Embracing Feminine Power

Penis Envy, Pshaw!

This week has been a series of lessons about learning to respond to life as a woman, instead of a woman trying to keep up with the men in her life. After over 25 years in the “corporate” world, I’ve finally discovered that I don’t have to prove to my boss that my… ahem… member…. is bigger than his. I always thought that the only way to communicate with the difficult men in my life was to speak to them from their own level.

I spent many years perfecting my ability to erase my femininity at work and replace it with a masculine facade that would give me the respect I deserved. Sadly, it worked! Every man responded to me as he would another man, and I began the fight up the corporate ladder.

The Wrong Perspective

And yet, I found that I still seemed to falter behind my male coworkers who put in less effort, less passion, and less personal investment in their projects. Over time it became harder and harder to keep my masculine facade in place and I regularly got sick or needed to go home and just cry at my own ineptitude.

But, finally I realized that I would always be less inept than my male coworkers at being a man… because I’M A WOMAN. Not only that, but I also recognized that looking to my boss or my male coworkers for validation of my ability to be successful is a complete waste of time— simply because their definition of success is based on the male viewpoint.

A Quest For The Princess

“I’m lost. I’ve gone to look for myself. If I return before I get back, please ask me to wait”

–author unknown

But now what? How can I act like a woman at work after acting like a man for the last 25 years?

Well, believe it or not, I’m not the only woman to have discovered this particular problem over the years and each woman I found had a different way of utilizing this discovery. Some decided that the corporate ladder simply wasn’t a place where they could reach their aspirations as a woman and found motherhood and family life as the best route to true happiness. Some used their feminine wiles to create a job that could accent more of their skills as a woman instead of as a man.

Finally, a good friend recommended The Princessa : Machiavelli for Women by Harriet Rubin which explains how, as woman, we can use our femininity to change, not only the rules of business, but the entire game to our advantage.

Girls, Be All That You Can Be!

Through all of these options, one thing stands out, you must accept yourself as a woman and just let the men be men. Most of them will be so happy that you aren’t trying to prove that your phantom member is a big as theirs, that they’ll fall over themselves trying to help with your agenda.

You’ll discover that even in chaos your authentic feminine nature and personal strengths will always shine.

All you have to do is stop trying to be more than the man next to you, and instead just BE the amazing woman that you already are, with all your beauty, with all your emotions, and with all your feminine power.