8th March each year is International Woman’s Day, a day to mark the achievements of women worldwide. The fact that we need such a day in the first place simply tells us that women are still not regarded and treated equally in this country and around the world. Humanity cannot hope to make more progress unless equality and balance is both sought and attained. This sense of equality and balance refers to many things, race, sexuality, wealth, sex, and of course harmony with the planet. We need more women in leadership positions at work, in politics, and in society. This means women being women rather than having to rise to leadership roles by emulating men. I guarantee that having more women at the top will help the world to be a better place. How many women can you name who have started a war, I’ll wait.
From a symbolic perspective, women have always been associated with the unconscious mind and men with the conscious mind. So, seeking balance also refers to us, within ourselves. What that means is, to the extent that you are not already, start paying attention to your emotions and the emotions of others. Start to notice communication from your unconscious mind, be that through dreams, imagination, or through gut feelings. Also pay attention to how you talk to yourself. Understand that your unconscious mind is always listening to you. Would you talk to a child the way you talk to yourself? Seek balance on the inside, and you will find balance on the outside.
This month also marks 20 years since I first started working with my business partner, Joanne Binks. The success that I have enjoyed over these years would not have been possible without her. I met Joanne when I joined a call centre business as the Finance Director. She was the Operations Manager, she had responsibility for the recruitment, training, sales performance, and management of over 300 staff. What I first noticed about her was that she spent a lot of her time just walking around the call centre. I thought to myself “This woman doesn’t seem to do anything. She just walks around all day.” When I first arrived, I was also a little perturbed by the lack of ability and contribution from the other directors. I thought to myself “Who is running this company?” I had been there for about 6 weeks and all the directors were away for a few days. I then found out who was running the business. It was Joanne. She knew everyone in that call centre. She knew their strengths and weaknesses, and how to motivate them. Including her husband who was one of her managers. Then having worked together for 4 years, and after both becoming more than a little disillusioned with corporate life, we left to set up Inspire 360. One of the reasons that we work well together is that Joanne is good at what I am not good at, and vice versa. She is also hard working, self-motivated, and good at keeping me pointed in the right direction. As many of you will also know she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She has been through invasive and unpleasant medical processes to bring about a cure. Later this year she will be 5 years cancer free. An important milestone. She also kept working whenever she could throughout her treatment. Of course, she wouldn’t think of herself as being remarkable by, working full time, raising a family, overcoming illness, and being self-employed for 16 years and counting. Because this isn’t any different from millions of other women around the planet. But having the courage to be yourself in the world today is remarkable.
Despite how the world might look right now, I do believe that we are heading in the direction of achieving balance. Though many years of hard work lie ahead. If all of us are allowed to simply be ourselves, fully, then we can bring this world back onto an even keel.
Just be who you are, without doing harm to yourself or others. Express who you are without apology.
“I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” Mary Shelley
