Instead of being guided to know ourselves and learn what makes us happy, society has programmed us to believe that success comes from external sources. We are lead to believe that a degree, a spouse, kids, money, stuff, and followers make you successful. If that were true, the world would not be full of misery and full of miserable people.
We are also conditioned to believe that making money requires hard-work, sacrifice, struggle, hustle, force, the chase and the hunt. Chasing and hunting are masculine qualities and women have bought into this paradigm. Following this paradigm is a recipe for disaster because it does not honor OUR nature and does not satisfy OUR definition of success. For women, the definition of success tends to be more well-rounded, i.e. meeting our life goals. Generally speaking, we tend to be more emotionally and spiritually mature. Oh, but wait. What does the world need more of right now? : )
For women to thrive, we must lead the way and do what society is NOT doing. It is not honoring us so we must honor ourselves. It is not recognizing our gifts so we must recognize them ourselves. Understanding your uniqueness (your branding), what you really want (an integrated vision), what is really important to you (your core values), what you were put on this earth to do and who you are here to serve (your mission), and what is stopping you (your stale and limiting beliefs) is THE most mature and THE most practical thing that you can do to “win” – whatever that means for YOU.
The path to success lies in honoring yourself:
A) Who are you? What do you really want? No. What do you REALLY want? What’s important about that? When are you the happiest? What makes you feel elated? What makes you come alive? What are your gifts, skills, strengths and talents? Are you living a life that is expected of you and doing what you think you should be doing, or are you living a life that is true and authentic to YOU?
B) Do you feel connected to something bigger than you? Are you in a state of loneliness, separation and isolation or are you connected to the whole? What change do you want to see in the world?How will you use your gifts to serve your ideal clients and be the best solution to their challenges? How in touch are you with your voice? What is your message? What are you taking a stand for in order to make the world a better place?
C) What is the ideal vision for your career? Who are you here to serve? Who are your ideal clients? What makes them ideal? What is their psychological landscape? What is their biggest pain-point and struggle? What do they want instead? What are their demographics? How much do you want to be making? How many hours do you want to be working? What will you no longer tolerate?
D) What is your vehicle for self-expression? In other words, what is your marketing strategy? How will you get out of your comfort zone to spread your message, build relationships, and enroll your ideal clients?
E) What is your bedside manner? How authentic are your client relationships? Do you know what your clients REALLY expect and want from you? How will you create a trust and a bond that makes you unforgettable and irreplaceable? How will you collaborate with your client to get excellent results? How are you maximizing the lifetisme value of your client-relationships?
These questions can make for great journaling. However, transformation requires implementation. For instance, I could give you instructions on how to ride a bike but until you get on a bike and practice riding it, you will not develop the muscle memory to be able to ride a bike. It is action that embeds habits and makes them second nature. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Awareness, action, accountability, mindset support and championing will get you out of your comfort zone to expand your life. It is through making the familiar, unfamiliar and vice-versa – that you grow into a fuller expression of you.