Embracing You

More than ever, women are stepping up with confidence and having an influence in the world. Yet every day, I still speak with women who will not shout their successes from the rooftop.

Even more heartbreaking are the stories that travel through the airwaves via news channels and social media of women who are being mistreated; their worth and value undermined by others who feel intimidated by their power… and it is not just men that do this.

Women are mistreating their own kind as well – where we could be lifting each other up and advancing a common cause; instead, we are tearing each other down. Some feel threatened … in competition with another woman, and for what? … a role that you both want? Because you believe they have more freedoms than you or feel that you need to compete for a male boss’s attention?

As women, we have an incredible opportunity to play our part in shifting the culture. We are powerful; we bring life into the world, we are caregivers in our homes, we are planners, doers and creators, and we are successful in our pursuits, with or without the support of a fantastic partner at home.

Women are finally being seen and heard, so why do we still feel like imposters – like one day we will wake up and be discovered as frauds? Why do we fear our strengths and downplay our wins? We belittle ourselves because we believe that our successes are due to ‘luck’ rather than intelligence, grit, and passion. We are writing our own stories, but we are holding back – hostages to our weaknesses. We are at a stalemate with ourselves; unable to move forward, unable to go back.

We need to embrace our power, learn from our worthy rivals and love ourselves sick!

01. LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AND YOURSELF

Simple Steps for Loving Yourself Sick

Create a list of affirmations – stick them somewhere you will read them daily.

Stop looking at what your body won’t do and start focusing on what it can do.

Don’t compete with others – instead, find your ‘Worthy Rivals’ and learn from them.

Give yourself to others – not to receive in return, but simply for the sake of giving.

Schedule time for YOU in your week – whether it’s for exercise, play or rest.

Stay in your own lane – it’s a smoother journey and gets you to your goals faster.

02. BE THE HERO IN YOUR OWN STORY

Your story is different to my story – each of us are on our own trajectory. You are the writer, director and leading lady in your own story – YOU are the HERO!
Somewhere, between playing make-believe as a little girls and growing up, we learnt that should be more subdued; not boastful, that we should put others first; not think of ourselves, that we should be the supporting act in the story of our own lives and not the leading lady.

WHAT?!

That is crazy talk!
We will BE the hero in our journey
We Do have stories worthy of being told
We can Amaze others with our story

If you have something that you want, set yourself goals and GO FOR IT, but bear in mind point number 1 … don’t squash others to climb to your top.

If you want to write a story that looks different to what is deemed ’normal’ – great!

  • Be a mentor – share with others
  • Be grateful for what you have
  • Be ambitious in what you want
  • Be proud of what you gave achieved

Go out there, write your story – share it with the world.
Somewhere out there is a younger, less confident version of you on the verge of greatness … aching to hear stories of such heroes.

03. EXPAND YOUR THINKING

If knowledge is power, then actively seeking opportunities to learn is a no brainer.

Don’t get pigeon holed into one way of thinking, or one way of doing. Expose yourself to new ideas, new roles, new cultures and new sensations.

Read, (whether it is via written text or audio-book), a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. You might not like the book, but there is always a new thing to be learnt.
Visit new places … okay, so Covid has limited our options, but have you explored upper own back yard? I Australia especially, we are fortunate to live in a diverse culture with an amazing array of foods, wine, cultures, and environments to explore.

Seek conversations with people outside your normal tribe – whilst surrounding ourselves with people who lift us up is more important for our everyday happiness, share experiences with people outside our ‘norm’ allows us to grow.

Explore different roles, different types of companies and caring industries. Loyalty to a role or company is a valuable attribute, but not at etc detriment of self-fulfilment and growth.

Don’t just accept the status-quo – where possible, go out there and challenge yourself, challenge the ’norm’, experience and adventure, get lost and in the process of doing so, you may just fin yourself.

 

04. HARNESS YOUR SUPER POWERS

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to uncovering your super powers, or those of your team, you’re not alone! Having the courage and confidence to promote ourselves can be a daunting task.

Herr are some questions you can use to discover what your Super Powers are!

1. What unique contribution do you bring to the company/project/team?
2. What do people come to you for?
3. What is something that you do easily and find enjoyable that others struggle with?
4. What kind of approach/mindset do you naturally use when tackling a task or project?

If you are still having difficulties discovering your Super Powers, why not enlist the help of a trusted colleague of close friend – ask them to answer this questions so you can start embracing your power!