Warrioress vs. Superwoman

Many of us spend too much time in our Superwoman archetype.  Burning the candle at both ends, pushing through and achieving no matter what.  Whether it be promotions, perfect mothering, or punishing schedules… The cultural call to relentlessly perform and achieve is both compelling, and exhausting.

If you’ve been in the community for a while, you know how we feel about Superwoman.  She’s great for 15 minutes.  But not for the 15 months or 15 years that most of us hang out there.  Which is where one of our 5 Women’s Powertypes, the Warrioress comes in.  

Warrioress is indeed our “get it done” archetype.  But she doesn’t burn us out.  So what is the difference?

This little snippet from my upcoming book answers the question.

The difference between Superwoman and Warrioress is her mode of operating.  Warrioress always operates in ‘expanded awareness’.

It can be tempting to hear the description of Warrioress and hear echoes of Superwoman.  And you’d be right.  Indeed, women with overexpressed Warrioress are indiscernible from Superwoman.  But the difference between Superwoman and Warrioress is in her awareness in how she approaches the world.  Superwoman is in tunnel vision, reeling from one task, action and problem to the next without pause.  Whereas Warrioress lives her life in expanded awareness like a ninja. 

A great movie representation of this distinction is in the first Avatar film.  Jake arrives in Pandora in his Avatar body in full “Superman mode”.  Here to save the day.  And when he gets lost overnight in the forest, his tunnel vision and lack of awareness of how nature works there means he is very nearly killed.  Until our leading lady Neytiri arrives.  The quintessential Warrioress, she is at once fierce, but aligned with nature.  Her awareness has expanded.  She moves through the forest without disturbing a leaf, and each act of aggression is couched in an overall appreciation of nature and her holistic worldview.  

This is the difference.  Superwoman lives in content.  Warrioress lives in context.

So in my coaching call today, my suggestion to our Living the Change member was to remain expanded when doing those tasks that need a little push.  Take mini breaks to step up, stretch,  look around and consciously get back in the body. Keep reminding yourself of the big picture. Type like you can see behind you. Take in the entire meeting space when you’re in meetings. 

Keep your awareness expanded like a Warrioress in the jungle, and you’ll stay in your body, your body will keep speaking to you, and you won’t burn out.

How does that land with you?

I’d love to hear in the comments…