Women and their Successes...

July 18, 2012

Chatting with some very true successful women friends last night, I realized, what is it that made them successful…..

An average successful professional woman, chooses the safety of who she has always been, and prefers to stay there. But the super-successful professional woman takes the risk to go against the grain and fully step into her greatness by embracing her own story. 
In my perception, the most significant success factor of all these women was their willingness to be authentic. When I say ‘authentic’ what I mean is, the turning point for each of their successes was the ‘letting go’ of all roles, behavior, and expectations that did not enhance and support their true selves. Trying to be something they were never meant to be had been holding them back.

Being ‘true to self’ doesn’t mean being crude, impolite, or unpolished. You are you, most authentic, when your identity, image, and actions are all in alignment no matter what the circumstances or environment. Who you are, how you appear, and how you behave all complement one another. You are living a false persona if you would be embarrassed to let one part of your world see another part of it.

I realized too that it’s risky to be authentic. You will be judged, ridiculed, and mocked. Most importantly, you will experience loss. You will lose people you think you value but they keep you trapped in an exhausting charade – with their expectations from you. You feel like you’re spinning your wheels because you keep coming back to something that doesn’t fit – like trying to feel comfortable wearing someone else’s shoe.

But no matter how safe it may feel, you don’t want to fit in where you don’t belong. You will know when you are with others who value the same things
• when you feel like you can exhale.
• when you do not have to be on your guard.
• when your thoughts, opinions, humor, tears, ideas, and interests are recognized and not demeaned.

It’s exhilarating to be with people who value you for who you are.
Either gravitate toward those who already share your values or define the center of your own group and attract others to it.
Being yourself gives you freedom, energy, and opens up your potential but the most important reason to release your attachment to pleasing others is this: not being “true to you” holds you back. It keeps you stifled, makes you play small, and prevents you from fulfilling your destiny.

When you finally embrace who you are and what you are meant to be doing, all the fear of marketing yourself slips away. Don’t deny the world the gifts you were meant to bestow upon it …. It is precious !