The Confidence Factor for Women: Brainwashing
A member of my board asked me to join in a day of “binge watching” a new show called Escaping Polygamy. I was resistant at first, but I am committed to the success of women in leadership. I was immediately intrigued by the bravery of these 3 sisters who made a pact to escape everything they knew and enter a life of freedom outside of the church. More notably, they are reaching back to help others escape polygamy as well.
I am not passing judgment on the practice of polygamy or the FLDS church, as I was raised in a religion and culture where women were not allowed to wear pants and rarely supported to further their education. The church made us believe that pants were the “robing of a man,” so we were not advised to wear them, however, although my grandparents would allow their girls to wear it, there was a day we were asked to leave the church because it.
Are women brainwashed, intentionally?
Beyond the religious view aspect, are women brainwashed by society to believe they “cannot” achieve more? There are women in the undeveloped world who are denied of an education due to culture, but there are women in the developed world who are denied the same basic right as well.
The brainwashing continues with some of the other low-value reality shows the tend to keep women entertained and occupied, while lowering our ability to compete in leadership. Hence, women have been brainwashed out of leadership and into accepting a competitive professional outlook about success.
Our internal conflict stems from people pleasing: do you follow what you know or do you step into the unknown and possibly fail? Should you question what you are told or do you suppress your desire to live in abundance? Most important, what do you really want?
The show truly captured my attention, as so many women battle with the harsh reality of what we have been told to believe and remaining faithful to the constant limiting beliefs about our own value. In addition, the limited positive depictions of women in media and entertainment further limits our confidence.
However, there is hope.
Women who have traditionally been “brainwashed” into a belief can escape, but only if they make a decision. There are organizations, groups, mentoring programs and political initiatives exclusively for women globally. Women need to begin questioning their “normal,” — is it “normal” not having an education? Is it “normal” to never leave the place I was born? Is it “normal” to struggle? Is it “normal” to be omitted from leadership? Is it “normal” not to receive equal pay for equal work?
What do you want your normal to be? Make sure you are not brainwashed into acceptance.
To learn more about joining the Confidence Factor for Women in Leadership movement for exceptional leaders, visit www.theconfidencefactorforwomen.com
Carol Sankar is a business advisor for high level executives, service based visionaries and a leadership expert who is committed to assisting passionate, high-achieving leaders simplify their lives while increasing revenue by becoming productive, not working harder.Carol has been featured in Madame Noire, LearnVest, The Steve Harvey TV Show, CNNMoney.com, TEDx, Daily Worth, Entrepreneur Magazine and Essence Magazine. For details, visit www.carolsankar.com
