Maria Connolly, LPC
The Superwoman Syndrome — where a modern woman strives to achieve perfection in all spheres of her life at the cost of neglecting herself.
Society glorifies women who are “doing it all.” You wake up early to pack lunches, answer emails, and remind your partner about a bill. At work, you notice the empty coffee pot, pick up the slack on a project, and remember birthdays. Your to-do list never ends. Sound familiar?
It’s normal to want to be loved, to fit in, and to be accepted. We care what other’s think. That’s why we all do the dance of give and take – we’re trying to find our place in our family, the workplace, our community and the world. And if you start from a grounded, well-balanced sense of self and others, it isn’t so difficult to stand up for yourself, celebrate the unique person you are, and be your own woman. However, many women have learned that being a people pleaser is safer.
Remember your first steps? Before doubt crept in, before you learned about falling, you were fearless. You pulled yourself up, wobbled forward, and tried until you made it. No inner critic, no fear of looking foolish, just pure determination and joy in the discovery of what your body could do. Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to second-guess that natural confidence. We picked up subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages about how we “should” behave, which turned into life patterns that hold us back today.
As ambitious women with big dreams, we’ve all hit that point where we’re ready to go further, but something seems to hold us back. How can we work through these roadblocks? The answer will be found, not in working harder, but in working smarter and understanding ourselves on a deeper level. Let’s dive into how breaking through personal barriers will help you reach your full potential.
This article on human intelligence is longer than most because there’s a vital point to grasp…
When people speak of human intelligence they’re referring to mental abilities, right? We give great importance to the head — go to the ‘head’ of the class; the main office is ‘head’quarters; she’s the ‘head’ of the department or the ‘head’ of her field; the CEO is the ‘head’ of the company; etc. But there is so much more to being human than being a brain.