Can you imagine a world where no one ever cared enough to show emotion? Can you imagine a world where crying was outlawed due to its apparent identification as a sign of weakness. You and I DON'T live in that world, so women entrepreneurs, listen up - crying is good for you, so let it out.
Let's start with the obvious fact that crying makes you feel better. From a medical perspective, crying helps release stress and actually flushes negative chemicals out of the body. The fact that on average women cry 47 times a year and men only seven is said to relate to the difference in our hormones - estrogen and prolactin seem to increase the need for crying where testosterone decreases it.
More interesting is that humans are the only animals that have tears come from their eyes. This does not mean to say that other animals may not feel some sense of sadness, but humans are unique in their ability to show tears.
Hmm, so could this mean that to be truly human the more crying you do the more human you are? I believe that would be stretching it. Like everything else, crying too much is cause for alarm.
But, let's get back to women entrepreneurs and their need to cry during certain stressful and emotional situations. I remember quite clearly when I started my newspaper, working day in and day out, making sure every strategy would work just as I had written in my business plan. I hired a great team. I built a database second to none of quality readers. I sold advertising space to all the right companies for the launch issue and got everything done on deadline. When the printing was done and the issue was mailed, we sat back to reflect on how our little company was successful in publishing its first of 24 issues per year -- and already in the black. AND then, reality set in - Could we do it again in less than 2 weeks? Yes, that was what my plan said I needed to do. As we looked at each other we realized that was a task not even our crack staff could accomplish.
As Publisher, CEO and founder, I cried. You bet I cried. The stress of getting us that far had me so tied up in knots, I didn't know which way to turn. My elation of a job well done had turned in a nano second into a feeling of complete and utter failure. As the leader what would I do? As an entrepreneur, and a woman entrepreneur, I believed I had something to prove. But, at that moment all I could do was cry.
Well, let me tell you letting it all go brought me back to my senses. I am no scientist, but I'll tell you that after a good cry and releasing all the toxins of negativity, I was ready to get back in the game. I took out my business plan and realized that perhaps it was flawed after all. A monthly publication with more pages actually would bring me greater margins and profits that a every other week publication. Eureka, I was back on top - emotionally and professionally.
Clearly, there is a right place and time to show our emotions and particularly if we, as women entrepreneurs want to let it all out. But, to say that women entrepreneurs should not cry also decries the recent proof that EQ outweighs IQ. (emotional quotient vs. intelligent quotient).
There is no question that the business world is a better place when emotion is part of the workplace culture and women are proving this more every day. Customer satisfaction is more important today than ever before in business as people have the availability of the internet to voice their thoughts and feelings. A deeper discussion into EQ and IQ is for another blog, but with women leading the way on college campuses there is no question that EQ + IQ = women.
So, the next time you feel the need to just let it all out - allow yourself a good cry. Although I can't promise it will solve your business problem I can tell you - you are truly human.
Photo from http://thefeistygirl.wordpress.com/2012/09/