Exactly one year ago I was celebrating International Women’s Day in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa.
.... and celebrate the ladies, they did!!
Now, you may wonder why I was in West Africa, and what that picture of a government building had to do with Women’s Day?!!
Well, I was supporting a client in the role as a business psychologist and feminine wellbeing mentor (... and yes, I don’t just help ThirdAge Women!!).
My client is an audacious, high level ambitious lady with a massive vision to strategically collaborate in the spread of the availability of renewable energy into the various parts of West Africa.
As such she is tirelessly engaged to get African governments to collaborate with business leaders and sponsors.
The picture I took in front of one of the many government buildings in Abidjan, was just before we went into yet another meeting.
Yes, meeting after meeting, board room with government officials after another board room meeting.
I noticed that all the ladies, staff, in the building were wearing traditional African dresses with Happy Women’s Day printed on the fabric (obviously in French). There was a lot of happy chitter chatter .... obviously also in French.
After the meetings, one of the MPs took us out for lunch in a restaurant. Yes, lots of happy noise, happy shouting there, music, dancing, everyone was celebrating International Women’s Day.
It certainly was a culinary odyssey and adventure for me staying in Abidjan. I had some sort of fish, and my client, who is from that area, enjoyed an okra and meat-from-the-bush soup with fufu. I asked what the meat from the bush was, but there was no conclusive answer ... whatever was found in the bush that day ... well, I was a ‘good foreigner’ I did try it. Interesting ... Oh and I had hibiscus flower syrup with ice and water as a drink.
Usually in the taxi back to the hotel we did some debriefing, and upstairs in the room further talks, feedback, guided meditations, working with specific strategic essential oils for the nervous system, and help integrate the emotional impact of the ‘all men’ dominated meetings, and rebalance feminine energies.
High powered women certainly do wear themselves out. They give their best and their very last. It’s ‘ok’ when you are young. We have all done it, but the danger is a very sneaky, insidious reach into all parts of the being. Very gradually burnout sneaks in.
When people notice it, it usually already too late. The effect of stress, the pressure, and high expectations often shows as extremely painful fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue and depression, etc. Everything shuts down.
Also, super high achieving women statistically have more than double cardiac risks than men.
Why? Because for starters women are wired differently, and in society and business environments usually the feminine traits are not valued as much as the masculine.
Whilst we all have masculine and feminine energies - women and men - and the masculine energy is very much needed in strategic and tactical performance in the work arena, unless the feminine energies are properly balanced and re-nurtured, there will be problems.
Yes, you can choose to be in your own joy, yes you can choose to love yourself and be in love with yourself, choosing to say yes to life. Choosing to say yes to gentle inner transformation and bathing in your own inner beauty, your own goodness.
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