We all know her.
She is a powerhouse mixture of focus, productivity, motivation, and mojo.
Everything she touches seems to turn to gold with barely an effort.
She is a successful woman, and we want to be her.
So what is her secret?
She has learned these six cornerstone habits for success (and now you can too!)
- She is productive, not busy. She is intentional about what she needs to accomplish during each day that will move her goals forward. She has taken the time to be clear about what she wants to accomplish, both short and long term, and then schedules time each day to do the small incremental things necessary to move her from point A to point B. She does not allow the whirlwind of the day to derail her focus. Spending all day responding to email, she knows, will get her nowhere.
- She shares her goals with everyone. Like the all-star batter that steps up to the plate and points his bat to the outfield to indicate how far his ball will go, she communicates her goals out loud. Many of us keep our career dreams to ourselves for fear we won’t achieve them (embarrassing, right?) but she knows the more she proclaims where she is headed, the more likely she will hold herself accountable to the path. Bonus: other people are likely to help her make the connections she needs or clue her into an opportunity if they know where it is she wants to go.
- She has a coach. Whether formal or informal, paid or a mentoring partnership, she has someone else helping and directing her actions who has more experience than she does. She knows that her own self-awareness is subject to her perceptions. She seeks feedback and tests her assumptions. She knows she does not know it all and gracefully accepts direction with each lesson. She values learning from someone else. She knows having a coach is an investment in her most precious asset, herself.
- She takes a break. She knows that she needs to refuel, refresh, and step away in order to be on her A game. She does not burn the candle at both ends and schedules exercise and playtime into her day. She says “no” when too many offers come her way and is careful not to overextend herself. She knows that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
- She hangs with people who inspire her. She recognizes that to be a successful woman, she needs to network with successful women. She is curious about other women’s success stories and knows she can’t be what she can’t see. She offers assistance to help causes that are bigger than her own and brings value to the groups she wants to belong in. She doesn’t allow her occasional insecurity get in the way of thinking she doesn’t belong.
- She reads. A lot. She has a curious thirst for knowledge and reads every non-fiction book she can get her hands on. (She loves fiction too but realizes a healthy dose of both will teach her more.) Reading other peoples ideas helps her to curate her own. She recognizes that learning about other points of view will help her be more aware of her own bias tendencies and reframe her patterns of thinking. Her reading habits helps her to remain educated and informed and contributes to her writing and speaking skills.
- She practices insane bravery every day. I’m not talking about jumping out of an airplane (although that is insanely brave) I am talking about the small courageous, uncomfortable risks she takes daily to grow herself and her confidence. She knows that stepping out of her comfort zone (getting up to speak in front of others when the thought makes her want to throw-up) daily is the key to becoming the best version of success she can be.
Take time to schedule each of these steps into your week, one at a time. None of the steps are mind-blowing (you already knew most of this, right?) but they require patience, practice, and discipline.
You got this girl! Your successful future self will thank you!
Angela Hosking is a leader, speaker, author of the recently released Woman on Top Lead Like a Lady Boss and owner of Her One Tribe, LLC. Her business mission is to help women grow and develop confidence, enhance their leadership and empowerment skills and to give them tactical tools to live their best lives and achieve their personal and professional goals. Angela is a professed research nerd who loves to take the evidence of goal achievement and create tips and hacks for women to use in conjunction with the psychology of confidence, bravery, and risk-taking. Connect with Angela on Instagram, Linked-In or in her Her One Tribe’s Empowerment Facebook Group.
