Why Women Should Run the World

Around 12,000 years ago, when agricultural societies began to form, women were honoured and revered. In ancient India, women were considered superior to men. What happened to this world?

Early religions included both male and female gods and goddesses. The Goddess of Fertility was more powerful than the God of the Sky. It was the Earth-goddess, Gaia, who gave birth to all the Gods, after all.

When monotheism, the belief in one God, was introduced, the female started to lose her reign. As more and more pagan religions were suppressed, women were reduced to an inferior position. Masculine rulers usurped feminine power in the societies they conquered, and they absorbed and distorted the feminine into their own beliefs. Over time, goddesses became saints and were reinvented as nuns. The Goddess/Mother figure began to disappear from view, and eventually the female principle was silenced. The Christian trinity, which had previously been represented by Maiden, Mother, and Crone, each symbolizing a stage in the female life cycle, was replaced by a male deity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Today's corporations, religious institutions, political organizations and educational systems were designed hundreds of years ago around this masculine structure. They operate as hierarchies with a male leader at the top, just like the Christian trinity. These traditional structures value a logical, textual, competitive, and analytical perspective. This approach is considered to be strong and necessary for survival. The feminine approach - less logical and more intuitive, less analytical and more emotional, less textual and more aesthetic, less competitive and more cooperative - is considered less essential and is therefore devalued.

Today, not much has changed. Men continue to run the world. According to a 2009 study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, women occupied only 37% of management roles in the boardroom, and more women currently work in low-level supervisor positions than in senior ones. A recent report by the Conference Board of Canada says that men are currently more than twice as likely to hold a senior executive position than women. A report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says women make up only 25% of provincial and territorial legislatures and they lag even farther behind in the private sector with only 14.5% of seats on corporate boards. Only one of Canada's top 100 CEOs is a woman.

Women bring many outstanding qualities to the leadership role - confidence, vision, a well-developed sense of work/life balance, great education, a sense of giving to others, a nurturing spirit, empathy, compassion and kindness. In a world gone mad, where we value competition, status, power, and control (all masculine qualities), we desperately need these feminine qualities.

If we wish to save the world before we destroy ourselves, we need to flood our institutions with female leaders. When we combine the rational masculine with the empathic feminine, we gain a balanced wisdom. We need both the masculine and the feminine, the yin and the yang, in order to restore wisdom and balance to our world.

The old male ways of controlling the world, which worked well for us for many centuries, are no longer working. Our world is in disarray. The feminine, viewed as a luxury in our traditional world, is now essential for our survival.

Pubococcygeus Muscle Exercises for Women

Pubococcygeus muscle exercises for women have been recommended by doctors for years as they have been greatly effective for women who have had children and notice a loosening in their vagina. In this article we will talk more about exercising the Pubococcygeus muscle and how it can benefit you.

Before You Begin

Before you begin trying to exercise your pubococcygeus muscle you need to make sure that you have identified the correct muscle. Most women can easily identify the muscle, but it is better to be certain that you are doing the right exercise to ensure the best results. There is a simple technique used to check for the proper muscle.

Go into the bathroom, position yourself on the toilet and begin to urinate. Once you have done this it is time for you to stop the flow of urine. You will feel the muscle that you use to stop the flow of urine. That is the muscle on which you are focusing your efforts.

The Actual Exercise

The actual exercise is just as simple as what you did whenever on the toilet. That means all you have to do is clench your pubococcygeus muscle and you are doing the exercise. That seems simple enough, right? If you want to get the best results however you need to have a routine.

Here is a routine that will help you ensure that you are off to a good start:

Whenever you begin exercising this muscle is not going to be as strong as it will be after a couple of weeks. Begin with a few reps so that you do not wear yourself out. You could do ten reps, rest and then ten reps again. Doing this a few times a day whenever you get started could get you well on your way to the results that you desire.

As you keep exercising your pubococcygeus muscle you will be able to add weights inside your vagina if you so choose. There are many different products that can be used to help intensify pubococcygeus exercises for women. This will help you tighten your vagina so you can enjoy sex more and it will enable you to keep better control of your urine. Just make sure you do not continue to stop the flow of urine whenever using the bathroom due to the fact that this can cause problems whenever you continue to do this.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg: Powerful Women Are Stopped By Internal Barriers

I just finished reading Sheryl Sandberg's new book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. It was so fascinating I could hardly put it down. Sandberg pulls back the curtain on life at the top for women in corporate America. And while she is rigorous about appreciating the many gains women have made, she is frank about data that shows how under-represented women are at the top of the corporate ladder.

Rather than blame, Sandberg takes an unflinching look at the ways that women continue to sabotage their own success by making choices based on their own fears and false beliefs. She shares the persistent feelings of self-doubt that she encountered in college and how she has continued to face down these doubts as she has seen them surface. She shares fascinating stories of other women executives who have faced doubt and a lack of self-confidence in the course of building their careers.

She offers a very honest look at the choices she made when her first child was born and she was an executive at Google. While she intended to take maternity leave when her son was born, her fears of losing influence caused her to work from home during her entire leave. By the time her second child was born, she was more secure and confident, and was able to take a full maternity leave without checking in with her office at all, and no negative consequences to her position.

While there a consistent emphasis on research studies and data to back up every assertion in the book, what I found most fascinating is Sandberg's willingness to share stories of women executives, her own as well as others, that demonstrate how often a women's main barrier to corporate success is her own belief system.

Our culture, beginning in our earliest childhood experiences, molds women for care-taking roles and invisibility. Often successful women have become adept at "making it in a man's world" by developing masculine energy: the energy of competition, analysis, linear thinking, goal attainment, and left-brained perception of circumstances. The price paid is often a lack of development of feminine energies: creative, intuitive, collaborative and relational energies. This leads eventually to burn out and a lack of fulfillment. The "is that all there is" experience becomes pervasive.

I believe we are facing challenges in the world that reflect this imbalance. Technology has given us every advantage in terms of business development, but at the price of polluted air, fouled water, the breakdown of our global financial systems, burned out adults, troubled children, and broken homes.

As a culture we need to move more into balance now. I believe that women leaders have a key role to play in this transition. By honoring their own needs for achievement in the workplace and finding ways to bring the strength and creativity of their feminine energies into contemporary problem-solving, they will forge new pathways to greatness for themselves and the corporations for which they work.

With the help and support of their husbands (who have accessed their own feminine energies) they will raise children who have seen both masculine and feminine energies modeled in their mother and their father. These children will grow up to create a more balanced, harmonious world.

As new more balanced business structures evolve to meet the needs of the marketplace, culture itself will evolve. While this will surely take many generations, we as women can start right here, right now, to see the deeper truth of who we are and access our feminine energies. As we do so we break through the barriers of false beliefs that act as a glass ceiling to our ability to achieve our highest potential.

One decision at a time we can restore balance to our lives and take a stand for greater harmony in our world. It is time for us to own the power that comes from the realization of our true being and allow that power to inform our choices. I stand with Ms. Sandberg in calling on women to embrace their heart's desires, go for their dreams, and consistently Lean In.

Tips In Buying Mother Of The Bride Clothing - Make The Event Even More Special

With all the preparations to do to make a wedding event perfect, the mother of the bride usually gets the lesser attention. This is practically understandable as the bride is the star of the event and having said that, the bride gets all the privilege she needs. Also, the bride usually get tensed up and want to have a say in every aspect of the wedding event, in return, the bride loses time in ensuring that her mother gets the ideal gown for the said event. Luckily, when choosing the ideal mother of the bride outfit, it's not as hard as finding the wedding dress for the bride. Listed below are some tips that the bride and the mother can consider in finding the ideal clothing.

Rather than just walking into a wedding dress store with your mother, you can simply turn that shopping experience into something more. You can invite as well the mother of your groom and make it a mini event and get the break that you need from the hassles of the planning and organizing. In order to find the ideal outfit for you mother, you can hire a personal stylist for her. Despite the additional budget that you'll be spending, it'll be worth it. With the professional help of a stylist, he or she can pick the best colour and style that will complement the personality and fashion sense of your mother. Apart from the style and colour, stylist can also pick the ideal fabric that will suit you mother's likings.

Always plan ahead. Make plans before going shopping. Or if you have the time to spare, you can also go online and search for websites that specialize in offering mother of the bride outfits. This will help you save time as you can simply sit in front of a computer and browse different online stores rather than driving and going to the actual store. If did find online stores that showcase stunningly gorgeous dresses, have your mother take a look at it and if she decides to go with it then that's the time for you to drive and visit that brick-and-mortar store and let her fit the dress.

Just always remember that with all the hassles and stress during the preparation, dress hunting for your mother is a good way to have a break from all of these. Plus, you get to shine even better when you are surrounded by individuals wearing stunningly beautiful outfits. Make your event even more special and make your mother proud by helping her find the ideal clothing that suits her style and personality.

For more, simply click here.

Ten Points to Ponder (and Ten Things I Love) About Einstein

Einstein didn't wear socks. When he was young, he found out that the big toe always ended up making a hole in the sock. He was keenly aware that we are easily conditioned by what others do and say and he refused to let that happen. When he learned that his big toe always made a hole in his socks, he stopped wearing them.

Einstein used intuition to help him discover new things. He often felt he was right before he knew he was right. When he had a feeling about something, he listened to the feeling. Then he went looking for evidence to prove the feeling.

Einstein had a thinking chair. He spent time sitting in it when he needed to solve a problem.

Einstein rarely thought in words. He understood the power of imagination so he would daydream and use his imagination when he needed to solve a problem. When a thought or idea floated in, he'd feel it or see it and then try to express it in words afterward.

Einstein did not believe he possessed any special talents. He said he was only passionately curious. He believed we are all born into a great Mystery and he said we should stand like curious children before it.

Einstein was often so engrossed in his work that he forgot to eat lunch. He didn't notice time passing because he was connected to his deepest passion and creative source. Einstein believed the development of our creative powers is a person's most valuable asset in life

Einstein was convinced that a force or a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe, a spirit that is vastly superior to us humans and that is beyond anything we can comprehend. He said that when we try to penetrate the secrets of nature with our limited means, we find something subtle, intangible, and inexplicable.

Einstein knew that death is not an end. He believed we live on in our children and in the younger generation. He said that our children are us, and that our bodies are like "wilted leaves on the tree of life." He understood that our existence on earth is fleeting. He described our existence like a brief visit in a strange house.

Einstein knew that a human being is part of a whole but as humans, we experience ourselves, our thoughts and our feelings as something separate from the rest. He called this separation an "optical delusion." He said we aren't really separate at all.

Einstein believed that when a whole group of individuals becomes a "we," they collectively reach as high as human beings can reach. He believed that a sense of responsibility toward others is more important than power, success, fame and honour. He saw service to the community as one of life's highest achievements. He knew that the fate of the human race depends upon the moral strength of human beings and he believed it's our sacred human responsibility to be the best we can be.

Are you being the best you can be?

The Cycle of Abuse - How to Keep It Out of Your Relationship

Abuse comes under many different guises, in many different forms but the results are usually the same, emotional pain. This emotional pain may look like different things to different people but still it remains the same. There are physical abuses that take the form of violence, attack from one to another or from both to each other. Then there is emotional or psychological abuse that is to use words to demean a person usually for control, the stripping of ones self-esteem and confidence. Mental abuse is much the same as emotional abuse and usually used by a person to describe what is happening to them but they do not equate their emotional health being noticeably harmed.

Abuse is common and can range from mild to severe. Affects of abuse is based on perception therefore what one person may feel is mild abuse may be interpreted by the receiver as being monumental, damaging their emotional health significantly. Abuse happens even in children in the form of bullying, name-calling etc. Abuse happens from parents to their children not just your readily identified physical or sexual traits but emotional too. Abuse happens between 'friends,' in the workplace, in society. Countries abuse other countries. Abuse happens in relationships that commence with good feelings. Abuse is soul-destroying, abuse is harmful for both the perpetrator and victim although the perpetrator senses some form of warped achievement in the denigration of another. Abuse happens when one person has been abused and transfers their feelings of hurt onto another, abusing them in either the same way or differently. Abuse is about control regardless of the victimisation aspect for the perpetrator. Abuse is negative and a mis-use of trust.

When we can identify what abuse is we are all in better positions to challenge both our own aspects of abuse then secure better ways in managing our emotions without using abuse. Many people who are abusive do not consider themselves to be abusive because they do not correlate the abusive behaviour to being harmful to someone else. These people may use an abusive act as a continuation of how they have been treated. Paradoxically, these same people know how they felt to be abused yet continue with the same pattern. For example, a mother may have grown up being physically chastised and resorts to using the same patterns of 'discipline' towards her own children. She may know that at the time of her receiving her 'discipline,' it hurt both emotionally and physically but she will continue to do the same to her own children. Or the man who watched his own father use abuse to control his wife, his family. This may be in the form of shouting or physical force to get what he wanted. He then goes onto doing exactly the same with his own wife and family even knowing how he felt as a child. What about the little child who is regularly shouted at, he or she too learns to shout to communicate. Even without the awareness of the abuse taking place, abuse happens and many people would be totally shocked to admit that they too are abusers. Abuse is learnt not just to the perpetrator of abuse but also the person receiving the abuse, victims learn to receive abuse and may retaliate by abusing another. This is what is called cyclical abuse, the continuation of abuse from the abused to being the abuser. However, I must reinforce that abuse ranges from mild to severe therefore abuse is open to many people who may not even think that their actions are abusive to others.

Since abusive behaviours can range from mild to severe and in that covers many different types of abuse, how do we keep free of abusive behaviours especially in our relationships? As previously reported, it is by first identifying what abuse is and what abuse could look like. If you have read this far and find that you do find yourself acting abusive and terrified by this act there are ways to unlearn what you have learnt. First we must identify abuse.

· Are you or have you been abusive to another?

· What does this abuse look like?

· When are you most likely to be abusive, in what situations?

· What outcome do you expect to achieve from using abuse?

· Are you aware of how your recipient may be feeling when you are acting abusively?

· What are the signs that your recipient is feeling abused?

· How do you feel when you are being abusive?

Connecting the abuse to your thoughts will help you to establish insight into your behaviour and how this may affect another. When you have made this connection, you are then in a greater position to tackle this negative behaviour. You may be experiencing discord in your relationship and firmly attribute blame onto your partner without first looking at your own levels of participation. You may be fooling yourself with... 'Well, he did this... so I did that... " or vice versa; abusive patterns of behaviour. Now you may think that you are only reacting to an action but what you are really doing is responding by being abusive too. What do you hope to gain? How will these behaviours support a loving and nurturing relationship? Remember, abuse is a mis-use of trust. Relationships need to exhibit trust in order to be fulfilling, when this trust is damaged or gone, the breakdown of the relationship is inevitable. Even for the relationships that continue, the harmony between the couple is obviously missing, continuing the abuse towards each other. The lack of negotiations and straight, honest talking is abuse too.

· How supported do you feel by your partner?

· If you do not feel supported, do you think that your partner's lack of support is being abusive towards you?

· Are there any situations in your relationship that you require your partner to act but they refuse for whatever reason?

· Do you think they are being abusive towards you?

· How do you feel at these times?

· Have you been able to speak to your partner about your feelings?

· How have they reacted?

Change will only happen when a person feels there is more benefit to change than there is to keep their original behaviour.

· What benefits do you think that your partner may benefit from not changing?

· How complicit have you been in determining a lack of positive change?

More importantly, do you think that change is necessary for your emotional health to be positive? If this answer is 'yes' there are several things that you must do to secure change and to maintain change. When employing change of any sort, a good trick is to ask yourself 'what would not happen if I... and follow this up with something relevant. In this case, ask yourself 'what would not happen if we resolved and removed abuse from our relationship?' There are no typos here, the question is as written.

If you have been honest up until now then you would have identified some abusive behaviours in your relationship. Next you must speak with your partner about your feelings. You must try not to use a blame-laden attitude, you are trying to resolve difficulties or making sure you both know what could contribute to abuse. Do not seek to ask your partner when the mood is exacting. Choose a more relaxed time when both of you are free from intrusions or disturbances. Set the scene to be nurturing. Evenings are a good time to have this type of discussion especially when the night air has arrived. Dim the lights, light candles, whatever you usually do for your partner to set a romantic mood. Get this right and the rewards could be fantastic. Ask your partner to respond honestly whether they feel that you have been taking them for granted and if so, how? Please do not use the word 'abusive' as this can be lead to a volatile situation due to the word being received as emotive. Follow this up with asking them what change in you would make them feel less taken for granted. Consider this request. Apologise if necessary and clearly state that you would like to create a more trusting relationship with each other therefore any issues must be dealt with that could cause problems later on.

Now that you have given your partner their time to possibly explain any perceived abuse from you, it is your time to explain how you feel. Using the same tactic of not using blame but gently explain what might make you feel taken for granted. Stroke their hand, hair, whatever to support a continuing calm mood. Make your partner feel that you are not being confrontational. However, be clear, do not wimp out and blur your feelings trying to soothe your partner. But do not appear forceful. Give examples to contextualise your thoughts and feelings enabling your partner to connect to particular situations. Otherwise you could end up appearing to be having a go! Keep reassuring your partner of your intentions, to increase trust and positive feelings between you both. You are both quite vulnerable right now but that does not have to be a bad thing, enjoy this level of intimacy. Even the most difficult of conversations can be done uneventfully. It is down to the parties involved to maintain a calm situation. When you both feel a sense of connection, change is usually guaranteed. A feeling of satisfaction is apparent; an appreciation of achievement is evident. This moves you both in your relationship to being closer and more in tuned with each other.

Not everyone that may be abusive would readily admit they do so due to wanting control although this is very high on the list of why abuse happen. Nevertheless, it is nearly always learnt behaviour and may be just a method someone uses to cope with situations, for control or otherwise. Or just maybe they really never thought a particular behaviour was abusive. Whatever the reason for abuse, remember the resulting experience for the recipient is usually depletion on their emotional health. Even if a person thinks that there are more benefits to keeping old behaviours, they need to know categorically, there are never any winners, not them or anyone else. I repeat,people may not want to readily admit to being abusive but this lamentable attitude does not serve anyone positively, change is necessary as perpetrators of abuse are also victims to themselves. Abuse is about control but if do not agree with this then why would someone abuse?

A Comfortable Place For Women To Lactate

Public lactation and nursing is a very sensitive subject for many businesses. The laws vary from state to state, but almost all states have provisions for public breastfeeding, and some states require businesses to provide a space for their employees or customers to breastfeed. Although many businesses want to respect these women, they don't always have the proper solutions in place.

A recent news study out of Texas told the story of a young woman who was at a Target store with her infant son. Her son was getting a little fussy, and he was hungry, so the woman breastfed him in the store. Unfortunately, this did not bode well with the staff, and eventually the woman was asked to finish breastfeeding in the changing room.

The woman was very offended at her treatment and how Target handled the situation. This in turn led to a massive multi state protest at Target stores. These protests involved nursing mothers showing up at many different Target locations and breastfeeding their children.

This is a rather unfortunate situation, but it could have been easily avoided through the use of a lactation room. These rooms are simple private areas that allow mothers to comfortably nurse their babies in a secluded area. These rooms can be equipped with a host of accessories, such as benches and lights, and the walls are available in a wide variety of colors to match the rest of the store.

Because many of these retail lactation rooms are added after stores have already been built, traditional construction methods can be problematic. Traditional construction generates a lot of dust and debris and may require employees and/or merchandise to be moved during the construction phase. Furthermore, all the construction materials will need to be moved to the retail site and will require an army of contractors and framers, painters, drywall workers, electricians and many others.

Modular construction is a great alternative to traditional means of construction. Instead of doing all the fabrication on- site, modular construction builds all the components in an off-site factory. When the walls, doors and other components are completed they are then shipped to the retail store where an installation team can quickly install the lactation rooms. The installation is completed in about half the time as traditional construction and is far less intrusive.

In conclusion, lactation rooms are a very important asset for many customers. Providing lactation rooms is a great service to offer, and it shows your customers that you are sensitive to their needs.