~by Maria Marc~
Time and again we are living scripts written by other people and we forget to listen to our inner voice. This makes us insecure, unhappy and in many occasions overweight.
Thousands of women are suffering from lack of empowerment, yet only some of them dare to choose a new path towards a life of passion, power and purpose.
It all starts with trusting yourself, and listening to your inner voice. Once you reach that breaking point, you can make better choices, collecting data through experiences, so you can best assess and execute the major decisions in your life.
Lao Tzu said: “At the center of your being you have the answer,
you know who you are and you know what you want”.
Following your inner voice, as the road to a mindful life, might sound a bit idealistic, yet it takes real strength and courage to make the leap. So, what is mindful living all about? I would call it the perfect balance between body and mind, stemming simply from the choices you make and the habits you create.
Taking ownership of your own life is totally up to you.
Ex FBI agent LaRae Quy teaches mental toughness as a tool to help women leaders make the best out of their time and energy.
Her teachings are encompassed in tips on how to develop a strong mind:
- Mental toughness requires Emotional Intelligence; identify your emotional hotspots.
- Put yourself under surveillance; identify situations that influence your attitude and behavior.
- Cultivate curiosity about life; emotionally intelligent leaders can pinpoint what motivates positive behavior because they are curious.
- Develop gratitude as a power emotion; gratitude takes openness and the willingness to set your ego aside.
- Remain feminine in all circumstances; it’s a sign of strength.
- Strong women find meaning in their own stories and experiences.
- Listen to what others have to say; it’s the hallmark of an emotionally intelligent leader.
- Build and develop relationships; understand people’s needs, desires, and fears.
- Show respect for others.
- Tact requires that you think before you open your mouth; engage in a way that is meaningful and productive.
- Find five positive thoughts to counter one negative thought; it helps us overcome setbacks.
- Reflect on each positive thought for 20 seconds; savor these experiences by letting them soak into both your mind and body.
- Keep ego in check.
- Summon courage; it takes courage to move out of your comfort zone and into your zone of discomfort, where you feel awkward, clumsy, and alone. It takes courage and mental toughness to continually move in the direction of your biggest goals and ambitions and not stop at success.
- Avoid stagnation; learning something new brings us into a discomfort zone, yet choosing not to learn we risk stagnation.
- Enlarge your core competency; place yourself in situations beyond your core competency so you can be better prepared to deal with the unknown in life and business.
- Stop using the word NO; it releases dozen of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters.
- Success is not about being male or female; it’s about winning or loosing. Be savvy enough to make the difference between what can cause you harm and what is merely inconvenient.
- Stop expecting special treatment.
- Train yourself to notice emotions as they arise during a normal day; putting attention to them during calm times can help you nip destructive ones in the bud when you are under pressure.
- Change the way you look at risk; test assumptions and challenge the status quo.
- Resist the urge to judge your emotions; learn to be bold and lean into your discomfort zone.
- Speak to yourself in ways that are positive; the key to growth is the way we talk to ourselves.
- Challenge yourself to be brutally honest; self-awareness, or mindfulness, is the practice of thinking about the way you think.
- Learn to say NO to projects that are not among your priorities.
- Find your optimal time; schedule the tasks that take the most energy for when your brain is fresh and alert.
- Fire up the courage and look obstacles in the eye; it takes courage to make a change, step into the unknown, or confront an obstacle.
- Embracing failure is the best way to learn; you cannot avoid risk without avoiding life.
- Successful people establish their goals, and then they break those goals down into small chunks.
- Look for feedback to help move you in the right direction.
- Redefine the meaning of struggle; accept breakage so you can cultivate growth within yourself, become more resilient, and open to new ways of living.
- Relax and remember there is a light at the end of the tunnel; visualize your success.
So, step back for a moment, let go of negative thinking, and say YES to honoring yourself and taking action towards what really compels you.
Maria Marc
Meet the Author: Maria Marc
Maria recently launched her own consulting practice, www.OptimummCoaching.com, through which she offers support in the areas of organizational change, continuous improvement and career transition.
Learn more about Maria: https://www.leadershipgirl.com/about-maria-marc/
Maria is a regular contributor for Leadership Girl.
