As a wise woman once said, “It Takes A Village.”
Every woman has hopes and dreams; but sometimes, despite our best intentions, no matter how many classes we take, books we read, intentions we set, or even our firm belief in our “self” we struggle to manifest our greatest desire.
When life gets in the way, who do you turn to for confirmation that you are being heard, that you are loved, that your passions matter or that YOU matter?
This is when your “village” can help. Your village can be as simple as a girlfriend who is always available to talk, to a group of women who stand behind you, encouraging you, promoting you, partnering with you and encouraging you. There is a sisterhood among women that is as powerful as nature itself.
Google “sisterhood” and you will find over 3,120,000 results; that sends a powerful message that women everywhere understand the value of being part of a village. The most important thing to remember is that you do not have to face your challenges alone.
It all starts with “YOU” – you must be willing to take the first steps towards finding the village filled with like-minded women who have the potential to hold a bigger vision for you than you hold for yourself when life is pressing you down.
As you are taking those steps, remember to:
- Smile
- Be Grateful
- Give Hugs
- Give Love
- List your Successes
- Appreciate the small things in life
- Improve your Health
- Face your FEARS
- Get out of the House
- Know your “SELF”
Smiles are contagious. When you smile, others will smile with you. When you teach yourself the habit of smiling, it will change your entire focus. If you tend to feel depression, simply practice your smile!
What are you grateful for? Too often we tend to concentrate on what we “don’t” have rather than what we do have. It goes without saying that any time we feel lack in our life, there is always someone who is worse off. Knowing this, how can you start to look at the little things in your life and feel gratitude? Life is all about choices; we can choose to be ungrateful or we can choose to look around us and be grateful for what we have.
Human beings thrive on the power of touch. Much like a baby who cries to be comforted, as adults we often overlook the importance of touch. A hug, a massage, or even a shoulder to cry on (literally) can lead to feelings of appreciation.
Often times when we think of “love” we think of the love we give to others but forget the importance of self-love. How do you show love to yourself? In our often hectic life we are always doing for others, giving to others, keeping commitments we made to others. Putting your “self” first is self-preserving. If you are worn out, stressed, fatigued or overwhelmed with the amount of energy you spend giving to others, how can you make the love you give to others secondhand, by learning to experience “your love” first?
Everyone has successes in his or her life and too often we are so busy running after the thing that we feel we “need” to do that we forget to give ourselves credit for the things we have already done. Think back to the goals you set for yourself and remember how you reached them. Once reached, what did you do to celebrate these milestones? Once you celebrate the milestones, what do you do to remember these milestones?
In our very hectic world, we often forget to stop and watch a sunset, marvel at a child’s face during play, appreciate the smile of your loved one, give thanks for our health, feel the sun on our face, meditate, give thanks for the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food on our plates. There are so many things we can give thanks for in any given moment.
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the level of your health? If it is less than a 10, what can you do to make it a 10? What should you be doing “less” of, and what should you be doing “more” of to reach your health goals?
F.E.A.R = False Evidence Appearing Real – what are you afraid of, how is it holding you back and how is the fear and being held back from your true potential serving your highest good? Most fears are built from limiting beliefs and old habits. How can you change these beliefs and create new habits to rid yourself of the fears that are holding you back? You have the power to choose to move from pain, paralysis, and even depression to power, energy and happiness in your life.
Change your environment; if you always eat in the cafeteria at work, consider eating outside. If you work from home, give yourself permission to go outside for a walk midway through your day. If you work from home (or have a brick and mortar business that keeps you confined, how can you leave that environment and surround yourself with positive, motivated, uplifting thinking people? No one woman arrives at success alone; there is always someone there, a friend, a coworker, a mentor, a coach, cheering her on to success. Find a way to step outside of your everyday environment and seek this energy opportunity.
I believe that every woman who reads this message will take away something unique to her way of thinking. If something in this article gave you pause for thought, please feel free to share it with a woman in your village. Whatever you learned, you have the opportunity to pay it forward and cause a ripple of happiness in the life or lives of others.
Guest Writer: Nancy Mueller
My Mission: To encourage women to improve their health, value their “self” and increase their wealth. I accomplish this by strategically partnering with women who are experts in their field and want to share their stories. Sharing my message to empower women resulted in my decision to write my first book titled Chocolate or Vanilla, Life Is All About Choices. Connect with Nancy at www.nancymuellerglobal.com