Show compassion
Did you know that Michelle Obama was officially more popular than hubby Barack when the duo left the White House in January? The former First Lady was hailed as a role model for women everywhere during her eight-year tenure in The White House, focusing on issues such as women’s rights, public health and racism. Far from your typical first lady, Michelle was more than just a passive bystander to her husband’s operations, spearheading a number of philanthropic initiatives herself including Let Girls Learn, which funded education projects led by young girls on poverty and leadership skills. Many Democrats are believed to be encouraging her to run for presidency in 2020.
Don’t overwork yourself
“It’s our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the price we must pay in order to succeed” – Arianna Huffington
Famed for having survived for years of her professional life on just three hours of sleep a night until collapsing from exhaustion and waking up in a pool of her own blood, the Huffington Post founder is a strong advocate for self-care. “By helping us keep the world in perspective, sleep gives us a chance to refocus on the essence of who we are”, she wrote in her best-selling book The Sleep Revolution, which was published last year. “In that place of connection, it is easier for the fears and concerns of the world to drop away”.
Be Daring
“Fortunes does favor the bold and you will never know what you are capable of if you don’t try.” –Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Being successful, means you are prepared to make changes, you are prepared to deal with your fears.
If you are not happy with your 9 to 5 job, if you feel you don’t make any progress there, start looking for new opportunities think out of the box and maybe even look for a new business to start. It might be scary at the beginning but thinking of a fulfilled life, thinking of rewards you might get will help you to overcome fears which are holding you back.
Overcome adversity with grace
“Life is never perfect. We all live some form of option b. Even in the face of the most shocking tragedy of my life, I could exert some control over its impact” – Sheryl Sandberg
The world-renowned COO of Facebook wrote her best-selling book Lean In empowering women in the workplace shortly before the sudden death of her husband. “When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t have a partner. They were right. I didn’t get it. Now I see how insensitive and unhelpful this was to so many single mums. My understanding and expectation of what a family looks like has shifted closer to reality”. Her latest book (also a best-seller), Option B, written with professor Adam Grant, teaches resilience in at work, using her own experiences to offer practical advice on battling life’s inevitable challenges without compromising your career.
Go out of your comfort zone
“Do one thing which scares you every day.” Eleonore Roosevelt, first Lady of The USA, 1933 – 1945
You feel fulfilled only when you grow. And the only place to grow is the place outside of your comfort zone.
Learn new things, learn a new language, go on and improve your selling skills even if you were told that you can’t do it or you think you can’t do it. Learn maybe new internet skills no matter how old or young you are. Just go for it!
You will see that doing things you have never done before will enrich your life and you will feel and be successful again.
Use your femininity to your advantage
“Women should not try to be men. Men and women are two entirely different animals. They don’t do anything the same, right? So why should they lead in the same way?” – Diane von Furstenberg
The Belgian-born fashion designer has made billions making clothes that accentuate and champion the female form. The famous wrap dress, created to reflect the powerful independence of women, proved to be a global best-seller. In addition to being one of the world’s most successful designers, Von Furstenberg sits on the board of Vital Voices, an NGO dedicated to empowering and providing aid to female leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Despite her exceptional business acumen, she maintains that motherhood is her greatest achievement: “children are my greatest creation”, she said.
Be tough when you need to be
“We can take off the crocodile skin” – Christine Lagarde
Appointed managing director of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after a stint as the first female finance minister of a G8 economy, French-born Lagarde is undoubtedly one of the most powerful women today. When asked at the annual Women in the World summit last year to offer her advice to aspiring businesswomen, she explained that women must be thick-skinned in their approach to climbing the ladder: ““I regret to say that the crocodile skin is unfortunately a sine qua non for a period of time”. However, Lagarde then explained that once a woman has proven herself, this impenetrable facade can and should become somewhat loosened, explaining that women “can take off the crocodile skin and become a normal human being, without having to shield against horrible attacks and below the belt punches”.
Maintain a life outside of work
“I’ve always loved baking. I’m a businesswoman first and foremost but my hobbies actually make me better at work. They help me come up with new and innovative ways of looking at things”
– Marissa Mayer
Aged just 37, Marissa Mayer became CEO of Yahoo in 2012, the same year she fell pregnant with her first child. Previously the Silicon Valley magnate made a name for herself at Google, where she was one of the first employees. As one of tech’s most powerful players, Mayer’s advocacy for sustaining a humble work/life balance is a true reflection of how success is about more than just a ruthless work ethic.
Be Philanthropist
“One life on this planet is no more valuable than the next” – Melinda Gates
After working for many years at Microsoft, where she met husband Bill Gates, Melinda launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which tackles a wide range of global challenges from poverty to improving technology in developing countries. As of 2015, the pair had reportedly donated $36.7 billion to the non-profit organisation.
Be passionate
“Passion is energy. Feel the power which comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Ophra Winfrey, entrepreneur and public figure
There is no real successful person who is not passionate about what he or she does.
Why is passion so important?
When you come across some challenges in your life, when you need some extra power to overcome some obstacles on your way to success, your passion will help you to make this extra step needed.
If you haven’t found your passion yet, don’ wait for it.
Start looking at your hobbies, start doing new things and when you find it, make your passion into profession.
Never let it be about the money
“The reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.” – Oprah Winfrey
One of the most successful women of all time, Oprah Winfrey is nothing short of an entrepreneurial unicorn. Despite a troubled childhood that saw her running away from home aged 13, Winfrey fought against the odds with gravitas, launching one of the most successful talk shows of all time in addition to heading up a string of TV production companies and an eponymous lifestyle magazine; she’s also a passionate philanthropist and an Academy Award-nominated actress. With a reported $3 million fortune, she is one of the wealthiest people on the planet, however, Winfrey insists that financial gain has never been a driving motivator for her, merely an incidental bonus. With “The Oprah Effect” being a legitimate term to describe Winfrey’s monumental influence on public opinion and consumer habits (Tory Burch credits her entire career to an appearance on Oprah’s show), clearly this is a woman who knows what she’s talking about.
Be unstoppable
“What you spend years building, it can be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.” –Mother Theresa, philanthropist/charity worker
Big obstacles are part of any (successful) life. Things don’t always work out as we want to. Yes, you might fail on your path of success. Maybe not just once, maybe twice, 3-, 4-, 10- times. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail what it counts is how many times you get back on your feet again. Just remember that failing is part of succeeding.
Treat others how you’d like to be treated
“Carry out a random act of kindness with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” Diana, Princess of Wales
Princess Diana was one of a kind. Yes, she was a royal, but she was also a mother, a fashion icon, a humanitarian and on the other hand she was as simple as the best friend. She passed away like a beautiful angel on earth having tought us that being Kind with no expectation of reward is a virtue that brings inner peace and serenity to our heart and in this way we can manage all our achievements because when our energy is focused on the general good, then we are part of this good too.
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