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In twentieth century America while young
boys learned construction with Lincoln Logs, little girls instinctively
cuddled a Raggedy Ann. Even today Raggedy Ann's red yarn hair, patched
pinafore and button eyes offer images of another era as she celebrates
her 90th birthday in museums and private collections.
But in 1958 Barbie was born. All grown up
and designed with fantasy. This was no rag doll. Barbie's hair was real
and brush-able; her wardrobe generous and trendy. The 'Barbie' figure
was to become the ultimate achievement of the perfect body. Playing with
Barbie during formative years, young girls have acted out all of their
dreams.
The new millennium brought new images for
females. Lifestyle issues changed the way the media influenced the
female psyche and redefined some old messages about life, love and
growing pains. "Stay sweet" changed to "Be Strong". "Find the right man"
changed to "Get your degree". Careers in nursing were discouraged as
parents pushed for Computer Science.
While professional women are up from 48%
in 1993 to 50% today, they still hit a glass ceiling when it comes to
the corporate pay scale. Some would blame it on the more aggressive male
who thinks nothing of asking for his pay raises. There is truth in this
observation; women tend to let the high quality of their work speak for
itself.
Can white-collar females have successful
relationships with blue-collar males? Good question. Confucius once
said. "Ignorance is a woman's virtue", but you won't sell that idea in
the twenty-first century. Ironically, intelligence and high professional
positions can be obstacles unless one prefers being single. Oprah
Winfrey is a good example of a marathon courtship by choice.
A single woman's living quarters is a key
indicator of her economic status. Virginia Woolf said that a room and
sufficient money were enough for a woman who wants to write. But today,
single females want more. A home provides personal space and a sense of
security, to say nothing of a good investment.
In a corporate setting the female
personality better be competitive. If you are aggressive in your climb
to the top, if you have something to offer that your male counterpart
cannot, you may do very well. But the average starting salary is about
$40,000 annually and may, after five years increase to $80,000. Perks
will be offset by wardrobe and travel expenses. Is this enough?
Women have unique skills with
gender-related characteristics. They are excellent listeners and
communicators, often better able to build trust among both sexes. They
are known to be more effective team builders than men. Perhaps
unconsciously, when groups of newly introduced men engage in
conversation they establish a pecking order. Women converse to cultivate
a group bond.
When women are forced to balance career
and family, something suffers. A marriage can end up in divorce.
Children grow up with too much freedom. The promotion you waited for
goes to your trainee. Cutbacks eliminate your job. While this is not
always the case, it happens often enough when considering life in
the fast lane.
There is another way. Certainly not as
glamorous but pulls in a six figure income without a resume or a
business degree of any kind. This is the best time to begin an online
business.
Launch one today -- you don't have to
make it all up from scratch. There are first-class recipes out there! Do
it because it's still the likeliest, fastest, and best way to get rich.
Do it because of how universally accepted being an entrepreneur has
become. Do it because it is a way out and a way through; think of the
wake you'll create!
Do it because we're not rookies anymore,
because the risk-reward equation has flipped. Do it because there is
something within you that is uniquely yours; you own it yet rarely
acknowledge that it's there. The offer's on the table! It's time now to
bring it out, give it a title and share it with others.
© 2005 Esther Smith
About
the Author: Smith has published numerous articles and writes a blog for
all artists:
http://the-self-taught-artist.com/blog.html
She also coaches new students on how to leave the time-for-money trap and set up
Leveraged Income for life.
http://thepermanentventure.com/dcc.htm If you can’t sing or ride a
bull, you better learn how to make your money work for more money. |