If I Were a Man in the Business World | Story for the Painting "Karma"

I quite often used to imagine how different my business life would be if I were a man. Guys would not pretend to want to buy something from me just to get me to talk to them. Guys would not request to meet up and “have coffee” just to drop off a package. Guys would not ask me to FaceTime them or to meet up to talk “business”. Guys would not present business opportunities with other intentions in mind. 

I would be able to set up my booth and sell by myself at local events. I would be able to put my return address on my packages. I would be able to do cost-effective local deliveries. I would be able to go to business seminars and not have to worry about people flirting with me. I would be able to go alone to business events in general. 

I think you get the idea. I would be able to do a lot more than I can do now. 

The name Ben Hogan was first introduced to me by Zig Ziglar (a motivational speaker) in one of his motivational speeches. Ben Hogan was a professional golfer. This is a short paragraph taken from an article about him: “On February 2, 1949, Ben and his wife Valerie were driving in very foggy conditions. An oncoming Greyhound Bus trying to pass a truck hit the Hogan’s car head-on. Ben stretched across the passenger seat to protect his wife, saving her from significant injury and saving his life as the steering column was rammed into the back of his seat. The entire left side of Ben’s body was crushed, including his pelvis, ankle, knee, rib, collarbone, and shoulder. He sustained injuries to his internal organs and incurred damage to his left eye which worsened as he grew older.”

Zig explains further about Ben’s unique story. The doctors said he would be fortunate enough to get out of bed and he would never be able to play golf again. Zig says, “But they didn’t know the drive that Ben had. Ben did get out of bed. He won tournaments and set records. Some golfers had far more talent than Ben had but none of them had more desire to make it."

Thanks to Zig’s motivation and Ben’s story I realize while it may be unfair that I have a higher chance of going missing than my packages do, I would not be as motivated as I am now to succeed. I would not be the person I am today. My business would not be as far along as it is now. Everything that I have offered to the world up until this day would be nonexistent. It takes strength to not let these parts of being a woman detour my route to success. It takes strength to not question my dreams because of obstacles I can’t control. But I have that strength and I show up every day with it. 

It is true, the men in the business world have their advantages. However, none of them will have the skill of being able to turn challenging experiences that are exclusive to being a woman into motivation and reason. I am proud to say I have that skill. I am proud to say these extra unfair life challenges will not define me or detour me from the route to success. 

Plus, if I were a man in the business world, I would not have the privilege of speaking to young adults about staying safe in the business world. I would not have the privilege of being an inspiration and example as to what is possible as a woman in the business world. I would not be able to show little girls how strong women are in the business world. I literally would not be able to form these words into a speech on what it is like to be a woman in the business world.

I quite often used to imagine how different my business life would be if I were a man.