I want to tell you about a groundbreaking experiment . . . and how it finally explains WHY we make so many self-sabotaging decisions.
It started when researchers introduced the smell of cherry blossoms to a group of mice right as they received a mild electric shock to their feet. Before long, when the mice smelled the cherry blossoms, they became fearful and showed physical signs of anxiety.
No big surprise, right?
True. But wait till you hear what happened next.
The children of those mice were raised in environments without shocks or blossom smells.
But then when the smell was introduced . . . they were extremely sensitive and "alert" to the smell.
Their parents’ fear had been passed down to them.
And it gets even crazier. The GRANDBABIES of those mice also were extra sensitive to cherry blossoms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Which brings us to you . . .
For thousands of years women have been told
… don’t stand out
… don’t be too intelligent
… don’t be too independent
… don’t impose
… don’t be too attractive (but don’t be unattractive, either!)
And for God’s sake, be a people-pleaser and be beyond humble about your amazing talents, capability and power!!!
Because really bad things could happen.
You might not procreate. You and your family might be cast out of the village. You might be institutionalized. You might even be burned at the stake, stoned to death, drowned or beheaded.
Ouch.
Is it any wonder that we get triggered as we build our businesses?
It’s like the smell of cherry blossoms comes wafting in, and we freeze.
Or run for the hills. Or bury ourselves in a blanket on the sofa binge-watching shows that we’ll forget about next week. Or drink too much wine so that we’re foggy-headed the next day. Or get sick. Or get in a fight with a family member. Or manifest a mini-crisis that consumes all of our time. Or get lost in a social media rabbit hole. Or overwork ourselves to the point of burnout. Or "forget" to follow up on that lead. Or stop ourselves from responding to someone’s post because "that’s not exactly my area of expertise." Or refrain from talking truth about our amazing work because we don’t want to seem "too braggy." Or fumble our words when it’s time to share our price on a discovery call. Or struggle to stay motivated when we’re gaining momentum. Or make excuses about why "now’s just not the right time to invest."
ALL signs of resistance, driven by underlying anxiety and the physical fight-or-flight response.
(And btw, that stuff I just wrote? Those are REAL things that my clients have described.)
The cherry blossoms are no joke.
So what about you?
What are YOUR cherry blossoms? What are the things that run counter to traditional female roles that make you feel uncomfortable, ashamed or anxious when you do them?
And what are you going to do about them?
Because not only will it change YOUR life, but the lives of future generations, too.
The good news is that you CAN do something.
Just like there are ways to work through limiting beliefs created during events in your own life, there are ways to work through inherited fear.
And the first and best way is to hop over to Women Taking the Leap and tell us what’s coming up for you right now . . .
Because exorcizing those inherited demons starts with recognizing them openly and without shame . . . and that’s so much easier to do when other people are doing it, too.
And because it’s exactly the safe supportive #notsorry community of like-minded women that your strong-but-oppressed female ancestors WISH they’d had!
Here’s to breathing easy,
Jenna