The #1 Hidden Key to Successful Entrepreneurship For Women

Communicating your value in a powerful way is essential for successful entrepreneurship.  As many women receive conflicting cultural messages with holding power and leadership this can present a challenge for many women entrepreneurs.

I recently spoke with Liz, a court reporter consultant and trainer. Liz contacted me because she felt challenged in her attempts to communicate the value of her court reporter services to her attorney clients. Lawyers frequently seemed to not value the court reporters contribution. Liz felt they did not treat them with the respect she felt they deserved. Liz was frustrated with this situation. She wanted to raise the awareness of both lawyers and court reporters so they could work together more harmoniously.  Liz realized she needed to communicate the value of court reporters in a more powerful way. This would empower her to encourage mutual respect and create better relations between Liz and her attorney clients.

As I scanned Liz’s energy field I noticed an area of white energy in front of her throat.  “This white energy in front of your throat indicates you may be putting too much pressure on yourself to say or do what you think is the perfect thing to do or say, ” I told Liz.  “This can block your ability to express yourself in a more natural and spontaneous way that is more aligned with who you are and what you want.”  Liz confirmed that she often hesitated to speak up around some of the attorneys she worked with for fear of saying the wrong thing. She realized not just letting herself speak up was creating an imbalanced power dynamic with the attorneys.  She needed to be more pro-active in standing up for herself and her court reporters to create more balanced and harmonious client relationships.

As I continued to view Liz’s field I noticed a patch of dark red in her solar plexus area.  “This dark red area in your solar plexus area indicates you have an inner conflict  of owning your own power.  You learned that your power is somehow not OK or using it is not ok and it is actually unsafe to own it or use it.”   Liz acknowledged that she understood what I meant. On an intellectual level she wanted to empower herself but deep inside she felt uncomfortable about stepping into a powerful place in this situation.

In my experience, the subconscious conflict about owning one’s power is the #1 reason women struggle to be successful entrepreneurs.  For millennia women have been culturally programmed to be in the background, to not be “too assertive”, to be the followers not the leaders, to support others ambitions rather than their own.  These messages are still inbred into women’s autonomic nervous systems and their impact is still seen in our culture today.

In her book Lean In Cheryl Sandberg quotes a study where women applicants were found to submit a resume for a job only if they felt they had 100% of the qualifications required. In contrast, the male applicants studied applied for the same positions if they had only about 60% of the required qualifications.  Men are culturally encouraged to promote themselves and their value, whereas women are taught to downplay their gifts and let the men lead.  These traditional feminine values that can subconsciously block women from success are still celebrated in parts of our culture and in many parts of the world.

Mastering this culturally programmed power “no go zone” is the hidden key to successful entrepreneurship for  women entrepreneurs.  When a woman heals this inner conflict between cultural programming and her authentic self she allows herself to fully embody her true power.  She consequently attracts those people and opportunities that support her and her endeavors.  She also becomes immune to those who would criticize or envy her power as she no longer has a “good girl” identity that feels threatened and needs to be protected.

Do you feel emotionally uncomfortable about fully stepping into and owning your power? Here is a quick 5 step process that will help you feel more comfortable owning and radiating your truly empowered self.

1. Tune into your uncomfortable feelings around owning your power. The first step in overcoming any internal block is to be aware of it and feel it.  These blocks reside in the body-based emotional mind, not the intellect. Your feelings are key to helping you identify where your energy is flowing and where it is blocked.  Is there a certain person or situation where you feel dis-empowered or unable to express your authentic self?

2.Visualize the person or situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, intimidated or dis-empowered.  Now tune into the feelings that are generated in your body in response to thinking about that person or situation.  What do the feelings feel like as physical sensation? Where are they located in your body?  Are they in your stomach, abdomen, chest, or somewhere else?  Do they feel like tension, constriction, pressure, heaviness, or something else?  Allow the feelings to be there in your body without resisting them or attempting to override them with your mind.

3. Now imagine a window or door opening where the feelings reside.  For example, you can imagine a window opening in your chest, or a door opening in the area of your stomach.

4. Ask yourself, “Can I let this go?” Allow the energy to leave your body through the window or door you created.  Breathing deeply during this process may help you release the blocked energy.  Continue doing this for as long as it you feel the energy release.  This can take a bit of practice but you will probably feel a subtle sensation of relief as the energy leaves your body.

5. Now think again about the person or situation you thought of initially.  How do you feel about it now?  Notice what comes into your awareness.

I hope you found this blog post on #1 Hidden Key to Successful Entrepreneurship For Women helpful.  Have you ever struggled with owning your power in a business situation?  How did you handle it?  I would love to hear about it.  Please leave your comments below. You may also want to read our post on how to stop over giver syndrome from blocking your success.

Do you struggle with owning your power in a way that creates the kind of success you want? My Aura Power Tool Kit helps you use your emotional energy to help you step into a new level of power and success.  Get it free here.