So, we are women of the 21st century, living in a free country with nominally equal opportunities. Now we aspire, we can have and do things that our grandmothers could only dream of. But how free do you really feel?
The truth is that many of us don’t really feel the liberation to shine and achieve what is rightfully ours. More often than not, we feel undermined, under pressure, and overwhelmed.
On one hand, we feel driven to make it in the world, to prove our worth and our abilities, and to succeed. Yet we feel pressured to be perfect, to support and care for our families, juggling all those endless demands. Then, on top of that, the unconscious bias, still so prevalent in society, undermines us time and time again. It is completely exhausting.
What is at the root of all this? Is there more to this than meets the eye?
The truth is that all women are receiving mixed, incompatible messages. Maybe not on the surface, but in the hidden layers of our minds below the conscious world. Think of it like a computer operating system. Our subconscious minds are still running on the operating system of the past, an operating system that knows nothing of 21st century freedom and equality. Similarly, for society and the group conscience, the old operating system continues to function. Within these hidden energetic levels, all the outdated rules and restrictions for women still exist. All those archaic beliefs about women being confined to the domestic world, not allowed to outshine men, and needing to be demure, obedient, and quiet still hold true.
Yes, I’m serious, these old patterns are still on everyone’s mind, subtly undermining us like a hidden poison. I have spent the last twenty years identifying these patterns and constraints. Even for women like me, raised with opportunity and equality, those old patterns are there.
Here is the problem. We are moving forward with our motivation, goals, aspirations, and hunger for success, and by doing so we are forcing ourselves to move in the opposite direction of where our subconscious mind thinks we need to go. We are rebelling against this old programming every day of our lives.
Every time we push ourselves forward, it causes the old operating system to drag us back. We are not aware of it, we only feel the struggle. Our subconscious minds are simply not on the same page as us; our subconscious minds don’t want us to succeed and shine.
Similarly, every time we expand our visibility, leadership and impact in the world, those around us, who also have the old operating system, of course, get the message from their subconscious minds that we are doing something forbidden, that we are the wrong way. (=gender) for job, promotion, or status level, for which we are overlooked, attacked, ignored, or belittled. This can manifest in subtle ways that undermine over time, or in the more glaring issues that every professional woman is aware of.
The result: a growing inner conflict. This undermines well-being, happiness, success, confidence and self-esteem. This is the root of our imposter syndrome, the trust gap, and unconscious bias.
So what can we do to overcome this?
The first step is to understand this hidden phenomenon of push and pull. The root of your stress is that we are being pulled in opposite directions without you realizing it. In fact, you have been dealing with much more than you ever imagined because you have been dealing with this internal conflict every day. No wonder we feel exhausted and stressed.
Once you understand the true cause of your internal conflict, you will be back in the driver’s seat. Simply understanding that the legacy of the past is holding you back reduces its control over you. As soon as you realize that you have been manipulated by this hidden level, you can begin to undo the damage and take back your power.
Your bottom line for now: You’ve been dealing with a lot more than you realized. This means that you are stronger, more resilient, more determined, and more gifted than you ever thought possible.
Professional women right now are the pioneers. We have the real world opportunities that our predecessors have won us, but there is still much to do. Women will not have a truly level playing field until we have freed ourselves from the hidden subconscious sabotage of the past.
Is this an impossible dream? Do we have to wait another hundred years for things to update naturally? No, we don’t. With an understanding of what we’re really dealing with and the right tools, we can turn things around now.