Balance Your Life: S.O.F.T.E.N. the Superwoman Within

We all know a few “superwomen”… the ones who are successful business owners, active in kid’s school activities, cook a marvelous healthy dinner every evening, volunteer for a local non-profit, keep a perfect house and always look and feel terrific when out with their significant. (Whew! I got tired just writing that down.) Sometimes we are so in awe of these icons that we put them up on a pedestal and think of them as being perfect… almost unreal. When I decided to write an article about being a superwoman/supermom the first thing I did was interview a few of them. I wanted to see for myself if they were indeed unreal, if it somehow took magic powers to succeed in their world. I was pleasantly surprised at how cordial and receptive these superwomen were and equally surprised at the wisdom they so willingly shared. There were many similarities among the secrets these women revealed and all of them started with first clearing identifying where they were going and having a plan for getting there. Here are several of their recommendations…both what to do and what NOT to do. Read on to learn about how to SOFTEN the Superwoman in You. Start with a plan. It is difficult to get from here to there if you don’t know where THERE is. Identifying your goals and developing the strategies you will use to reach those goals is the first step to success. Be very clear about what you want…where you want to be. The more specific you are when describing your outcome, the more likely it is that you will get there. Outsource what you can…get comfortable with not having to do it all. You may think that superwomen do it all, well, they don’t. Superwomen in training sometimes think that delegating a responsibility to someone else is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The women I interviewed carefully choose which parts of their plan could more efficiently be done by someone else and hired an appropriate professional to do it. Just because you pay someone else to do a task for you does not mean that you are not capable of doing it yourself. Focus on what is important to your business…what generates income. Now that you have hired a few professionals to support you it is time to really focus on your business…on the activities that actually generate income. When I don’t have to worry about whether my paperwork is up to date or whether my newsletter is going to get out on time, I have so much more time and energy to do what I do best…coach other women in creating breakthroughs in their businesses. I have time to write, to develop curriculum and training material, to make presentations to potential customers and to network with area professionals. These are all activities that will ultimately generate income and they are the activities I enjoy the most. rnTake action and get results in a timely fashion. Having the best plan in the world won’t get you very far if you do not take action. Nike’s tag line of “Just do it” is probably one of the most valuable lessons I learned from these superwomen. Think about it…imagine that you have planned to jump from a 10 meter platform at your local Olympic sized pool. You have prepared yourself to succeed…positive affirmations, positive imagery and lots of practice on the three meter platform. On the day of the event you carefully climb to the top and step out to the edge of the platform. All the planning and preparation will be for naught if you do not step out into the abyss and experience the freefall. You need to “Just do it”. Planning and preparation will lay the groundwork. Taking action will get results. Escape your electronic tethers on a daily basis…”go home from work.” Those of us who work from home sometimes forget to leave the office. Every work-from-home superwomen I interviewed emphasized how important it was to turn off the computer, turn off the cell phone and just GO HOME. Being successful at your business does not mean being available 24/7. Take time for yourself and the important people in your life. Nurture the important relationships in your life…with yourself and with others. Practicing good self care is like putting money in the bank. Taking care of yourself and the significant others in your life adds texture and depth to your experience. When you are healthy and your relationships full, there is energy to spare…for your business, for your volunteer activities, for fun. When you SOFTEN the superwoman you open yourself up to endless possibilities and energy to spare. There is nothing magic about being a superwoman…just small steps that lead to big results.