 Recently I heard someone say "It takes a village to raise an Adult." We have all heard that saying about raising a child. It got me thinking, who are the people we need in our lives to magnify our success. I intentionally use the word "magnify" because I believe that you can be successful by going on your journey alone. However, your success will be greater when you have companions on your journey to support you.
Some of you also refer to your support community as your tribe, squad, friends or colleagues. We are talking about the same people. I have always liked the concept of having friends for different situations. That way, you can go to different people to get support on diverse matters. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of having great people in your court, the types of support groups we need and ways to get the most value from them. For reference, support community and system are used interchangeably in this post. What is a Support System?
How does your support system help you? A reliable support system can do the following things for you:
The 5 types of support groups you need To be successful in your personal and professional life, consider building these types of groups: #1 - Your emotional support group Having people you can be entirely vulnerable with is crucial. From time to time you need to bare it all and not feel like you have to hide. Make it a priority to stay connected with your friends. This group will help you stay emotionally balanced through life's ups and downs. Take a moment to be grateful for the great friends you have who have been supporting you emotionally. #2 - Your personal "board of directors." Identify a small group of people that you can reach out to when you need to make a major decision. The most significant value that they bring is a different perspective and provide additional data points for your decision that you may not be considering. Take advantage of this great opportunity and discuss those big decisions before you make them. Additionally, you can also benefit from getting honest feedback on your ideas. #3 - Your mentors & professional sponsors We all need people who provide guidance, share their knowledge and skills with us. Especially in a professional setting, mentors and sponsors are necessary. You will achieve more and progress further with the help of this group of people. Surround yourself with people who have traits you admire and aspire to develop. To get the most value from this group of people, be prepared, ask good questions and gather their insights. #4 - Your accountability partners To achieve the great things you are destined to do, you need people who will hold you accountable to the commitments you make towards your goals. From the Mastermind groups, I started a while ago; this point has been confirmed. When you share your goals with someone, you feel more committed to work towards your goals and show progress. #5 - Your cheerleaders Knowing that there is someone who believes in you and cheers you on is priceless. Especially when you feel stuck, hearing that reassuring voice that tells you "you can do this" is the best. Also, sometimes we forget to appreciate and celebrate our achievements. Our cheerleaders are also there to help us celebrate our accomplishments. In recent months, I have come to appreciate the importance of having cheerleaders. How can you get the most value from your support groups?
Final Thoughts Let's wrap up this post with some clever sayings and quotes:
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 A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a friend; she mentioned how a previous blog post I had written made her think about the importance of having a growth mindset. It reminded me of a class I had taken that introduced me to the concept of a growth mindset. Again, last week in a conversation at work, growth mindset was mentioned. All these conversations highlighted the need for this essential topic to be discussed and explored.
In this blog post, I will share some of the interesting resources I found during my research as well as five keys to developing your growth mindset. There are many great resources on this topic, some of which I have cited and included in the great resources section at the end of this post. What does it mean to have a growth mindset?
What does it mean NOT to have a growth mindset? The opposite of having a growth mindset is known as having a fixed mindset
Why do you need to have a growth mindset? When you have a growth mindset, you take on new opportunities, work harder and more effectively, persevere in the face of challenges and are a more successful learner. 5 keys to developing your growth mindset Believe you can improve Good news - you can always improve and grow no matter where you are in life. Knowing that you will never be at a stage where you know or do everything perfectly is crucial. This realization will help take some unnecessary pressure off you. Your mindset should be to continuously learn and develop in all aspects of your life - relationships, career, parenthood, finances and much more. Questions to consider:
Take action To keep growing, you need not only to believe you can improve; you need to take concrete steps. Personally, I have a development plan that I update monthly. It helps me ensure that I prioritize my growth and not leave it to chance. Make time to develop your interests, skills, and abilities. Questions to consider:
Keep learning something new Qualities like intelligence and talent are a starting point. However, greater success comes from the invested effort, learning, and persistence. Develop strategies that help you prioritize continuous learning. Explore new interest areas and make new connections. Learning new skills will open the door to exciting opportunities and growth. Questions to consider:
Gather input from others Other people see things that you don't and have a different perspective. There's immense value in gathering feedback from trusted people around you. Often, when you hear “receiving feedback,” you think of negative things. Requesting and getting feedback should not be scary - it helps you grow. See it this way; it provides you with data points that you otherwise would not have. Caution: be careful whom you ask for feedback and how you process it. The objective is for it to be applicable. Questions to consider:
Surround yourself with learners This point is a reoccurring theme for me. To be successful, you need to surround yourself with people who are interested in improving and growing. The interactions you have with fellow learners will inspire you and broaden your perspective. In my opinion, you can benefit from the knowledge and experiences of others around you. Questions to consider:
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“Any transition is easier if you believe in yourself and your talent.” - Priyanka Chopra  We all go through different transitions in our lives. If I asked you how you handle transitions, what would you say? Can you confidently say that you thrive during transitions? If your answer is no, you are not alone.
Recently, I shared my journey with a mentor. She highlighted how many transitions I have been through in my life and how I have thrived through them. Hearing someone say it had a substantial effect on me. It was important for me to share my tips with you. Ladies in my inner circle have been going through different transitions over the last months. Some of which included:
Are you going through any of these types of transitions listed above? Please keep reading. In this post, we will learn more about transitions, explore its characteristics and discuss ten ways to thrive as you go through life’s changes. Please note that we will use change and transitions interchangeably in this post. What is a Transition?
5 characteristics of Transitions Although every transition is unique, there are some common characteristics. Transitions are difficult Let's start by acknowledging that changes require a lot of work and emotional strength. Be patient with yourself while you go through transitions. Sometimes we neglect the effect that changes have on us and forget to take care of ourselves. Transitions are good and required Growing and evolving are necessary for our lives. Transitions are one of the only ways we can grow. You will experience more success when you change your perspective to see how good and essential transitions are. Appreciate the changes you are going through. Transitions require planning/managing Preparing for an upcoming change will provide you the opportunity to anticipate some of the challenges and create solution strategies for them. Be it a career or life transition, make time to evaluate the impact it will have on you and your loved ones. When you start feeling overwhelmed, pick up your plan and take action. Transitions are constant Change comes in different sizes and complexities. Also, we will go through transitions repeatedly in our lives. Once we start to feel too comfortable, change knocks on our doors. Accept that it's part of your life. Transitions mark the beginning of something new Especially with unplanned transitions, it is hard to imagine that there is something great waiting for you on the other side. It may not look like it, but things will get better after you have gone through the process and change. This marks the start of something new. 10 keys to thriving through your transitions Now that we know that transitions are a constant part of our lives, how can we be successful through them:
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"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come." - Dwayne Johnson  You know how you may have applied a principle in your life but never thought it was a big deal. Recently, I started reflecting on how consistent I am and how successful I have been in areas of my life where I am consistent. Before I launched my blog six months ago, I researched what the most significant character trait of a successful blogger was. From all my readings, being consistent was repeated over and over again. I took this advice to heart and planned to apply it as I went through my blogging journey.
In this post, I will share some definitions of consistency, the benefits when applied, and tips I have gathered in my personal and professional life about being consistent. What does it mean to be consistent?
What are the advantages of being consistent? When you are consistent the following is true:
5 Areas you should be consistent It pays to be consistent in the following areas: Your Personal brand Your reputation is your biggest asset. Being consistent in how you present yourself in person or online is very important. People may not always get the opportunity to meet you in person first, so it is crucial that you present yourself the same way across all platforms. Questions to consider
Your Finances The proven way to achieve your financial goals is to be consistent. All good financial practices such as budgeting, saving and investing require consistency. You need to commit to doing things over and over again to reap the long-term benefits. Questions to consider
Your Relationships To be well-balanced and happy individuals, we need to have healthy relationships. As with all good things, we need to invest in our relationships to gain the benefits they bring. Value your relationships and be consistent in maintaining relationships. Questions to consider
Your Professional life Be consistent in building a track record of success in your professional life. Your work outputs should have consistent quality. As the outcomes of our work are what people in our professional lives care about the most, it is essential for them to be right. When you work for yourself or own your own business, the need to be consistent is amplified even more. Questions to consider
Your Personal development Consistently evaluating your progress and areas of improvement is required to be your best self. Prioritizing your self-development and taking the necessary steps to be where you want to be is a significant commitment to yourself. Questions to consider
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“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.” - Chris Pine  Through life's ups and downs, one of the lessons I have learned is that it's all about your perspective. The way you look at your past, present and future experiences will determine the direction your life will go. I have always been intrigued by how people see different things in the same picture or remember details differently following the same event.
Your perspective is something you can learn to manage. The good news is that once you become aware you can continually change and broaden your perspective. In this blog post, I'll share definitions of perspective as well as tips for broadening your perspective. What is perspective?
What perspective means to me? Transitions have been one constant part of my journey so far. I've had a fair mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. And yes, I still feel stuck sometimes. If you asked me what has helped me on my journey, I'd say adjusting my perspective. It is a practice that I have adopted successfully in my personal and professional life. I have learned that you need to regularly sit down and have a conversation with yourself about your perspective. Periodically evaluate where you are and where you are going. Especially at times when I feel disappointed with my progress, I remind myself that it's all temporary and will get better. How to broaden your perspective Here are six great tips for you to expand and adjust your view. Tip 1: Look at things differently - Why am I currently going through this situation? In life, you will be more successful if you perceive challenges as opportunities. Are you looking at a challenge as a barrier or as a stepping stone to your next phase? I'm motivated daily by looking at my experiences as a stepping stone on my journey. Even when I don't understand why things happen and how they fit in the plan, I am confident that if I make the best out of my situation, the result will be positive. Tip 2: Learn from your experiences - What can I learn from different situations? There's a lot to learn from every experience in life. On our journey, the most valuable trait we all need is "willingness to improve." If we don't learn from our experiences, we are bound to repeat mistakes and not make progress. Having a mindset of wanting to learn on your journey will help you see things differently. Tip 3: Seek an outside view - What are my trusted people thinking and saying? Especially in stressful situations, your view might be limited. An excellent tool you should apply here will be to "borrow" someone's eyes. Situations that look hopeless through your eyes might seem very different through a trusted friend's eyes. Share your struggles and listen to their viewpoint. You will discover some great insights that you would not have had on your own. Caution: choose people whom you trust, who are honest and have a positive outlook on life. Tip 4: Stay open - How would I think about this situation or decision in a few months? Over time you gain different views. Keep an open mind and don't shut the door to any opportunity permanently. An opportunity today will look very different in a few months. A job position you don't feel ready for might seem doable if you look at it again after some months. Surrounding factors may change and make you feel more empowered to take on a new opportunity. Take advantage of the possibility to reevaluate and take on new opportunities. Tip 5: Refocus on the higher goal - What am I working towards? We get caught up in our day to day and forget about our bigger goals, dreams, and ambitions. When you start feeling lost, look at your vision board and review your goals. Remember the big picture and what you are working towards. Whatever you are going through today is only a snapshot in time. There is more to come. Tip 6: Get external Inspiration - How can I expand my view? Especially when I start feeling stuck, I know it's time for me to get out of my head and get external inspiration. If you feel stuck, I encourage you to expand your perspective by reading something new, listening to a podcast, attending events, learning a new skill and socializing with positive people. There is power in seeing things differently by observing other people. It's crucial to benefit from the vast external resources to help you refocus regularly. Final Thoughts What is your perspective on life? Ask yourself these questions and write down your answers.
Great Resources “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” - Amelia Earhart  In our daily lives, we make many decisions. Some of these decisions are significant and change the course of our personal and professional lives. It's perfectly normal to feel nervous about the big life decisions. The good news is that there are effective ways to approach decision making.
In the past year, I have had to make some difficult decisions in my career, finances, relationships, and business. Recently, I started reflecting on how I make the big decisions in my life and ways to improve my decision making. In this post, we'll discover some decision making techniques as well as great questions to ask yourself during the process. Have an approach or process Having a proven method of making decisions that works for you is very important. The fact that I make decisions in similar ways gives me a sense of security and trust in my ability to make decisions. You can discover the process that works best for you by learning from your experiences. Questions to consider:
Breakdown your complex decision Sometimes the size of the decision we need to make scares us. Start by breaking down the big decision into smaller sub decisions. Our brains can focus better on small packages. Once the sub-decisions are made, the big one is almost solved. Take out a piece of paper and write things down. The power of visualizing helps make it real. Questions to consider:
Know the impact of your decision Often, we don't think about the effects of the choices we make on our lives. There is power in asking - What if? Knowing the impact should not always be a blocker, it serves the purpose of informing you of what may lie ahead. The more information you have, the better you can prepare. Questions to consider:
Compare the possible outcomes The old pros and cons have been a useful tool to evaluate how favorable the consequences of your decision might be. Make smart choices based on the results and outcomes. The truth is that you can't predict the exact results before you make the decision and take a step. However, it is essential to think about the possible outcomes. Questions to consider:
Have a plan and an alternative plan A plan is a tool that helps guide you. You might not have all the answers, but with a plan, you have a torch in a dark room. Gather as much information as possible to make your plan successful. An alternative plan is also necessary in case you need to make changes to your plans. Questions to consider:
Take the first step You have broken down the decision, evaluated the impact and have a plan in place, now it's time to take the first step. Don't sit on any decision for too long. You will only know when you do it. Treat your decision making as a learning experience. Take notes, gather your learnings, adapt your strategy and keep moving forward. Questions to consider:
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“A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together.” - Margaret Atwood  Great communicators speak, and their audience hears them. In our everyday lives, communication is a central component. Finding your voice and being heard are crucial pillars in our day to day communication. Mastering these skills unlocks many benefits in our professional and personal lives. Exploring different techniques to become a more effective communicator will give you a competitive advantage over your peers.
In this post, we will explore some great techniques to find your voice and also be heard. Also, I'll share some great advice I gathered from my research on this topic – “Her Advice”. At the end of this post, you can find some amazing resources that would help you on your journey. Do you face these challenges?
Would you like to do the following?
How to find your voice and be heard If you identified with the questions above, here are some techniques to help you: Take stock and know you have a voice Start with a self-assessment - how are you using your voice? What were some instances when you were not heard? How did it make you feel? Being more aware of the times you felt like you were not heard or when you didn’t use your voice is essential. The objective is to identify areas where you could make some changes and improve in your communication. Her Advice "Make yourself the focus and pay attention to whether or not you are choosing to honor yourself in your interactions. Using your voice is really about how much you are able to honor yourself. -Lesley Wirth" Have a "relevant" and concise message Women who have something valuable to contribute and know how to deliver their message inspire me. Too many people talk for “talking sake,” please don't be one of them. Being aware of the value you want to deliver helps refine your message. Also, equipping yourself with some knowledge and difference in perspective before you speak makes your message powerful. Her Advice #1: “One of the best ways to get your voice heard is to save it for the things you’re most passionate about. Your enthusiasm will shine through and will draw others to you. Coupling your passion with your unique voice is a recipe for success!” (Source: 6 Female Leaders on How to Have Your Voice Heard) #2: “When in doubt, write it out, jot down your thoughts and get them organized. Read them aloud. Share them with a friend or family member. Get feedback to make sure your message is clear.” (Source: 6 Female Leaders on How to Have Your Voice Heard) #3: "It’s important for women to know that having a voice really means having a track record of success and accomplishments so that people want to listen to what you have to say because you’re saying something of value. So use your voice, but use it strategically" (Source: Executive Women, Finding (and Owning) Their Voice) Prepare yourself to speak Especially in a professional setting, you increase your influence by going into meetings prepared with comments and questions. If you only start creating your message in the room, your thoughts might not be as succinct as you want it to be and your delivery will be less impactful. Make time to prepare yourself and then deliver. Her Advice "It’s really, really important that you know before you go to a meeting what’s going to happen. And what’s the purpose of the meeting. Depending on the focus of the meeting, we have got to prepare." (Source: Women at Work: Make Yourself Heard [Podcast] ) Use your voice You may have the brightest ideas or be the smartest in the room. If you don't speak up, the outside world will never know what you have inside of you. Learn to stand up for what you believe. I know it's easier said than done. Share your thoughts and ideas with the world. To deliver your message effectively and be heard put yourself in the listener’s position. Her Advice #1: "Don’t sit quietly and think about things and maybe whisper to somebody or tell people afterward. Put yourself out there, and get involved in the conversation." (Source: Executive Women, Finding (and Owning) Their Voice) #2: "If you spend your life keeping your thoughts to yourself, holding back when you have something to say, then you miss an opportunity in life to influence outcomes — to change an opinion, to clear up a misunderstanding, to give support, to challenge an assumption, to keep someone from making a mistake. Your voice begins to fade. You can even miss the opportunity for your words to change you." (Source: Finding Your Voice) Observe & Learn from your experiences Becoming a great communicator requires a lot of practice and learning. Being more aware of how you communicate and willingness to learn will not only develop the skill of communication , but it will also empower you. Her Advice "Stop apologizing for asking questions, pushing the envelope and disrupt the way things are done with your awesome ideas, your creativity, and knowledge." (Source: 6 Female Leaders on How to Have Your Voice Heard) Get external support Gather feedback from trusted people around you and filter through to identify areas for improvement. External input and support are an excellent resource in this case, as you get insight into how you are perceived and heard. Also, consider getting mentorship or training in your areas of improvement. Be open to listen and learn from your trusted circle. Her Advice “If you’re struggling with speaking up, find a safe, supportive group of peers and practice with them. Be open about your struggles. Set a goal: ‘I want to get more confident about being heard in meetings/by my manager/etc.’ Practice conversations, share advice, and support each other.” (Source: 6 Female Leaders on How to Have Your Voice Heard) Embrace your voice As you are learning to be a great communicator, you need to start embracing your voice. You have a unique and powerful voice. Don't let anyone else define your voice or silence you. Her Advice #1: "Once you've identified your voice, it's time to start embracing it. Every time you write--and I mean every time: email, memos, anything you plan to publish--make sure to stay true to that voice." (Source: The Power of Your Voice: 3 Steps to Finding and Embracing It) #2: "Embracing your own unique voice not only diminishes fear and insecurity, but it can also lead to greater opportunities." (Source: The Power of Your Voice: 3 Steps to Finding and Embracing It) Final Thoughts/Insights
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"Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered--just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better." -Barrie Davenport  Confidence is a characteristic that I find attractive and desirable in women. I am incredibly inspired when I discover the backstory of how they have overcome insecurities, fear and negativity on their journey. A sentence in an article I recently read stuck with me "Confidence is a gift you give yourself." With many things in our lives, we feel like we don't have full control. Confidence, however, is one area in your life that you fully own and can control.
As women, confidence is a very personal topic for us. I would like to treat this topic with the care and respect it deserves. In this post, I'll share some tools and techniques that will help you on your journey to build your confidence and my personal story. As a confident woman...... You are: Bold, Adventurous, Fearless, Hopeful, Positive, Sure, Courageous, Certain, Assured, Assertive. You are not: Insecure, Afraid, Doubtful, Fearful, Pessimistic, Uncertain, Unsure, Cowardly. What is confidence?
Starting point I intentionally used the word "build" with regards to self-confidence as the following is true:
How to build your self-confidence As you work on building your confidence, I recommend some proven techniques that have worked for me: Know yourself and what affects your confidence What makes you feel insecure? Is it what people say or have said? Is it what you tell yourself? Is it your family history or some statistics? Knowing what steals your confidence is a crucial step to build your self-confidence. You might have to go back in time and look into your childhood. Take the time you need to discover the source of your insecurities. You will feel empowered and in control when you take an active approach to work on them and regain your confidence. Check-in regularly to see the progress in the improvement areas you identified and celebrate your growing self-confidence. Think & Say positive things about yourself How do you talk about yourself? Do you use a lot of these words - can’t, try, if only, impossible, doubt? Do you think you are enough? Your journey to self-confidence starts and ends in your mind. Observe what you think and how you talk about yourself for a few days. This activity will help you become more aware of the positive and negative thoughts and words you use to describe yourself. Make it a point to increase the positive thoughts and the words you say about yourself. After a while, you will see how much more confident you'll be. Start believing in your powers and that you are enough. Appreciate your abilities and accomplishments You have many great skills and talents. Acknowledge how awesome you are and know your unique contribution to the world around you. Confidence is built through appreciating our abilities and past accomplishments. Reflecting on the times when you achieved something you doubted you could, will help grow your confidence in your skills. At the times when life events steal your confidence and make you doubt yourself, remember your value, skills, strengths, talents, and accomplishments. Address your fears Often, we let our insecurity and fear to rob us of so many great opportunities. A phrase I heard a while ago has guided me through my journey - "Do it afraid." Don't let fear stop you from taking that step and doing that great thing. Fear of the unknown will steal your confidence in your ability to achieve your dreams. When you are afraid, look back on something you did although you were scared and thrived at. Reminding yourself of your past experiences with overcoming your fear and the great outcomes you saw will boost your confidence. Facing my fears is the hardest lesson I have had to learn and still re-learn daily. Build your team of “cheerleaders” Surround yourself with people who know your value, support you and cheer you on. They will help boost your confidence at times when you are unable to do so on your own. Especially when you are embarking on an unknown journey having people in your court that believe in you, encourage you, say kind things to you, remind you of your strengths is very crucial. While I take bold steps in new areas of my life, I have come to value how much my personal "cheerleaders" support me and help me build my confidence. The positive reinforcement has kept me going. My self-confidence Journey "I am bold, assertive, hopeful, sure and positive." - MC, 2018 As a kid, a lot of negative things were said to and about me. People teased me, I was compared to my twin, and I was made to believe that I had a lot of negative traits. It was not a good foundation for my confidence. Interestingly, looking back I didn't know I had low self-confidence. In my early teens, I became aware of how loud the negative voices around me were and how they impacted how I saw myself. I "kind of" knew I had something good although people around me didn't necessarily say it to me. My quest to silence the negative external voices and start turning up my inside voice began. A significant turning point for me was when I started seeing how specific traits I had that I was told were negative started helping me on my journey. The most significant being my ability to communicate and talk to complete strangers. I was labeled as being "talkative" and “stubborn” as a kid. However, this specific trait or skill was what helped me make new connections and settle into my new life in Germany. In the past years, I have been working on "rebranding" the so-called negative traits and seeing the positive in them. Today, I know that those voices don't define who I am. I actively build my confidence through positive affirmations, learning new skills and surrounding myself with positive people who value the real me. Your confidence toolkit In addition to the techniques above, here are some additional tools that can help build your confidence: Final Thoughts
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How are you doing towards accomplishing your 2018 goals?  It's mid-July already; I really can't believe it. This year has been going by very quickly. Having been through over half of this year, it seems like a great time to reflect on the past months and plan for the months ahead. Let's start by checking in on your goals that you set at the beginning of the year or last quarter. Earlier in March, I wrote a blog post What's your plan for 2018? about setting goals and shared some tips that have helped me so far. I'm excited to reflect on the progress you have made over the last three months.
Most of us are accustomed to mid-year reviews at work, now let's apply those principles to our personal development plans. I encourage you to set some time aside and take stock of where you are on your journey towards achieving your goals. In this post, I will share some attributes of a good review and share some practical tips on how to conduct your review. What does a good review cover? The discipline of regularly reviewing your goals provides you the opportunity to do the following:
Top 5 activities to do during your review There are multiples ways to go about a review. Here are five activities I do during my goal reviews that I believe will help you. #1: Assess your progress Start by looking at your list of goals and the progress you have made over the past months. The primary objective of this activity is to reflect and document the steps you have taken towards achieving your goals. Don't feel discouraged if you didn't accomplish everything you thought you would have achieved by now. Continue with the next steps. Questions to ask yourself:
#2: Celebrate your achievements Every step you have taken towards your goals is an achievement. Make time to reflect and celebrate them. Acknowledging your accomplishments will motivate you for the journey ahead. Remember to recognize the small achievements as well. Questions to ask yourself:
#3: Identify your challenges and blockers With the goals that you have not yet achieved, it is essential to understand the reason why. As part of your assessment be honest with yourself, document the internal and external challenges you faced. You will learn more about yourself through this activity. Questions to ask yourself:
#4: Test a new strategy As we grow and develop, it is essential to be open to adapt your approach towards achieving your goals. There are many reasons why we may not have accomplished our goals; it's time to try something new. Apply your learnings, plan differently and adapt your implementation approach. Questions to ask yourself:
#5: Set your new goals You have reflected, identified areas of improvement, now it's time to look forward and add some new goals to your plan. Life has changed a lot since the beginning of this year. Make sure your goals documented and that you have some action items. Goal-setting should be a continuous activity, not only done at the beginning of the year. Learn some more techniques on how to set your goals in my previous post What's your plan for 2018?. Questions to ask yourself:
My Progress Update - 2018 so far.... I want to wrap up this post by sharing how I've been doing towards my 2018 yearly and quarterly goals. The break-down below is done in the categories I defined and prioritized.
Final Thoughts
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Where do you put yourself on your list of priorities?  As women, we prioritize being great partners, wives, mothers, members of families, employees, business owners. We prioritize everyone's welfare and often neglect our needs. At recent events I attended, self-care has been a reoccurring topic. The urgency and need to have open conversations about self-care is imminent.
This past week I had a routine check-up with my doctor, and she reminded me that while I try to be there for everyone in my life, I need to prioritize self-care. We can only be our best when our self-care is on point. This blog post is an appeal for you to prioritize self-care and a personal reminder for me. I like the way HBR put it: "At the heart of self-care is your relationship and connection to self. What is self-care? Let’s start with some definitions of self-care:
Benefits of Self-care When you prioritize self-care, you reap many personal benefits such as:
Six self-care Tips Some simple ways to start practicing self-care today include: Discover your definition of self-care Firstly, it's essential to find out what self-care means to you. During my research for this post, I came across very different interpretations or recommendations for self-care. Not all of them necessarily resonated with me. I realized that my definition of self-care differs from others. For example, learning is part of self-care for me, as it provides me the sense of fulfillment that I need. Spend time with yourself and discover what works for you. How do you take care of yourself? Celebrate yourself A key self-care pillar is appreciating who you are, where you are today and celebrating your achievements. Acknowledging the wealth of skills, strengths, talents, knowledge, and experience that you already have empowers you. It is more natural to dwell on what you don't have or don't do well. That practice drains out your energy and is not an effective way of caring for yourself. How different would you feel if you build yourself up instead of tearing yourself down? Start valuing and celebrating yourself now. Guard your resources You have valuable resources such as your brainpower, energy, time, money and others which are limited. What are you doing to protect your limited resources? Are you applying your resources towards beneficial activities and avoiding waste? I always thought I had no problem with saying "No" to requests that are not beneficial. After feeling overwhelmed with all that was happening in my life, I started learning that I wasn't saying "No" enough to the big things that impacted my life negatively. Once I started saying "No" to the right things I felt free of the commitments I made that weighed me down. Putting myself first and knowing how to guard my limited resources, freed up time to concentrate on what mattered more on my journey. Enjoy the simple things Have you been waiting for that big vacation or big event that will bring you joy? Consider going back to the small things that made you happy. If you enjoy reading, cooking, traveling, exercising, handcrafts or more - make time to do them. Recently in a conversation with my friend I was telling her about how I missed doing some of the little things I enjoyed. I could not remember when last I saw a movie because I wanted to. So, I took the step and watched one of my choice. It might sound really small but to sit and enjoy the moment helped me feel refreshed for my week ahead. Maintain the connections that matter When last did you connect deeply with the people that matter in your life? We need the people in our lives. In our world where we communicate mainly through social media, we think to like a picture someone posted shows them we care. Do you know what is going on with your real friends and family? I recently started reconnecting on a personal level with my circle. It's been life-changing to share our real experiences with one another, not the superficial things we share on Facebook or Instagram. Schedule time to check in with yourself regularly How is your relationship with yourself? Typically, when we get overwhelmed, it is a sign of us not being in touch with ourselves. Feeling stuck is often a sign that we have failed to evaluate what we need and cater to our need. How often do we get to spend quality time with ourselves? Make it official - schedule time with yourself to reflect on where you are, where you are headed and what you need on your journey. A few months ago, I started making time on Sunday evenings to order my thoughts. It has helped me get in touch with myself and identify areas where I need to re-adjust. Final Thoughts
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