10 useful tips & truths for women on work and life

I come across similar themes across women from all walks of life I’m fortunate to work with. Along with my own personal development journey, I have collected quite a few insights to make our lives better. So today is about sharing these thoughts, tips or truths to give you little shortcuts to a better life, work and all. Let me dive right in!

#1 You will always feel like there is never enough time. And time won’t stretch. Your energy won’t increase. When you feel time-deprived, you get more stressed and overwhelmed. So make peace with the time you have, and switch away from saying that you are ‘busy’ or that ‘time flies’. My tips is to replace this with ‘today is another opportunity I get’, and ‘how can I make the most of today’.

#2 Change won’t bring you perfect happiness. When we are in a low phase, we long for change to bring us massive happiness. Our expectations run very high for that ‘something else’, and we dislike the ‘current’ more and more. In reality, things are more balanced. There are plenty of positives where you are now, that you choose not to see. There will be new negatives where you want to go too.

#3 Working lots does not usually pay off. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Your efforts that you feel so proud of (and should be) don’t translate into more for you. Who you are being at work, and how clear you are on what you want are paramount. The doing does wonders when layered on top of these two things, rather than at the base.

#4 You think you can’t stop doing something at home or at work without it impacting. A lot of it is so automatic you don’t even question it. There are always other solutions, but you will only see them if you allow some ‘maybe’ into your thinking. Review everything you are doing on a weekly basis, and sort what to keep, to delegate, to put on hold for now or to stop. Try and see the impact.

#5 It’s OK if you don’t hit the mark. If you don’t do well in a circumstance, or don’t get the result expected. Be cool with that, because really apart from a bad feeling the rest is all safe. It’s only in your head. When it happens, accept it, feel it and it will pass. Ask yourself what’s the lesson. Not doing because we are afraid of this happening is actually worse than taking action and getting mixed results.

#6 Other people don’t have it more sorted than you. You might think you have got plenty to do to get to where you want to get. We are all WIP’s. You, me, that person you admire at work, your best friend, that parent at school. You may have lots of worries, and things you want to change in your life. But at least you are here looking for ways. Get some guidance from someone who can help you, and keep going. Don’t feel bad or spend your time thinking about other people.

#7 You forget how amazing you are, and the power you have to achieve things. We all have it in us, there is no natural selection. And when you are pushed to it by life, you rise up – right? So give yourself some faith in front of your current challenges. You are more capable than you think daily. Look at your past for proof. Then use that evidence to move forward proactively. How nice would it feel to impress yourself once again?

#8 Look at where you are buffering, to avoid looking at what needs to change. It could be filling the time very nicely (doing deeds for others, being on your phone, organising all day, packing your schedule…etc.), learning new courses, saying yes to external events, shopping, eating, drinking. If the solution was in there, you would have found it. So you need to be willing to get out of the routine to create a breakthrough.

#9 Be willing and open to learn what’s not serving you right now. The thoughts, habits or practices that have brought you here cannot be used to get you somewhere else. It might not be fun to hear critical thinking, granted. But that’s OK to admit, and to use external people to steer you in the right direction. We are so used of taking charge and thinking we need to figure it out solo. It will be slower on your own, with the lingering pain. Get feedback, ask questions, reach out to your network, hire help.

#10 There is a voice within you that knows what’s right. You don’t often hear it, but it’s there if you take a minute to calm your mind and ask. It’s free and your best ally. Make your decisions from that place as often as possible, rather than after a mental race of thoughts in your head or asking others around. Your intuition is always available and never wrong. I didn’t say it is always what you want to hear….

I hope these little ‘nuggets’ can spark some thoughts for you, and inspire you to take some action. Let me know if you would like to elaborate on any of these tips. What did the above spark for you?