and difficult’ and I am successful then I can be extra proud of myself, and gain the praise of others. And, If I don’t succeed then ‘tough and difficult’ help me to feel good about myself, “At least it was tough and difficult!”. I feel safe with everyone knowing how tough and difficult it was.
You might even catch yourself judging others by wearing ‘tough and difficult’ glasses yourself. “Who’s life or job is the toughest?”, “She really has a hard life!” And it is often the concept we teach our children: “Have you studied hard enough?” “Was the exam difficult?”
When your life is not so ‘tough and difficult’, you risk feeling uncomfortable. At least I felt that if my life didn’t “measure up” to their sometimes puritanical tough and difficult standards, that I wouldn’t belong. Not to those whose life is tough and difficult. I feared they wouldn’t recognize my results or consider that I was worthy of their recognition. And I was constantly living in this trap – compare and despair! Was my life tough and difficult enough? What a tough and difficult choice I had to make? Fit in or change?
Our deepest desires: being loved, feeling safe and belonging
I found out that we practice ‘tough and difficult’ because our deepest desires and therefore our biggest drivers are those of being loved, feeling safe and belonging. Yes - it is scary to let go of ‘tough and difficult’ just in case it is easy and I fail? But, what if it is easy and I succeed? Do I feel like a failure in both cases and lose a sense of belonging to those who work hard, do tough things and live difficult lives? I found the confidence to try and do it my way (the simple and easy way) and I learnt that I still have everything I need and learn to belong more and more to me. I’m living a much happier life for it now.
If I asked you: “would you like to belong to those who live tough and difficult lives?” You probably still would like to say “No!”. You probably would like to let go of ‘tough and difficult’ and be less dependent on it as a means of measuring your self-worth or securing your sense of belonging. Maybe you would even like to try (and learn to appreciate!) the ‘simple and easy’ way. This is what I’d love to show you - it is possible for you!
Schedule your free discovery session!