In the '70s, the "madmen" of Madison Avenue, while trying to find a way to sell perfume, latched onto a feminist belief: that women can do anything. They took it and ran with it, creating a memorable ad which decreed that women can "bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan" and take care of the house and family and still please her man. The campaign worked and the concept of the Superwoman was born.
And here's the thing: Women everywhere embraced that concept and even took it a step further. We started to believe that not only COULD we do anything, but we MUST do EVERYTHING. And therein lies the rub.
As a reformed Superwoman, I am living proof that not only is this Superwoman model an unsustainable one, but one that can only lead to burnout, frustration and mountains of guilt. It's time for a new model.
I share that initial feminist belief that women CAN do anything they want. The question is, what do they WANT to do? Instead of looking outside ourselves for the answers, the time has come for women to look inside. Women are innately powerful beings -- and we either don't believe that, don't recognize it or we give our power away. What a waste of positive energy! What we need now is a movement to encourage women to take that step back, to reexamine who they are and what they believe in, and then create and live a life fully utilizing their gifts, talents and passions to help create a better world for us all. We don't need Superwomen. we need SUPERBWOMEN.
Do you know the difference between a Superwoman and a Superbwoman®? It's the BE. A Superwoman is all about DOING. A Superbwoman first learns to BE her best self, then goes about DOING that which is aligned with her innate internal power. Superwomen lead frenetic, stressed out, guilt-ridden lives. Superbwomen lead conscious, guilt-free lives, and do amazing things because they have learned to tap into what was theirs all along.
I have had the great good fortune to meet and interview a number of wonderful Superbwomen who are excellent examples of how amazing life can be when you take that time to BE. The lessons they've imparted on my web show, Superbwoman Sundays at 7, are invaluable and so pertinent to today's women. Each week I will post their messages in this column and encourage you to take this wisdom to heart. We all need more Superbwomen in the world!
And remember....it's all about the BE®.