It's mid January. Far enough in to the new year that some people have already fallen off the band wagon on their new year resolutions. If you're one of them, commiserations. Just know this: you aren't alone. I resolved late last year that I was going to write in a...
On Sunday I decided to ‘show up’ at the starting line for the Melbourne half-marathon (21 kms, 13 miles). I’d been on the fence about whether to go ahead with it as, in between all my recent travels, I’d fallen off the rails with my training. But show up I did with...
We are all creatures of habit. The challenge is to create habits of thought and behavior that fuel our success and happiness, not stifle it. Indulge me for just a moment before reading further. Just cross your arms and once you have, uncross them and re-cross them the...
I’ve just spent the last week travelling around Australia speaking at different conferences, including one with Business Chicks at Uluru in Australia's outback (I posted some pics to Facebook yesterday - it was pretty spectacular!) A common thread that weaves through...
Sir Richard Branson is a man I’ve admired as long as I remember. His books – jammed with stories of his entrepreneurial exploits and intrepid adventures on earth, sky and space – sit atop my bookshelves, their pages underlined with insights on taking risks, managing...
• Stay or go? • Expand or consolidate? • Rent or buy? • Have a baby or get more sleep? • Wait or act? • Say nothing or speak up? • Android or iPhone? It’s long been said that any decision is better than no decision at all. But decisiveness, like so many admired...
A woman recently came up to me after a talk to tell me how miserable she is in her job. "But it's been impossible for me to get a new job," she said "There's just nothing out there. Absolutely nothing." While I had no way to validate her situation my strong sense was...
I’ve made it a focus of my life to teach others how to be braver. Courage and bravery aren’t fixed qualities about yourself that can’t be changed. Much like building muscle, you can learn to have more courage and build your “bravery muscles.” Just imagine in your own...
"It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen,” said British singer Sam Smith, who just landed the trifecta at this years Grammy's with best record of the year, best song of the year and best new artist! It...
So early this morning I kissed my sixteen-year-old son Lachlan goodbye. He has left our nest; he has spread his wings. Despite steeling myself for months for this moment, it didn’t lessen the wrench on my heart as I waved him goodbye. I am not worried about Lachlan...
Perhaps your Facebook status updates reflect what’s really going on in your life. However if not, then I encourage you to be more courageous in connecting with those around you, dropping your guard, letting go the need to show you’ve got it all together, and sharing how you really are (i.e., the stuff you might never post on Facebook). While our fears drive us to avoid situations that put us at risk of rejection or ridicule or criticism, only when we have the courage to do just that can we forge the rich, and incredibly rewarding relationships that help to buoy us over life’s bigger waves, and retain our sense of humour as we go.
We all like to be liked. Nothing wrong with that. But too often we let what OTHERS think matter more than what WE think. Next time you find yourself at a moment of indecision, ask yourself what you would do if you had didn’t need to impress or be liked; if you were being really courageous.
Like Sandberg, since as young as I can remember I was called bossy. As a big sister of seven, I was forever telling (i.e. assertively coaching) my siblings what they needed to do, and not letting them off the hook until they did it (i.e. managing accountability.) Then as one of only fifteen students in a small rural Australian school, my assertive streak only grew stronger. Those who knew me could count on me to take charge. When they called me bossy, it felt more like a compliment than criticism.
To create a more equitable world, a more just world and a more peaceful world, everyone of us has to do our individual part. We can’t rely on policy makers, politicians and corporate power brokers. We have to do our own bit, in our own way, to challenge and change that which we know could be better. And doing that will always call for courage.
We live in an era of entitlement, blame and finger pointing. Too few people are willing to take responsibility for the state of their lives, too many are happy to lay it at the feet of others. Only when you own your power to affect change, can you ever create the life you truly want. It begins by taking a good hard look in the mirror and owning how your choices have shaped your reality.
The old adage “It’s not what you know, but who you know” no longer holds true. Nowadays, it’s not what you know, nor who you know – it’s who knows what you know.” Tooting your horn is about strategically building your ‘personal brand’ to ensure that those who can help you accomplish more in your career, know not just who you are, but the value you have (and want) to contribute. Failing to toot your horn – with the right people, in the right way, and at the right time – doesn’t serve anyone.
While speaking at a conference in Shanghai recently, I got to meet many women from around the globe. Smart women. Hard-working women. Women aspiring to do more, be more and lead more. Women who also sometimes doubt whether they can.
BUT HERE’S THE DEAL: We women cannot achieve what we’re capable of doing by staying safe in our comfort zone. The common thread that binds the most powerful women is their willingness to take risks, to speak up and to take action in the presence of doubt and uncertainty, rather than stick to a safer path.
While the future may be looking very uncertain for Nigella, one thing is not. That the pain in her private life is now in the public domain and that millions are cheering her on to be the strong woman we’ve always seen her to be – not just in the kitchen, but in her life beyond it.
When we’re willing to step outside our emotional comfort zone, and become vulnerable to what we fear, we discover that most our fears are either exaggerated or unfounded, and that we are far braver than we thought ourselves to be. Not only that, whole new worlds up opportunity open up in the process.
Tomorrow morning I am speaking at an International Women's Day breakfast hosted by a leading Australian bank. As I start to prepare my notes I can't help but still feel dismayed at the state of play for women globally here in the 21st Century. Whatever data you look...
