A woman's place is anywhere she wants

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Cheryl Keates, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

“I am Woman, hear me roar,” sung by Helen Reddy, in 1972, became the anthem and the cry of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Some may ask, “The whaaaaa?” Others were a part of it. But either way, every woman alive enjoys the legacy of ours, our mothers or our grandmothers fight for women’s equal rights. In the workplace, in society, in our lives.

After centuries of being born and raised to get married, have children and run the household it was only 53 years ago, in 1964, that the Civil Rights Act became law! Originally written to grant racial equality in the workplace, gender was added in the hopes of killing the bill! It passed. But changing laws is the easy part. Changing traditions, attitudes and expectations about a woman’s role in life, is hard. Especially, for the women.

Jump shift to 2017. You’ve come a long way, Baby, indeed. In 2015, women earned more college degrees than men; comprised 47% of the labor force and 51.5% of all management and professional occupations. Women lived about 6% longer than men. AND we gave birth to 100% of all babies born, worldwide! There’s the crux of the real Feminine Mystique.

Acknowledging the debate – from mild to ferocious – regarding the biological destiny of women, there is no doubt about it’s dilemma: if a woman’s sole place is no longer accepted as being in the home, what part of it is? A lot, some, little, none?

With experts agreeing that the “under-three” children are at the most critical stage of development, the pressure is on. When to start daycare, IF to start daycare, what if your child doesn’t adapt well? What if you don’t adapt at all! To top it off, your husband is stressed about his promotion and you just started your dream job! Look over here and that falls; look over there and this crashes; blink and you all disappear. And it all seems to be on you.

“Don’t worry! No problem!” everyone says, “You are Woman; you can do it all!” Of course, you can; I’ve heard you roar! You can be a supportive wife, a nurturing mother and a successful businesswoman – PICK TWO! And there is the secret to your success.

If you try to be all things to all people – at the same time – you will fail them all. So you learn to pay attention to where you’re needed most and most need to be. You prioritize and focus your attention, energy, creativity, problem solving and expertise to the two areas that cannot survive without you, right then.

And that could change in a week, a day or an instant. But so can you…when you have the tools and the training to do it. What tools? A new clarity about your emotions; a new ability to express, manage and control them; a new understanding of other people’s emotions and how to influence them. What training? Learning to discover and build upon your singular strengths and making them part of your DNA. For meeting challenge, resolving conflict, reducing stress and expanding your productivity until your level is off the charts! Until you can keep “picking two” until all three are flourishing tributes to your success…perhaps, to your womanhood.

This is a glimpse at the new Emotional Intelligence (EQ), an exciting, effective 21st Century skill set that will dramatically improve your relationships and performance, personally and professionally.

Women’s struggle for total equality and empowerment has been hard fought; in many ways, it still is. But but by learning, practicing and growing with the EQ strategies and techniques, it won’t take another 53 years to get there.

Cheryl is a certified EQ-1.2 and EQ360 Coach. She will teach you to use the Emotional Intelligence strategies until they become your new behaviors.