You know those kinds of women right? Those that seem to effortlessly glide through life nailing whatever they do, know what they bring to the table and are in full control of their life, destiny and journey.
The successful ones. How easy it is for them! Well, I’ll tell you a little secret….there is no such thing as easy.
Estee Lauder once said, “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it”. Success isn’t given, it is earned. Success takes effort, work and commitment. These successful women are not superhumans born on another planet shipped in to annoy the rest of us wannabees. It isn’t that they have something you don’t. Oh no. They are exactly the same as everyone else, except, they have certain habits that help shape them into being so awesome!
And the good news? These habits aren’t exclusive. You can also enjoy them to help keep you pointed in that upward trajectory of self-improvement, personal development, and goal-achieving to live a life you LOVE!
So, What Does Success Mean To You?
For some of us success may be defined by money, or career, or it could be providing a comfortable home for your family, being fulfilled in your marriage, finding true happiness or how many pairs of shoes you have in your wardrobe (which by the way, is never enough!). However success looks like for you, there is no doubt about the feel good factor associated with it.
When positive thoughts align with positive action, it’s totally possible for you to achieve the success you visualise. There’s a lot we can learn from successful women, whether it’s what and who motivates them, their daily routines, how to invest or prioritise their time, what they do to be super organised or their self care regimes.
Success is open for business to anyone, including you!
So here goes, the 20 habits of successful women……strap yourself in, sit tight and take it all in. This is going to change your life.
She Gets Up Early
Successful women own their morning! They understand the importance of sleep and get into bed early so that they can wake refreshed to seize the day. Morning hours are the most productive for getting things done. Getting up early allows you to prepare breakfast, get to the gym, sort the kids out if needed or simply take some time to have coffee and plan the day ahead.
By getting up just half an hour earlier every day gifts you an extra 15 hours a month. This equates to 2 extra working days so over the year that’s another 24 days time to grow, learn, develop and be. Talk about a head start!
The bottom line is that you simply have that many more hours in the day to be the awesome self you are. How many times have you wished for more hours in your day, especially for doing those things that you love, so rising early is perfect for achieving this.
At first, it can be a challenge for your mind and body to regulate so start with waking 10 minutes earlier, then 15 and so on and I promise, once you adjust to it, you will only wonder why you haven’t done it before.
She Makes Her Bed!
Many rich, famous and successful people have been known to tidy their sheets on waking and successful women are no different, they too make their bed in the morning. It is a great habit to adopt to help send a clear message to the mind and body that sleep time has ended and wake time has begun so that you may embrace the day with enthusiasm.
Even when you are on a tight schedule, do it because it gives a small sense of accomplishment as well as keeping your environment organised and tidy. By starting the day with one good habit it encourages you to do another task and by the end of the day, you will complete many tasks. The snowball effect throughout the day will have your to-do list on its knees.
She Plans
Big dreams. Short term goals. Daily tasks. A little adds up to a alot. But plan it.
Plan for the week ahead. Then each morning, plan for the day ahead. Have specific goals in mind and achieve them.
Consider having contingency plans in place also. Having a plan B allows you to try out plan A with confidence knowing that you have something backing you up if you don’t make it. And write it down, somehow the written word is stronger.
Planning ensures you stay focused across all levels so that you can be as strategic as possible in your many varied tasks day-to-day.
She Sets Goals
Successful women are great goal setters. They know that goals help guide their focus and support a sense of self-empowerment. Goal setting has been shown to promote greater success, performance and achievement. Goals motivate us to ensure momentum towards improving our level of success whether it be professional, personal, financial or indeed any area of life.
Every day is an opportunity to set goals to level your aim on what you want to accomplish towards the peak. Successful women do not set goals blindly. They hone in and consider the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. They also accumulate facts, data and insights perhaps reflecting back with a questioning mind on what was, and think about ways that they can ensure they move forward in a healthier, more productive way. There is nothing like the past to help us learn.
Once you have set your goals, write them down and place them in strategic points such as the bathroom mirror, in your purse, next to your coffee machine to act as a little reminder of where you are heading.
She Is A Great Communicator
Madonna once said that “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want”. Successful women are assertive, honest, direct and say exactly what they want. Thus, they get what they want.
Communication is a significantly important skill that will serve you well no matter what you choose to do in life. A successful woman communicates accurately and isn’t afraid to speak out about her opinions and ideas. She is tenacious when she speaks and does not allow the opinions of others to deter her from the point she is trying to make. Competent and compelling communication is paramount in the quest for success and a successful woman is very aware of this and makes sure she puts this into practice.
Say what you want. Simple.
She Practices Self-Love
Khloe K said recently that she loves to spend quiet moments for prayer and self-reflection and whilst you may think that is so Hollywoodesque, she is actually very right on this.
Successful women know that life unfolds much more beautifully when we love ourselves. And they practice all they need to in order to ensure that they truly love themselves.
A successful woman is grateful for all she has and lives a very mindful life from the moment she wakes, she takes in the journey behind her, the gift of the present and all that lays ahead for her. Meditation is a fantastic way of taking some time out to connect with yourself and the life you have. Being present in the moment is perhaps the best gift that you can give yourself to stay grounded and aware of just how amazing you are.
She Makes Time For Herself
Successful women are movers and groovers travel through their day at lightening speed, but they also appreciate the importance of recharging their batteries at the end of the day.
Successful women know that taking care of oneself is paramount if you want to take care of others, and she will put into place whatever is necessary to ensure she has time to herself. This could mean practising yoga, going for a walk, reading, journaling, or just making a delicious cup of coffee and taking a short break.
She Knows How To Say No
Successful women are not people pleasers. They know how to say no and don’t feel bad about doing so. Saying no is a way of nurturing and empowering yourself when something does not resonate or you have tasks to complete. Saying no also helps minimise distractions as well as prioritise your time. It may be necessary to say no to social invitations so that you can be fully present in the commitment of putting yourself first and foremost to achieve your goals.
So next time someone asks you to do something and you are not sure, take a breath….see if it resonates and if it doesn’t, say no without shame or guilt. Two letters, that’s all it takes …..an N and an O. Simple right!
She Knows When To Stop
Everybody, even a wonder woman, needs to come up for air sometimes and successful women know that there is a time to step away from work and breathe into life. Burnout is not healthy or productive so knowing when to stop is critically important. Check in with your body and listen in, it will tell you when you are burning the candle at both ends.
This is especially true if you have a family because being successful isn’t just defined by workload or projects achieved or money earned. Finding that work life balance is essential to nail the very essence of what ‘success’ in life truly means.
She Has Awesome Self Discipline
Self discipline, ‘the ability to make yourself do things that should be done’. Successful women have strong self discipline. They keep moving and doing. They do what they say they are going to do and stick with it. To be self disciplined one must become aware of your weaknesses, create strong goals, start small with tasks, remove distractions, plan, prepare and stay focussed.
Self discipline is the bridge between goals and achievements.
So…
Do what needs to be done. When it should to be done. As well as it can be done. Do this all the time. End of.
She Continues To Educate Herself
Successful women have a hungry head.
They say knowledge is power. Fact. Think of knowledge as your secret weapon. Being well-versed and educated in life will serve you well, and a successful woman knows this. Information is literally everywhere and anywhere you look for anything an everything.
Successful women are proactive learners. Should something get in their way and they don’t understand it, they will do whatever it takes to overcome what is not clear. Everything and everybody can teach us something and successful women are open and understanding of this.
Having a hungry head is a wonderful state of being!
She Loves The Journey
A successful woman consistently strives to be a better version of herself with each new morning becoming an opportunity to become the best she can be and not settle for the boredom of regularity. She appreciates each day that she chooses to better herself by consistently pushing herself to new heights with total joy and enthusiasm.
Even when the goal is huge, she makes sure that the path along the way is paved in fun. A successful woman enjoys the journey otherwise what is the point!
She Redefines Failure
A successful woman is not afraid to fail and puts any failure in the box entitled ‘experience’. She knows that she has much to learn from failure and by the very fact she tried, failure becomes irrelevant. There is no success without failure and loss. Albert Einstein said that “Failure is success in progress”. Love this!
Many people fall when self doubt creeps in and the ‘I’m not enough’ mantra plays in their head. Successful women don’t even let self doubt in. She knows what she wants, calculates the risks and benefits, calls the shots and moves on with confidence.
Successful women are fighters. They just don’t give up when hit with something not panning out as they thought, they do not crumble. They pick themselves up, dust themselves down and get back in the ring.
She Listens Well
“Listening is not understanding the words of the question asked, listening is understanding why the question was asked in the first place”.
Simon SineK
Good listeners are not easy to find, it is a skill not possessed by many. But a successful woman knows the importance of listening and listening with intent. Most successful women are the ones who listen more than they talk. Effective communication starts with good listening to be able to fully grasp what people are saying or thinking and moreover, what is behind the words that are coming out of their mouths.
Only with this knowledge and understanding can we learn and be inspired by others which can help us grow and develop in healthy ways to benefit ourselves and everyone around us.
She Is Finance Savvy
Successful women are great at minding their money wisely. They do not bury their heads in the sand and know where money is coming in and what is going out. They have a mental balance sheet at all times to ensure there are no nasty surprises of unexpected bills.
Financial stability is a significant factor in your quality of life presently as well as any future investments you may be considering. A successful woman knows this and stays on top of her finances with savvy money management.
She Places Health As A Top Priority
When you are on the road to success and achieving your goals, everything else can be side-lined. There are so many things that can be neglected but the one thing a successful woman knows to take care of is her health and wellbeing.
Mind, body and soul are connected and taking care of yourself across all 3 levels, physically, mentally and spiritually, will ensure you remain balanced and whole.
We all know that when we are in the zone and totally passionate about something, time has no frame of reference and before we know it, hours have slipped by. Whilst this is beautiful you have found your passion, this is a sure fire way to burnout.
Exercise can help combat this. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy but move, do something. A long walk with a friend, an exercise class, yoga session or a quick workout at home. It will actually give you more energy throughout the day to be more productive and help you sleep better at night. A win-win.
It has been said your body is a temple, honor it well.
She Is Organised
She Prioritises Her Time Efficiently
Successful women are grounded in reality when it comes to time and understand that effective time-management is a fundamental necessity to ensure she achieves what she needs to complete throughout the day. She tackles the VIP tasks first to ensure that any hold ups or other tasks resting on these being completed, and can continue uninterrupted. She gets that prioritising time ensures that her day runs smoothly without any hiccups.
She Is Surrounded By Like-Minded People
“You are either on my side, by my side or in my way. Choose wisely”. Anon.
You won’t find many Debby Downers surrounding a successful woman. She will have an insurmountable quality inner circle of like-minded positive people. You are the average of your five people you spend the most time with – make sure they are good ones. Like minded. Supportive and encouraging.
Nobody knows the path to your success better than people in your industry and having key people to turn to when support is needed is the perfect safety net. Of course your nearest and dearest are obvious choices when it comes to asking for advice, however, the best people to ask advice from are people in the same field as you.
Successful women know the value of connecting with others. She is going to be the one connecting people, sharing, helping and encouraging others. Successful women are altruistic and networking is key to their success.
She Is A Badass
Kudos to Jen Sincero for popularizing this term because for me it perfectly sums up the underpinning of a successful woman.
“Being a badass, versus a kiss my ass, is going to get you closer to your goals”….love it!! I say find your nasty and make YOUR success your #1 priority. A successful woman will not let anything stand in her way. She sets super high standards in all aspects of her life (work, business, family, health and relationships) and in all areas she grows. Her vision is so strong, her commitment so true and goals so vivid that her success becomes fundamentally who she is.
The Take Home
Whatever success means to you, there is no doubt that successful women have something incredible to teach us all.
Women who are successful are simply those women with successful habits, dedicated routines, self-discipline, strong self-awareness, commitment and intention. But perhaps the most important trait they possess is self-love and self-belief. They truly honour themselves, their ideas, and most of all they know that their one precious life is there to be lived and enjoyed.
Successful women take full responsibility for their life. They are not waiting for a knight in shining armour to come save them, they are their own hero in the story of their life.
Remember you are always in control, you have the power and choice to choose your life and how you live it.
Honestly, the possibilities are truly endless.
Even if you choose just one of these habits, you will have already taken a leap of faith into a life that is going to serve you well. Why not try and see what happens. What have you got to lose?
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit”.
Aristotle
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