I’ve been doing this entrepreneur thing long enough to have lived through two large-scale crises. The first year I launched a custom software development firm, we were in the throes of the Great Recession. I remember the worry of it: crunching numbers in spreadsheets again and again, hoping that somehow this time the number at the bottom wouldn’t be red. I remember the desperate discounting and clawing for business to stay afloat. I remember hearing the whispers of failed businesses and shuddering out silent tears for those who gave it t
It’s a tradition that I write something for my birthday. This year, I’ve been struck with how many people are talking about chaos, uncertainty, hope, and peace. In times of overwhelming unknown such as today, we frantically grasp for what is certain. We are desperate for something to tell us that we are going to be okay.
Because things today are not okay.
I have trouble letting it go. I take a long time to anger, piling up excuses for the person like sandbags against the hurt of seeing their true colors. But once that indignant fire begins to burn, I stoke those coals like my life depends on it, often long after the situation that caused it has past. There’s more of a grudge holder in me than I’d like to admit.
In past generations, being desirable was basically about looking good and being a good homemaker, a goal that was limiting but also somewhat more attainable. Today, however, the ideal woman must not only be beautiful but educated. Not only must she be nurturing but also professionally accomplished. Not only must she be a great cook, but she's also expected to be cultured. And all in a feminine, nurturing way.
It's the classic double standard in the professional world: a man who takes charge is 'assertive' and shows 'leadership potential', where a woman is considered abrasive if she shows the same qualities. Is it fair? Absolutely not. But we can fall on the sword to prove our point, or learn to communicate in a way that allows our message to be heard more effectively.
