Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Oct/Nov 2016 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 87
Success conjures visions of leaders of
industry and great historical figures who
have fought to initiate change in social
structure.
The problem we face is when we look
outside of our self to define our goals and
what success “should” look like. When you
value the expectations and needs of others
over your own, you can’t help but, on some
level, compromise parts of who you are and
what you value in order to conform.
The old paradigm of success demands
self-sacrifice, hard work, and struggle to
get ahead. It originated from the time of
empires with social structures that included
class hierarchy, privilege for the few with
hardship and struggle for the majority.
We’ve continued these standards into the
present day.
Currently one percent of the population
controls ninety-seven percent of the world’s
wealth. This creates a societal fear of
scarcity supported by an underlying belief
in lack that pervades our thinking. Success
can seem difficult, if not impossible.
Worse yet, this pursuit of the proverbial
carrot is not sustainable. It’s damaging to
our individual wellbeing and our planet and
it’s exhausting both our energy and our
resources.
Our current day institutions were built on the
CAREER/BUSINESS
Since the time we learn to walk and talk we
are encouraged to be successful in life. I
suppose that’s why the fear of failure and
the fear of being judged are so deeply rooted
within us. In truth, there is no one definition
of success. It’s objective and it’s personal.
The feminine
principles of
intuition, integration,
collaboration,
compassion, and
generosity naturally
lend themselves to
achieving success
in a way that feels
fulfilling.
foundations of power and control of a limited
few over the majority. Over centuries these
institutions have produced a way of being
that creates, for many, an experience of lack
which seems to give evidence that there is
not enough to go around.
This cycle elicits within us the desire for
safety, which appears to be achieved by
having more money. In short, our desire
to be successful is driven by our fear that
we cannot feel safe until we reach a certain
level of success.
There’s a concept referred to as structural
privilege which basically means that at
certain levels of prosperity it is easier for
you to: create more wealth; experience
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