This international women’s day do something specific to change your life. Follow these 4 steps to success and you’ll be more empowered than ever before!

I love having a day when all eyes are on women. But don’t forget that what really counts is what we do the rest of the year!

Since 1914, March 8th has been the official International Women’s Day, a day when the entire world celebrates our gender. Given the persistent salary gap, I welcome any opportunity to bring attention to what we need to do as a society to eradicate the gap. That’s why I celebrate this day with this special video. It’s the kickoff to a conversation that the Red Shoe Movement community keeps up year round.

[av_video src=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93hHIYDvavc’ format=’16-9′ width=’16’ height=’9′ av_uid=’av-azl4t’]

This blog takes the idea shared in the video to the next level. So, I suggest you watch the video before you keep on reading.

International women’s Day Four steps to achieve success

In the video I invite you to think about what you really want to do in your professional career. And what is stopping you. It may seem like a simple question but far from it. I ask it myself every two or three years just to make sure I’m on the right path.

1Recognize once and for all that you can’t do it all

A sad effect of the ongoing debate about whether women can do it all or not, is that it confuses and stresses us out.

Women can do whatever they want but they can't do it all at once. Nobody Can. | International Women's Day
International Women’s Day quote by Mariela Dabbah

Admitting this will help you make peace with yourself. Choose what you want to do at each moment of your life. Give it priority. As the stage of your life changes, adjust your priority. Instead of trying to do everything at the same time, choose. And ask for help to fulfill everything else that’s outside your number one priority.

2Discover your long-term priority

You read correctly. It says “priority” and not “priorities.” Identifying what professional achievement you value most will enable you to focus on it. In turn, that will produce results faster than when you disperse your attention in several “priorities.”

So, if you haven’t done so yet, ask yourself these two questions:

What do I really want to do professionally? What do I want my most powerful contribution to be?

It may be a hard question to answer. More so if you are creative or have multiple interests or talents. How to decide what to choose? But hereby lies the secret of happiness and success. Only when you loose something can you gain something. And only when you stop doing something can you concentrate on doing what fulfills you the most.

Happy International Women's Day
Happy International Women’s Day
If you are really interested in exploring what really moves you, pick up a copy of Find Your Inner Red Shoes. You won’t regret it!

Once you answer these two questions the next step to achieve success is…

3Say “no” to almost everything

That’s right! If you don’t learn to say “no” to the activities and opportunities that don’t support your professional priority you run the risk of deluding your goal!

For women this is particularly hard because we are wired to please others and saying “no” comes at a cost. (This is also a characteristic of the Latino culture, so if you are a Latina, you face a double wamy in this department!)

Here’s a very unique selection of practical ideas to achieve life balance.

So for example, if you’ve decided that within five years you’ll become the best financial manager of your company, you’ll have to say “no” to meetings that are not directly aligned with your goal. Every time someone or something has a demand on your time, you’ll have to ask yourself: “Does this advance my priority or distracts me from achieving it?” Every time your answer is not a resounding, “Yes, it advances my priority,” you should politely decline.

Learn to say "no" frequently. It's the only way to focus on your priority and to see results.
International Women’s Month quote by Mariela Dabbah

And there are many ways of saying “no” without offending others: “I’d love to but I have a previous commitment,” “Let me check my calendar and I’ll get back to you…” What matters is that you practice saying “no” daily so you become increasingly comfortable and feel liberated when you do it!

4Moving into action

Being clear about your long-term priority allows you to ask daily:
“What is the most important thing right now?” Attention to the here and now enables us to move into action. And the truth is that just thinking about your priority and not putting it into action is worthless. In order for anything to happen, you need to do something every day that gets you closer to your long-term goal. When you focus on what is important now (an idea discussed in depth in Greg McKeown’s “Essentialism”) you will feel the peacefulness that clarity affords. And you’ll avoid the stress of pushing multiple priorities at the same time.

To achieve your success discover your inner red shoe with the Red Shoe Movement
To achieve your success discover your inner red shoe with the Red Shoe Movement

You can use the same 4-steps for success in all aspects of your life. Once you figure out the priority for each area you’ll feel more balanced and happy.

Take advantage of this International Women’s Day to do this exercise. I promise it will change your life!

And check out today the RSM Step Up Program if you want the coaching you need and a global community of professional women to support your goals!

The RSM Step Up Program. You Amplified!
The RSM Step Up Program. You Amplified!

Recent Posts

Leave a Reply