Month: May 2021

How to Ditch the Daily Grind & Go For Your Dream Life

Posted on by estherspina

6 practical steps to move confidently towards the lifestyle you’ve always imagined!

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Businesswomen & Female Entrepreneurs

Inspired by Chapter 4 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 


The Ambitious Woman: What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE!

This week I want to talk about the power of your imagination to make a new reality for yourself. Your most cherished dreams are not only POSSIBLE, they’re also completely ACHIEVABLE! In this article, I talk about how to move past your fears and any sense of limitation that is holding you back from getting to where you want to be.

Because your dream life is out there waiting for you to claim it.

1. Recognize When You’re Not Living for Yourself or Living a Smaller Life Than You Could Be

It’s so easy to get caught up in a life that isn’t of our choosing when we are busy surviving. As female entrepreneurs and businesswomen, we juggle a lot of demands — trying to make ends meet, building our careers, and providing for our families. When was the last time you slowed down enough to ask yourself —

Is this the life I want?

Is this the career field I want to be in?

Is this where I need to live to make my dreams come true?

You may be so busy that you don’t even realize you’re stuck in habitual patterns and a lifestyle that is keeping you from reaching your highest potential. You may even feel hopeless or like you’ve lost sight of your biggest dreams.

Maybe you took a job with more security but still dream about having the freedom of an entrepreneur, with the ability to set your own schedule and work from anywhere. And some days that just feels like a pipe dream that is far from your reality. I’ve certainly been there myself.

With all of our daily chores, routines, and tasks, it’s challenging to hold the vision of our long-term goals. But, the good news is, it’s never too late to refocus on your dream life. All it takes is a commitment to making it happen no matter what.

Give yourself hope by taking one practical step towards your wildest dream today.

This could be as small as purchasing the domain name you’ve been thinking of using for your business, contacting a real estate agent to scout possible office locations, or writing the outline for the book you’ve been thinking of. As ambitious women and career leaders, we tend to think about all the moving parts we need to put in place and then get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work and/or money it will take. 

Instead, take one small action and the momentum you generate will carry you forward to heights you can’t even imagine now!

2. Give Yourself Permission to Dream BIG & Don’t Limit Your Potential as a Businesswoman

Do you know in your soul what you want to do but feel the dream is just TOO BIG to achieve? 

Take a minute to ask yourself what do I REALLY want to do? Try not to think about the potential barriers, just think, if there was ONE THING you most wanted to achieve before you die, what would it be? Maybe you’ve even been dreaming about it since you were a kid.

When it comes to dreaming we have to go back to our purest intent, don’t put limitations on your dreams before they’ve even had a chance to be planted and germinate into a fully-bloomed flower. If you’re going to put your energy into something new, it may as well be the thing that makes your heart beat a little faster when you think of it.

One great way to gain clarity on your true soul’s purpose is to journal or draw. Try free-form writing words that come to mind when you think about what you’d love to pursue if there were no external factors. You can go general like “location-independence,” “be my own boss,” “have the freedom to spend my day however I want,” or be specific like, “be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company,” “have a successful brick and mortar bakery,” “create an online course that makes passive income.” You can also try drawing the blueprint of your ideal location or finding an image you relate to that helps you materialize that feeling of being on top of the world.

Use the Ambitious Woman Journal

to keep track of your thoughts and ideas while you’re freshly inspired.


The journal is a free gift with the purchase of my book, but you can also get the journal alone for just the cost of shipping here.

This exercise helps you narrow down your focus so you become clear on your end goal. It also opens the creative side of your brain and allows you to dream bigger and think outside of the box. 

And whatever comes up — I promise that dream is there for a reason. You were meant to do it. That’s why it came to you. You’re the one that can see it through or it wouldn’t have occurred to you in the first place. It’s your destiny!

Now that you have your big picture in mind, how do you get started without getting overwhelmed and giving up?

3. Take the First, Small Step Towards Your Business Dreams

What do most successful female founders and CEOs have in common? They chose to take action towards their dreams even when the path isn’t crystal clear. These ambitious women trusted everything to work out and, more importantly, they trusted in themselves to make it happen, no matter what obstacle arose in their path.

We all have one dream that stands out to us more than the rest, but how many of us actually GO FOR IT?

You may think it’s impossible, that you don’t have enough capital to get started, or that it will take too long, but if not now, when? I talk about the concept of “someday “ thinking in my book, The Ambitious Woman, and how it keeps us stuck in what’s comfortable and familiar. 

There comes a point when we have to say NOW is the time, even if it is a little scary and daunting at first. If it scares you, if the mere idea of it is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, you’re probably on the right path.

As Neale Donald Walsch said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” 

If you’re comfortable you aren’t growing and if you don’t push yourself into the unknown, you will never know how much your life could have expanded. Take it from one ambitious woman . . .

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin

4. Tell The Right People About Your Goals for Support & Accountability

The second we speak something into existence it becomes more tangible and, thus, more possible! Find someone you trust and tell them about your passion project. Soon, you will see this energy gain traction as other people bolster you up and help you to believe it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Another great way to start the ball rolling on your idea is to seek out collaborators and others who complement your goals as a creative, enterprising businesswoman.

However, one caveat here — make sure you don’t share your dreams with naysayers who are afraid to take chances in their own lives and make you doubt your goals. Some people will not understand and usually, these people are living smaller lives than they could be enjoying. Only share your vision with people who are also striving for more in their own lives, people who will encourage you and uplift you.

No one succeeds in a vacuum – it’s important to find your tribe and to surround yourself with other people who support your vision.

Try online networking sites like LinkedIn or Meetup to find like-minded career women, or join a networking conference like my Ambitious Women’s Conference when possible. Meeting other female entrepreneurs and businesswomen who are reaching for higher goals for themselves will keep you inspired and push you to succeed. And, usually, they are surprisingly accessible and nurturing!

When we surround ourselves with people that are striving for greatness in their own lives, suddenly our dreams don’t seem so unattainable after all!

5. When Failure Isn’t an Option You WILL Find Another Way

I mention in my book that my son David said to me once, “I fail to let myself fail.” When we refuse to give up on our dreams we become a powerful FORCE to be reckoned with. I’ve learned that even when the avenue I choose doesn’t work out, there’s always another way.

There’s no need to fear failure because if you trust in yourself to be adaptable and find creative solutions, you truly can get through anything.

Stay focused on the outcome you desire and you’ll be surprised at what lines up for you. Then you simply follow the path of least resistance to get there. I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction and your power to draw to you exactly what you desire and expect. So, make sure you keep those thoughts positive and watch as things work out surprisingly easy for you!

6. Get Advice from Business Books Every Woman Should Read

Dream to Destiny, by Robert Morris — This book, written by my pastor, is about believing each of us has a divine destiny, outlined by God, and that we have ten tests to pass to achieve it.

Break Out, by Joel Osteen — This is about “breaking out” from the feeling of living an average, mundane life and how to overcome the barriers to find your most authentic, fulfilling purpose.

The Ambitious Woman, my book including the 3 “DON’TS” that keep you from pursuing your biggest dreams, from the chapter this blog was inspired by. Get tips that helped me stay focused to succeed and read inspiring stories from other successful businesswomen. My book is available at a reduced rate on my website for a limited time below, I hope you enjoy it!

All Ambitious Woman readers can now get my

FREE BONUS JOURNAL

to keep inspiration handy at all times!

Order my book, The Ambitious Woman, now and get the bonus journal that accompanies each chapter for FREE! Or get the journal alone for the low $2.99 shipping cost here.

Keep track of your inspired thoughts in one convenient place and have them available anytime you need a little extra boost of motivation!

5 Empowering Mindset Tips for Successful Female Entrepreneurs & Businesswomen

Posted on by estherspina

Guidance from a Business and Leadership Coach for the ambitious woman who is ready to take charge of her career and scale her business towards greatness.

Inspired by Chapter 3 of my Amazon Best-Selling book,

The Ambitious Woman: What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

LIVE AN ACTION LIFE!

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs

1. Write Your Goals Down to Focus Your Mind on Business Success

According to this article, you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. This will help you pare down what you want to achieve so you can prioritize. 

What is your big picture plan? Start there and then break it down into smaller steps you will need to achieve the long-term goal.

We tend to be perfectionists as businesswomen. This process will help you stay focused on what you need to do in the short term, without losing sight of the end goal. Lower anxiety by getting all of those ideas out of your head and onto paper where you can see them clearly.

Once you do this you will be better able to make day-to-day decisions by making a schedule you can stick to. And this doesn’t have to be a boring process. Make it fun with a cute planner that keeps you motivated like one of these.

This will help you narrow your focus so you can level up and stay on track for your goals. It also grounds them in reality and allows you to see them as possible, not just abstract thoughts in your head.

2. There is No Such Thing As Failure – Only Lessons Learned and Times to Pivot

Some of what you may consider your biggest failures are just springboards to a better future. If you take the trying times as lessons and an opportunity to pivot your business instead of ruminating on what “went wrong,” it may open new doors of opportunity for you to an even better career than you could have imagined before.

I give an example of this in my book, The Ambitious Woman, from my personal experience as a businesswoman. When the recession hit in the ‘90s my once-booming construction business completely tanked.

I went from running one of the top 5 tile companies in San Diego and a successful upscale baby business, to completely bottoming out and having to start over.

I took my success for granted and it was a devastating time that shook my faith to its core. It felt like I had lost it all and I never expected I would have to start over from scratch after having two thriving businesses. I started selling solar pools to get by, which I had no experience with at all. 

Little did I know that this early experience would prepare me to be a top earner in a B to B sales career, as well as in a direct sales company. 

Everything happens for a reason, even if you can’t see that at the time. The trick is not to get stuck in feeling like you’ve failed or like it’s never going to get better when the unexpected happens. As a business coach for women, I know that every stage of our careers, even the scary ones, allows us to course-correct and get one step closer to a brighter future. 

3. Release the Pressure of Perfectionism and Take Charge with Positive Thinking

As a business coach for women, I know we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. It’s important to stay in the present and not to overthink everything too much. Most female entrepreneurs or businesswomen I work with beat themselves up if they don’t get things right the first time.

But, as the example above shows, you can’t always control everything that affects your business success. The 90’s recession was not something I could have avoided even if I tried, and the pandemic has made us all aware that some pitfalls are just not avoidable.

The only thing you can control is how you choose to react and adapt to unexpected challenges.

So how do you stay successful in business no matter what happens?

By maintaining a positive mindset and staying flexible. You will always land on your feet when you release the pressure to get everything perfect the first go-round. Stay open to bending with the times, practice flexibility, and you will always prevail in the end.

Success isn’t always a straight line to the top. We learn the most from our mistakes, failures, and disappointments. Sometimes we have unexpected twists and turns on our path, that is to be expected. You just have to be open to adapting and refining as you go.

Our ability to adapt and change with the times often comes down to one simple thing —

Are you doing what you love?

Journal your wildest daydreams and take some time to visualize every day what you would feel like if you were living your dream life. Visualization is a very powerful tool to manifest business success. Many successful women entrepreneurs and female CEOs cite this as a tool they have used to dominate their industries.

Studies show that visualization has been proven to lead to success in business. According to this study, 76% of business owners who used a vision board eventually realized the dreams they put on their boards. How amazing is that?

This shows us that when we focus positively on the future and picture ourselves winning, we position ourselves to achieve all the business and life goals we dream of.

4. Make Short To-Do Lists to Limit Overwhelm

I recommend writing 2-3 things max on your to-do list. This is less overwhelming than a lengthy checklist, which can just stress you out more when you look at the seemingly endless list of tasks you need to accomplish.

This way when you finish each thing and check it off, you will have a sense of accomplishment. Then you can create another short to-do list until everything is completed.

It’s easy to panic when we focus on too many things at the same time. Breaking it down into smaller steps helps a lot to keep that feeling of being swamped to a minimum. Otherwise, you run the risk of being discouraged when it seems you aren’t getting to where you want to be fast enough.

5. Take Breaks to Save Your Sanity and Stay In It for the Long Haul as an Empowered Business Woman

Where is your happy place? You know that place where you just feel “awwww, I can relax now,” where you take a deep sigh of relief the second you get there. Take a moment to think of where that is for you. I love to go to the beach when I need to recharge and relax to get my mind off things. 

Is there somewhere you are thinking of right now that heals your soul when you need a time out?


The next time you are starting to feel frazzled, put your work down and go to your special place to clear your head and get re-inspired. Nature has an amazing way of helping us to declutter our thoughts and gain a fresh perspective. Yoga or meditation can also help with this.

As ambitious businesswomen, we often work too hard and don’t give ourselves enough grace. We don’t acknowledge how far we’ve come enough and tend to over-focus on our “mistakes.” Perfectionism is something all overachieving businesswomen deal with when we are striving to reach the top, but we don’t want it to rule our lives and destroy our mental health.

When it all gets to be just too much, go to your happy place (even if it’s just in your mind) to recharge instead of giving up.

As a business leadership and mindset coach, I know how important it is to stay focused on action and to take responsibility for any challenges that come our way.

Grab a copy of my book to learn more about inspiring female entrepreneurs like Mary C. Crowley, founder of the multimillion-dollar home decorating company, Home Interiors & Gifts. You may be surprised to hear who her sons are and how she created such a successful national company despite many personal struggles.

Get empowered to take charge as an ambitious woman!

You can get your copy of

The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

1st edition, at a discounted rate for a limited time here:

I hope it inspires you to take action and take charge for the ultimate success in your career!