It’s all about balance, baby

The importance of and how to balance masculine and feminine energies in business

In this blog, I’d love to talk on a topic that’s been quite revelatory and powerful for me and my business journey: the benefits of respecting and listening to our body to determine when its best for us to tap into our masculine energy, and when we’re better off channelling our intuitive, feminine energy.

Now, to clarify, I’m not speaking here of gender, but rather the two complimentary energies contained within each human; each of us possess both the masculine and feminine aspects, albeit in varying ratios.  

Business as usual

Our society, particularly the business and work sphere, is very much built around a more masculine way of approaching things. That is: a logical, clock-time driven and externally motivated approach. The narrative has been that if you want to be successful in business, you must channel the masculine energy and work hard regardless of your mood, energy levels or, in the case of the female-bodied entrepreneur, where you are in your hormonal cycle.  Masculine energy is associated with clear-headedness, reason and productivity, whereas female energy has been demonised as overly emotional, weak and irrational.

This overvaluing of the masculine leads to fatigue, loss of motivation and burn out as well as diminishing creativity and vision - in other words, forsaking the feminine for the masculine is bad for business.

I want to be very clear about the fact that the message is certainly not ‘masculine energy is bad and needs to be replaced with feminine energy’. Masculine energy is wonderful. It’s ambitious, a force that can hold firm in the midst of chaos, bring order and bolster confidence in our own strength and purpose. But we as business owners (and humans!) could benefit inordinately from balancing that assertive energy with a deep understanding and respect for the mysterious, flowing and passionate feminine energy.

The pressure to override the body

The overvaluing of the masculine has meant us women feel pressure to show up and perform as if we were the same every day. This is because the male body’s cycle is 24 hours; meaning hormones peak in the morning and then diminish throughout the day. Women, on the other hand, experience peaks and falls in hormones and energy levels over roughly a 28-day cycle. It is highly advantageous for the female-bodied business owner to consider your cycle when determining your work schedule. Notice in your own body the period of time when we’re hormonally supported to be more energised, outward focused and communicative. This is a great time to dive headlong into work and be productive. Throughout other times, our bodies need more rest and stillness. Yet this is also a powerful reflective time, a time to connect to one’s inmost self, resulting in clarity and vision.

The beauty of balance

This principle applies to all women; phases of productivity should be balanced by phases of rest and inward reflection which yields inspiration, creativity and birthing of fresh ideas. If we fail to embrace our feminine energy, we may find ourselves making poor decisions, losing sight of why we decided to start a business in the first place and lacking new ideas. Understanding the beauty and importance of balancing your masculine and feminine energies in business will help you create a sustainable work life, assist you in navigating interpersonal issues and facilitate drawing from the deep well of creativity and vision we all have access to. Please get in touch if you’d like assistance with integrating this invaluable principle, as well as many others, into your business.