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3 Daily Strategies to Stop Procrastination and Increase Productivity

Posted on by estherspina


Read below to see why self-discipline in business is so important for success.



By, Esther Spina

Business Mindset & Leadership Coach

for Ambitious Businesswomen & Female Entrepreneurs



Inspired by Chapter 9 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

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


LIVE A SELF-DISCIPLINED LIFE!



Through coaching and mentoring women in business, I’ve learned that even the most seasoned businesswoman goes through periods when they feel unmotivated, doubtful, or afraid to take the next steps in their career.


Mindset blocks, including the fear of failure and wavering self-confidence cause you to procrastinate and lose the focus you need to achieve your dreams.



The key is not to get stuck in the negative spiral of self-doubt that keeps you from moving forward towards your highest potential. 


It’s all about committing to small daily habits that keep you on track for success. But, how do you overcome the resistance to self-discipline when it arises?


In this blog, I share advice for all businesswomen and female entrepreneurs who struggle with procrastination and daily distractions that keep you from hitting your goals. 


We all do it, but it’s time we face these bad habits head-on. The first step is to gain awareness of what’s holding us back.


All it takes is small tweaks to your daily habits to see positive change and lasting rewards.


Read below for 3 daily strategies that help you overcome your biggest mindset blocks to business success and start seeing improvements in your life right away . . .



AWC Training Session



1. Identify Time-Wasting Habits and Replace Them with Positive Focus & Discipline

Do you spend hours of your day on social media, watching guilty pleasure TV shows, or avoiding tasks you know you need to do to take your business to the next level?


As a women’s business coach, I know how tempting it can be to turn on the tube or scroll through Facebook, but did you know that people spend an average of 145 minutes on social media a day?!?!?


That’s an average of over two hours a day wasted on aimless scrolling that could have been put to better use reaching your business goals. 


And when one of our biggest excuses as women in business is not having enough time to complete all the tasks on our to-do lists, it’s hard to justify wasting that much of it in a day.

Try putting your phone on airplane mode and restricting your TV time to 1-2 shows a night as a reward for all the hard work you have put in during the day. Set aside specific times to answer all your emails instead of all throughout the day. Or set aside a 30 min block of time to view your facebook, instead of constantly scrolling throughout the day or evening


I bet you’ll start seeing massive improvements in your productivity in a week.


One real-time killer is being “organized to a fault.” Cleaning your office, filing papers, and obsessively reviewing to-do lists instead of working is not productive, nor does it make money. This is often a sign of procrastination and an excuse for not getting things done. Try doing these things after hours and NOT during set working hours to increase productivity.


One last tip — Take one day and write out what you are doing every minute of that day and suddenly it will become very clear to you where the gaps in your time are going.


Each day you have a choice as to how you will spend the precious hours you are given. The question is will you use that time in service to your goals, or in avoiding the things you know you need to do to be successful?



Discipline = Desire + Effort



2. Go From Big to Small — Start With Your End Goal In Mind, Then Commit to Small Daily Actions for Business Success


It’s important to know what’s driving you and the reason behind why you do what you do. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to journal about where your business goals came from so you can keep the bird’s eye view as inspiration when you’re getting bogged down in daily tasks.


How often do you ask yourself why you want to achieve what you want to achieve?


It may be to provide financial security for your family or to have more personal freedom and a flexible schedule. To have more control over your daily life or the lifestyle you crave.


When you keep the end goal in mind it keeps you focused, however, every big dream has to be broken down into smaller weekly, monthly, and daily goals to make it achievable.


Start by setting aside a few minutes a day to self-reflect — make a list of bad habits that you’d like to replace with small positive actions, and do one thing today that shifts that pattern.


It should also be mentioned that self-discipline is not natural to everyone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a choice.


We can CHOOSE to be more disciplined by keeping our bigger goals in mind. 


But even when you have a plan, know that every woman in business experiences unexpected setbacks that cause detours from time to time. That’s just part of being adaptable and flexible, which is a hallmark of success for all businesswomen and entrepreneurs.



Ambitious Women Supporting One Another



3. Surround Yourself with Inspiration, Support, and Accountability from Other Successful Businesswomen


Any woman in business or female entrepreneur hits a rough patch eventually, but it’s not a road we have to walk alone.


You can save so much time by learning from other pioneering women in business who have already been where you are now. Even better, you can build lasting connections and friendships that make your journey so much easier and more fun too.


Sometimes what we need is an accountability partner to help us get over the hump that is holding us back.


This could be as simple as finding someone you can check in with weekly that understands your goals and applauds your progress while giving you constructive feedback. It could also be joining a group of like-minded entrepreneurs to brainstorm new ideas and challenges with.


This is one of the main reasons why I started the Ambitious Women Conference, to get valuable insight, understanding, and encouragement from other female entrepreneurs and businesswomen. (Stay tuned for upcoming events next year when we can hopefully get together again!)


It’s important to keep learning, stay inspired, and be open to new ways of thinking. I am always reading new books on how to keep a positive business mindset and to learn new self-discipline techniques.


One of my favorite business books every woman should read is “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, by Stephen R. Covey. I highly recommend it for advice on how to be a successful businesswoman.


My book, The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One, contains stories of many of the female founders and CEOs I admire, plus the secrets of success I have learned personally as an owner of many business ventures and as a top seller in my direct sales marketing firm.



And now, for a limited time, when you purchase my book below,

you get the audiobook CD for FREE!



Hard-Copy Book

Audiobook CD


Each short chapter has its own theme and is a quick read with your morning coffee or an easy listen on your daily commute to help you focus on the day ahead.


Get yours while you can – 

this discounted price only lasts until the first edition is out of print and they’re going fast!



3 Ways to Stay Humble in Business & Why It’s So Important

Posted on by estherspina


Advice for Successful Female Entrepreneurs and Leaders from a Business Coach for Women




By, Esther Spina

Business Coach for Ambitious Women & Female Entrepreneurs



Inspired by Chapter 8 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 



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



LIVE A HUMBLE LIFE!



We’ve all been in that boardroom or meeting when someone’s ego has taken over and they can’t stop praising their own achievements. Their pride is out of control and no one else can get a word in edgewise.



No one wants to be that person, but how do we keep our ego in check and our feet on the ground as our business grows?



In this blog, I’ll share tips I’ve learned for professional humility and explain how it ultimately helps your business to grow.



As a business leadership coach and mentor, I know that humility in leadership is very important to see continued success. Read below for 3 ways to keep your feet on the ground and maintain the respect of your teammates and business partners.




1. Humble Leaders Give Credit to Others Where It’s Due



In my book, I mention that no one becomes successful alone. Even the most successful female entrepreneurs and CEOs have a team of people behind them supporting their vision. So, when we reach our milestones of success, it’s important to acknowledge the other people who helped us get there. 



This can be as simple as buying lunch for your support staff when you hit that once elusive goal. It can be acknowledging your go-to person in the next meeting to show them how much you appreciate their efforts. Or it can mean giving an unexpected bonus to someone whose hard work was crucial to achieving your desired outcome. 



Humility in leadership means you don’t take all the credit for your wins.



Humble leaders listen more, which ultimately leads to business growth when the trusted feedback of other team members is taken into consideration. No one makes it big by living in a silo and ignoring trusted opinions and feedback.



As businesswomen and female entrepreneurs, we are all better off when we get different perspectives to make our business decisions as informed as possible.



Strong, humble, ambitious women uniting at the AWC to learn and support one another.



This article by Forbes mentions a study that found that “humility in CEOs led to higher-performing leadership teams, increased collaboration and cooperation and flexibility in developing strategies,” all of which leads to more success in business. It also mentions teams show more productivity when leaders ask for their feedback and focus on their needs.



Female leaders and entrepreneurs who are humble know they don’t have all the answers.




2. Humble Leaders Acknowledge Their Mistakes and Know What They Can’t Control



Do you have a hard time acknowledging when you’re wrong or admitting your mistakes? If so, you could be compromising your humility in the eyes of your team. You are likely also compromising your business’ potential for fear of being seen as a failure. 



Learning not to take perceived failures personally and to take them as learning opportunities is a hallmark of humility.



If you’re not making mistakes it means you’re not taking risks. 



This also means allowing other team members or employees to make mistakes without fear of condemnation or consequences.



That way you create an environment for growth and experimentation that is a breeding ground for success, instead of a place where people feel nervous, uncomfortable, and hesitant to share their ideas. This limits innovation and ultimately your business growth.




3. Never Forget Where You Came From as a Business Leader



As you gain success in your career as an entrepreneur and businesswoman, it’s important to remember where you started.



It’s so easy to become obsessed with getting ahead and to forget how far you’ve come.

Helpful advice for successful female entrepreneurs from a Business coach for women and author of The Ambitious Woman book for success in business.

Taking time out to be consciously aware of how much you have achieved and how humble your beginnings were puts everything into perspective and allows us to have an appreciation for all we have in the present.



Think back to when you first started and ask yourself — What fears have I overcome since then? What milestones have I accomplished? What obstacles did I overcome?



Reviewing your past wins keeps you humble because it reminds you that the road to success was not always easy. We tend to forget how many challenges we’ve fought through as women in business and keeping the past fully in mind keeps us grounded and open to learning.



If you want to learn more about female business leaders who inspire me with their humility, pick up a copy of my book,



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

Get either the book or CD for the low price of $6.99 each!



And now, for a limited time, you can share the gift of inspiration with a friend for free . . .



Get a FREE audiobook for you and a friend when you refer a fellow Ambitious Woman to our mailing list!



All you have to do is email me at [email protected] with your name, your friend’s name, and where to send the audiobooks. Each of you will get the CD absolutely free (while supplies last) with no further obligation. That’s how easy it is! 



Let’s grow our Ambitious Woman circle together. 



5 Tips to Find & Keep Motivation in Business

Posted on by estherspina

Real-Life Advice from a Business Leadership Coach and Fellow Ambitious Woman

F


By, Esther Spina



Business Coach for Ambitious Women & Female Entrepreneurs


Inspired by Chapter 7 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 


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


LIVE A MOTIVATED LIFE!



It’s something we all face as ambitious women eventually — how to find motivation and stay true to our reason for being in business in the first place.

As a fellow female entrepreneur who has had many different businesses come and go, I know how important it is to stay motivated, especially when times get tough.

In this blog, I share motivational stories from successful female entrepreneurs who have excelled no matter what personal challenges or difficulties they’ve faced, as well as some of my personal motivations.



1. Follow Your Enthusiasm and What Excites You to Succeed in Business

Oprah calls this “following your bliss” and I believe that when you stay true to what makes you feel happy and fulfilled it’s going to keep you motivated.

Excitement is a sign you’re following your true calling, which is a sure sign of future success.

So often you ignore what makes you feel exhilarated or hopeful. Instead you do what you think you’re “supposed” to do, or what “makes more sense,” even though you’re not enjoying it.

It’s important to think about why you are pursuing a certain goal and the real-life reason behind it.

Would reaching a certain financial goal reduce your stress? Is there a dream vacation that drives you? Or maybe you have a lifelong passion that you’d like to make a reality?

One of the things that motivated me was paying for my son’s college education. It drove me to branch out from commission-only work and pushed me to reach out to a bank that not only became one of my biggest accounts but it also paid for his tuition! 

When I aligned my business purpose with my personal goals I was able to achieve success on all fronts. I took some financial pressure off my family, helped my son to succeed, and helped my own business to grow. It was a triple win!

Your personal goals and your business goals should be aligned with what matters most to you. In my case, it was spending more time with my family, (the account was near my son’s college), and gaining more financial stability so I could have an income I could count on.


2. Pain Can Motivate You to Pursue Unexpected Avenues as a Businesswoman

On the other end of the spectrum, pain can also motivate us to grow and challenge us to level up as businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.

For example, if you’re not meeting your financial goals, it may be time to pivot slightly and look at how you can adapt your niche or modify your business in some way that would better serve you.

In my book, I mention how Nancy Brinker developed the Susan G. Koman for the Cure foundation after losing her sister to breast cancer. In doing so, she transmuted the pain of her loss into something beneficial, by creating a resource for change and providing support to breast cancer survivors everywhere.

Discomfort allows you to ask yourself — Where do I feel unhappy in my life? Where is there room for growth? What do I want to see change?

All of those places where you feel dissatisfied are great starting points for new opportunities if you look at them constructively, just like Nancy Brinker did.


3. Set Short and Long-Term Goals, But Be Flexible

As ambitious businesswomen, we all know the importance of setting both short-term and long-term goals, but we also have to give ourselves permission to adjust them as needed. As we evolve, our dreams and goals will change too.

Writing your goals down has been proven in studies to exponentially increase your level of success.

A Harvard Business Study found that only 3% of the people they researched wrote their goals down, but, shockingly, that 3% made 10x more than the other 97% of their MBA classmates combined!

If you need help setting goals and sticking to them, check out the SMART method of goal setting. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.” So, if you are in the 97% that isn’t writing your goals down, use this goal-setting method to get started in moving towards business success.


Remember, goals are just guidelines and they will shift as your priorities do. As you continue to grow, you may find that your previous goals are not really in alignment with your current vision and that is 100% OK. It’s natural for our dreams to transform along with us.

So, don’t feel bad if your goals start to feel outdated and you choose to go in a different direction in your life.


4. Find Your “Why” and Use Your Passion to Guide You

When you’ve been in business for a while, as a female entrepreneur or career woman, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running your business and to forget why you started your business in the first place.

I am talking about the BIG PICTURE of why you do what you do.

Not sure what that is? One way to find out what truly matters to you is to journal about it.

Take a moment of your day and brainstorm what is truly important to you in your life — Quality time with your family? Financial security? Location independence? Freedom to make your own choices? A flexible schedule? All of this helps you refine what your goals are so that they will be in alignment with what most matters to you.

When you focus on your deepest values, rather than a dollar amount, you’ll always have more motivation to do what it takes to succeed.


5. Look to Other Successful Businesswomen and Female Leaders for Inspiration

In my book, I mention how J.K. Rowling inspires me, but did you know she was a struggling single mother who wrote the Harry Potter series on napkins while receiving welfare to get by? Talk about a Cinderella story!

J.K. Rowling’s dedication to her passion project led her to become the first author to make the Forbes billionaire list. She eventually dropped off the list due, in part, to donating $160 million to charity. This woman inspires me because she continues to focus on her values, despite her success. 

Another woman I mention in my book is Tererai Trent, who overcame extreme cultural and political challenges to achieve her dreams against all odds. She is proof that there are no limits to what you can accomplish when you are determined and motivated. You’ll have to get the book to hear the rest of her amazing story!

To learn more about the inspiring businesswomen and female entrepreneurs mentioned in this blog, grab a discounted copy of my book on my website below!

The Ambitious Woman,

What it Takes and Why You Want to Be One


For a limited time when you order my book, you get 

the Ambitious Woman Audiobook absolutely FREE!

Or order the inspiration-filled Ambitious Woman Audiobook separately for $6.99 here:


Get inspiration during your daily commute and get motivated to reach your personal and business goals anytime!

How To Empower Yourself to Succeed as a Woman in Business

Posted on by estherspina

Inspiring stories of successful female entrepreneurs and women business leaders who dominate their industries in 2021.

Empower in 2021

Ambitious women

By, Esther Spina

Business Mindset Coach for Ambitious Women & Female Entrepreneurs

Inspired by Chapter 5 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

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

Empowered Ambitious women

LIVE AN EMPOWERED LIFE!

What do Bumble, YouTube, and In N Out all have in common?

You may be surprised to learn, they are all run by female CEOs! And we’re talking about successful businesswomen who are managing multi-billion dollar companies that were once thought to be male-dominated industries. More on the women at the top of these mega-successful ventures below, but the point is . . .

Female founders and CEOs are on the rise.

In 2019, 42% of businesses were owned by women, which is a 37% increase since the ‘70s. But, in Network Marketing, 77% of distributors in the United States are women. Globally that number is 76%. This is a great sign that women are empowering themselves to level up in all industries, smashing the glass ceiling, and taking on business leadership roles that were once thought to be impossible for women. 

Finding ways to stay empowered as female entrepreneurs and businesswomen, prevents you from getting discouraged and giving up before you’ve even had a chance to experience success.

In this blog, I’ll discuss some of the ways you can empower yourself as a woman in business and/or direct sales companies to take charge of your life and make your vision a reality.

Get inspired

Get Inspired By Successful Women Business Leaders At the Top of Their Game

Looking to those that have paved the way before you for inspiration makes it feel less daunting to go for those passion projects you dream of. When you see other women in business achieving similar dreams to yours, it suddenly feels more possible.

Fortune 500 reports that more women are running their top businesses in 2021 than ever before. Now that’s encouraging! And even better, women are breaking records in major executive roles. This article mentions that a woman business leader took over as CEO of CVS, which is 4th on the Fortune 500 list, and that the ”$268 billion retail pharmacy turned health care giant is now the largest company ever to be run by a female chief executive.”

Now 41 of the Fortune 500 companies are run by women, which is a huge increase from the year 2000 when there were only 2. 

Here are some inspiring businesswoman success stories to show you anything is possible when you set your mind to it and work towards it relentlessly:

There’s Whitney Wolfe Herd, who you may have never heard of, but I bet you’ve heard of her popular dating app, Bumble, which has had over 22 million users. As the founder and CEO of Bumble, she generated $162M in revenue by the age of 30! And, according to the above article, she also started the successful matchmaking app as a way to empower women, since it gives women the power to choose which men they want to match with first.

Another woman I look up to is Debbie Bolton, founder and CEO of Norwex, whose mission is to replace toxic household products with green cleaning solutions. Since 1999, Debbie Bolton has led global sales for this direct sales company which has an annual revenue of over $45 million! She is also known to be a kind and compassionate woman who empowers others, such as when she recently bought a plane ticket for a struggling father who couldn’t afford to pay for his daughter’s seat on a flight. Debbie is a great role model both as a business woman and as a caring person.

Women are empowering themselves in business and direct sales companies like never before and you can be a part of that wave if you’re willing to dedicate the same amount of time and persistence. 

Persistence

Being an Empowered Woman

Being an Empowered Woman Means You’re a Creator, Not a Follower

Think about Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone. She didn’t let anyone hold her back from her dreams, even though she had many challenges along the way. Amelia Earhart overcame many failed business ventures and financial struggles to receive the American Distinguished Flying Cross and empower other female pilots. In an era where the aviation industry was dominated by men, she had to forge her own trail, and in doing so, paved the way for many other women to follow in her footsteps.

It takes a pioneering spirit like hers to set out on your own, with no assurance of success. Likewise, what sets the top-earning female entrepreneurs and CEOS apart from the pack is their ability to empower themselves and keep going no matter what. 

Early on in my career in sales, my mentor taught me, “Successful people do what unsuccessful people don’t.” I learned this translates to a “whatever it takes” philosophy.

I started out making 20 cold calls a day, plus stuffing and dropping off 250 mailers a week. But, those first, tedious steps set me on my path to becoming a top earner in my direct marketing company later on.

It’s important to have a vision, but it’s also important to get in there and get your hands dirty. Being successful as a woman business owner, female entrepreneur, or career woman, takes grit and good old-fashioned hard work at the end of the day.

Wisdom

Gain Wisdom By Reading Inspiring Business Books by Successful Leaders

One of my all-time favorite, inspiring business books is, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, by John Maxwell, which I highly recommend. He reminds us that there is no failure, only opportunities for growth and lessons that help us refine our goals. 

Another favorite of mine is, The Purpose Driven Life, What On Earth Am I Here For?, by Rick Warren. Read a chapter a day to empower your life and get clear on your purpose. 

I created my book, The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One, to help you move past all the fears that arise as a female entrepreneur or businesswoman. Completing this book was a dream of mine, one that I never expected to achieve, but it’s proof anything’s possible!

The Ambitious Woman

The Ambitious Woman,

Get inspiration and motivation from the successful female entrepreneurs and founders who paved the way for aspiring business women everywhere.

For a limited time when you order my book, you get the Ambitious Woman Audiobook absolutely FREE!

This is perfect for those who enjoy listening to self-improvement books in the car. 

Self improvement

The #1 Predictor of Success in Business

Posted on by estherspina

Read below to find out and get 3 quick tips to stay focused as a successful businesswoman and female entrepreneur.

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women

Inspired by Chapter 5 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

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

LIVE A DETERMINED LIFE!

I believe determination is the single most important predictor of a business owner’s long-term success. You could have the best business idea in the world, the most ingenious invention, but if you don’t have the drive to see it through the inevitable pitfalls and mishaps along the way, it won’t make it to the finish line. And the world needs your vision and innovation!

So, what does determination mean anyway?

Merriam Webster says the definition of “determination” is “the act of deciding definitely and firmly,” and, “the firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end.” Notice the common term — “firm.”

Practically speaking, being determined means you’ve made up your mind about what you want and are unwavering in achieving your end goal.

Not that even the most successful businesswoman or female entrepreneur hasn’t struggled with self-doubt or fear along the way. As a business coach for women, I know we all have moments in our journeys as entrepreneurs where we question whether we have what it takes.

Determination doesn’t mean a lack of doubt, it just means you keep going despite your fears.

In this blog, I give you three simple tips for staying determined no matter what happens in your career or business. And a lot of it has to do with goal setting for success.

My hope is to empower you as a career-focused woman to stay on track with your goals and to eventually reach your dreams! 

Below are three simple but highly effective ways to stay determined and stay the course for long-term business success:

1. Set a Timeline for Your Goals & Stick To It

One mistake I know I made early on as a  female entrepreneur was not setting a timeline for when I would achieve my goals. Without a set end date in mind, your dream is just an ethereal idea somewhere out there in the future, instead of a real concrete plan that forces you to set realistic steps into motion.  

It can be a year from now, two or even ten, but fixing that date in your mind gives you something definite to plan towards. Then you just need to break down smaller steps for how you’ll get there. 

Take a moment to brainstorm, how long will it realistically take for you to get to where you want to be?

Every business will be different — for example owning a brick and mortar store will take much longer than a virtual online store.

The good news is that, according to these stats on entrepreneur success rates, the number of businesses started by entrepreneurs that fail in the first year has never been lower. Only 20% of new businesses, in fact, close in the first year currently, and that’s a 30% decrease in failure rates since the ‘70s.

So be encouraged! This means, you are statistically far more likely to succeed than fail as a business owner or entrepreneur!

The above article also mentions that the #1 reason most businesses fail is not because the entrepreneur or founder failed, but because there was “no market need” for the business.

This is proof that if you stay focused on your goals and refuse to give up, success IS possible!

But as a business and leadership coach, I also know it’s important to realize that things don’t happen overnight either. As we know, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and impatience can also be a dream killer.

To be successful as a female entrepreneur or businesswoman you have to stay focused on the end goal, but give yourself time to get there too.

You wouldn’t expect a flower to bloom the day after you plant the seed right? You have to water, nurture and tend to your dream, but know that when you do you’re setting yourself up for business success.

2. Make One SPECIFIC Goal You Most Want to Achieve

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you put too many objectives on your plate at once. As a business coach for women, I highly suggest setting one big goal and working towards it. And NEVER giving up.

As Tommy Lasorda, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers famously said, “The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in a man’s determination.” And in a woman’s determination, I would like to add!

So, what is that ONE THING you really want to do? Once you’ve spent some time pondering that or journaling about it without restriction as to what’s “possible” or not, then ask yourself — why not? That big dream is just as valid as any other idea you have that you’re not as excited about, so why not pursue your ACTUAL goal?

Sometimes we talk ourselves out of the one thing we want most because it is “too big,” “too hard,” or we “don’t have enough money.” But what if you just said you were going to go for it no matter what it took? All of the rest will sort itself out when you get on the determination train and refuse to veer off course.

3. Network with Other Successful Businesswomen to Stay Determined & Focused

Not only does networking give you much-needed moral support, but it also helps you learn from other perspectives and allows you to stay positive, especially during difficult times. Finding a supportive network of other like-minded businesswomen and professionals in your field is crucial for surviving the normal challenges of running your own business.

When you expand your network, you’ll  find other women in business who have been through exactly what you’re going through. They’ll give you helpful business advice to keep you from giving up right when you need it the most. I know, as a long-term entrepreneur, how important it is to have a circle of successful businesswomen that I trust around me to keep me strong when the chips are down.

We all have those times when things are just hard, then we start getting discouraged and wondering if our dream is EVER going to happen.

This is why I started my Ambitious Women Conference so that like-minded career women could come together and lift each other up. I can’t wait to get started with these in-person meet-ups again and help empower women to stay determined and on track for success! Stay tuned to my new website above for the latest updates on these exciting networking and business woman empowerment events.

If you want to read more about staying determined, grab a copy of my book, The Ambitious Woman. Get it at a discount on my site here before it goes out of print.

Read inspiring stories of women who gave it their all and overcame great adversity to realize their dream business against all odds. These were determined, Ambitious Women, and I know you are too!

***FREE BONUS JOURNAL OFFER***

For a limited time when you order my book, you get the accompanying Ambitious Woman Journal for free! Keep track of your favorite highlights from each chapter in one handy place and reference them whenever you need inspiration. Get one for yourself or gift one to another Ambitious Woman today.

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!

The Greatest Gift To Give & Get As An Ambitious Businesswoman

Posted on by estherspina

5 Tips for Encouraging Others (and Yourself!)

Inspired by Chapter 2 of my Amazon best-selling book for businesswomen, 

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

LIVE AN ENCOURAGING LIFE!

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs

“I’ve learned people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

Did you know that Maya Angelou served in 2 presidential campaigns, won 3 Grammy awards, AND the Presidential Medal of Arts, without ever graduating high school?

Though she is now known as one of the most successful black businesswomen and female entrepreneurs of all time, having achieved much acclaim for her work as a poet, filmmaker, and author, there was a time when Maya Angelou struggled with racial discrimination and was barely getting by.

Believe it or not, Maya Angelou started as a waitress and cable car conductor before she soared to icon status through her steadfast determination.

Even seven years after her passing, Maya Angelou quotes continue to inspire successful businesswomen to rise above any adversity on their path to greatness. She is a constant source of encouragement to me and finding motivation through legacies like hers is something every businesswoman needs to get through the trying times.

In this week’s blog, I dive into the theme from Chapter 2 of my book for female entrepreneurs, The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One and go into how, by encouraging others, we continue to receive inspiration ourselves. Read below for a few tips on living an encouraging life. 

Tip #1: Take a Moment to Acknowledge The Supportive People In Your Life

Life is busy and it’s easy to forget that we are surrounded by amazing friends and family who support us and help us make important decisions as businesswomen. Being a female CEO or entrepreneur is not an easy road, but by surrounding ourselves with people who believe in us and nurture our dreams, including other successful businesswomen, we soar to higher heights than we can realize alone.

Who supports and encourages you when you need it the most?

I’m sure as you’re reading this you have one or two people coming to mind already. Think of those people, maybe other businesswomen or caring family members/partners who are there for you when you need it the most.

Now ask yourself this — when was the last time you reached out to the most encouraging people around you and thanked them for being a positive influence in your life?

In business and life we get the same kind of energy we put out, and gratitude is important in your journey as a female entrepreneur or businesswoman. It’s important to keep acknowledging those positive connections in your life.

This can be as simple as sending that encouraging person who’s always willing to help you figure out your next steps a quick text to thank them for always being there for you. Or you could take the extra time to send a handwritten “thank you” letter in the mail on your favorite stationery and feel the love as they appreciate your touching tribute to their encouragement. Little acknowledgments like this show those you care about how important their support has been.

I challenge you to reach out to one person this week who’s been influential in your life, or your career as a female entrepreneur/businesswoman and let them know how much it means to you.

Tip #2: Keep Encouraging Quotes From Successful Business Women Throughout Your Home As Reminders to Stay Strong

Take a look at this list of encouraging quotes from successful female entrepreneurs, and copy a few of your favorites down. Put these inspiring quotes for the business woman in unexpected places around your home, like the bathroom mirror, on your computer monitor, or by your coffeemaker, so you stay motivated to keep positive momentum moving forward towards your goals. I like to put them in places where I’ll see them first thing in the morning so I start my day off on the right foot.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day grind that we start to doubt we will ever get to where we want to be. The daily, conscious practice of re-inspiring yourself, by reading inspiring quotes from successful business women and female founders who achieved against all odds, will remind you, “I can do this!” 

Tip #3: Show Gratitude for What You Have Overcome and Share Your Lessons With Others

As leaders and female entrepreneurs, people often turn to us when they are down. When we encourage others we uplift ourselves, by acknowledging the lessons we have learned through our own mistakes and struggles. When we take the time to share what we have learned with others, we encourage them to look past their current situation and see the bigger picture. This is also a gift we also give ourselves, because it reminds us of the women we have become and allows us to empower other women through our hard-won knowledge.


Lending someone inspiration reminds us to be grateful for all we’ve been through. The next time another woman is struggling with where she is in her career or life, take a moment to give her some words of support or pass on some advice you were given along the way for how to become a successful businesswoman. I promise it will come back to you tenfold. Pay it forward now and you will always see the return in your investment of kindness later.

Tip #4: Be There For Others When They Need You Most (Even When It’s Not Convenient For You)

How often are you telling the people you love “I’m too busy,” “I don’t have time,” or forgetting to ask what they may be going through when you feel overwhelmed with your responsibilities?

The greatest gift we can give someone is simply our presence and attention when it is needed the most. Often this just means taking the time to be truly present and listen instead of rushing off to the next item on your to-do list. Encouragement can be as simple as picking up the phone instead of thinking, “I’ll call them back when I’m done with this next project.” We have to make time for those people that always make time for us and be there to support them when they need us to.

Tip #5: Get Encouragement & Advice From Successful Businesswomen In My Book, The Ambitious Woman

My goal in writing this book was to give female businesswomen, like you, the motivation, inspiration, and guidance you need to succeed in your career and live a fulfilling life.

I have gathered inspiring stories from other successful businesswomen, as well as my personal stories of overcoming obstacles in my career, from climbing out of the devastating recession that ended my once successful construction business, to becoming one of the top-earning women in my direct sales company. I hope you’ll pick up a copy of this affordable, inspiring collection of women who triumphed over challenges and rocketed to success to inspire you. Encourage yourself and pick one up today!

Speaking of encouragement, the following review on Amazon drove me to keep going forward with my passion to serve women:

“Esther Spina is one of the most dedicated entrepreneurs I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with. She does what it takes to achieve her goals. She is willing to do what most people don’t: 1) take action, consistently, and, 2) ask for and implement feedback to improve and progress. Esther is such an incredible representative for women as she isn’t thrown off course because of difficult times or challenges. She just keeps on going… seeing challenges as part of the achievement of her success.  I think what I love most about Esther is that she has a heart of gold and REALLY wants others to be successful. I love this book as it really makes you feel like you can do it too. Esther is on a crusade to help as many women as she can and she does it with style, grace, determination and perseverance. This book is a must read for Ambitious Women and those striving to be!”

This totally encouraged me! 

Find someone to encourage today and change their life and YOURS.

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 here:

6 Tips to Find Inspiration When You’re Struggling to Stay Motivated

Posted on by estherspina

LIVE AN INSPIRED LIFE!

 

Advice from a Business Book Every Woman Entrepreneur Should Read

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs

 

Today I want to talk about how to get re-inspired when you’re feeling unmotivated, and how to get out of that fresh-out-of-ideas slump.

We all have days when we get tired when we are struggling to keep the ball rolling and the wheels moving. Feeling overwhelmed with everything on our plates is very common for the female entrepreneurs and business owners I work with as a business coach for women.

So how do we find the motivation to keep going when we feel like we aren’t getting anywhere or it’s just taking too long to reach our goals?

In the first chapter of, The Ambitious Women, a must-have book for every businesswoman, I talk about how we can find inspiration at any point in our lives. There is no such thing as too late. And inspiration is always out there ready for you to discover and leverage to keep your dreams alive.

 

1.Think about what inspired you to start your business in the first place.

It’s important to remind ourselves of our passion and what compelled us to share that talent, skill, or service with the world in the beginning.

Once we get into the day-to-day aspects of running our businesses, (You know . . . the tedious social media posting, accounting, and email writing), it can bog us down and kill our original inspiration. 

Take a minute to write down 3 adjectives about how you felt when you first launched your career, whether that was a new business or a corporate position. Were you “excited,” “fired up,” or “determined” to succeed? This short exercise will help you to re-focus on your intentions and breathe new life into your routine by remembering that initial spark.

Write these inspiring words on a post-it note then put them on your mirror as a daily reminder.

 

2.Keep the big picture in front of you.

Make a list of your short and long-term goals and post it on your fridge. This will remind you of the doable next steps every day while keeping your biggest dreams at the forefront of your mind. It’s easy to lose track of the big picture when we get mired down in the day-to-day.

According to a study mentioned in this article, “you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.” Now imagine having to face them every day.

If you are more visual, try making a vision board by cutting images of the type of lifestyle you want out of magazines and finding inspiring quotes by ambitious women entrepreneurs. Paste these into a collage on poster board and hang it somewhere you will see it every day.

You will be surprised at what this visualization exercise will allow you to manifest in your life! 

However you choose to do it, know that having to face your dreams every day will hold you accountable for staying on track to achieve them.

 

3.Focus on your “why” and the deep reason you have to keep going.

Maybe you are a single mother and you want to teach your daughter to be an empowered woman through your example so that she knows it’s possible to be the next female CEO. Or maybe you want to share your story about overcoming with other women, so you can inspire them to live bigger, fuller lives. 

Whatever your reason is, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture sometimes.

As a business coach for women, I know how important it is to stay true to our purpose. That’s why I enjoy helping others clarify and achieve their goals.

 

4.Get creative inspiration from nature and art.

If you’re feeling a lack of inspiration, take a trip to your local art museum, or go for a walk in beautiful scenery. When we see how easily things come together in nature, it shows us that everything doesn’t have to be so HARD. As women entrepreneurs, we just have to take the next best step.

Viewing creative pieces of art, or works by masters in their field, can re-activate the right brain and reinvigorate your work.

Here’s an idea that works even during quarantine — If you aren’t near any places that inspire you or they are still closed, try the Masterclass app, where you can take classes and get advice from successful female entrepreneurs of all genres.

Get business tips from Sara Blakely, Founder of the Billion-dollar company, Spanx, and other experts in their field, like Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, for less than $200 a year.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing an Ambitious Woman Mastermind,

let me know by contacting me here.

According to this article from The Healing Power of Arts & Artists, not only does viewing art increase blood flow to the brain by almost 10% but it also fires the same neurons as the artist used when they were creating it, stimulating inspiration.

In this day and age, there is no lack of inspiration around us, even from home, we just have to keep reaching for that excited energy that keeps us going. And even looking at successful women entrepreneurs in unrelated fields can bring a refreshing new perspective to our work. It refreshes us to see things from a different perspective.

 

5.Identify your idols or mentors and live by their example.

We can learn a lot from women who have already “made it.” How did they do it? Valuable insight and inspiration can be gained from learning how others got to the top. In The Ambitious Woman, you can read more real-life stories of successful female entrepreneurs who accomplished their wildest dreams and the habits that lead to their success. 

And we don’t just have to look at modern-day businesswomen either. Some of my biggest inspirations are Nelson Mandela, who endured 27 years in jail to defend his beliefs, Gandhi, and Jesus, true examples of how to live from a place of serving others. 

We also have to remember the bigger purpose of what we are trying to give to the world. This is the legacy we are leaving for humanity. Focusing on how we are serving the world helps us overcome the mundane daily tasks that can weigh us down by seeing how we are really making a difference in our society and communities. Think BIG!

As Gandhi famously said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

 

6.Don’t forget to take breaks (and don’t feel guilty about it!)

As a business coach for women, I know sometimes the constant pushing through and striving forward can get exhausting and overwhelming. So often we undervalue stepping back and taking a break from everything we are dealing with daily. Resting actually helps us recalibrate once we let go of the guilty feeling that we should be “doing” all the time.

This article from the Harvard Business Review states, “Some evidence suggests that entrepreneurs are more at risk of burnout because they tend to be extremely passionate about work and more socially isolated, have limited safety nets, and operate in high uncertainty.”

Entrepreneurs, especially women, who have to balance the demands of their career with raising a family, face a lot of stress. In fact, according to this article, 41% of entrepreneurs feel stressed every day. We have to remember to take vacations, put work aside, do our self-care routines, and not give up when things get busy.

The alternative is we burn out and give up altogether, so don’t forget to take a day or two off when needed. Listen to what your body is telling you — if you’re tired and you can’t think straight, take some time out to recharge, your business and mindset will be better off for it.

We all have to replenish from time to time to stay sharp and stay in the game.

Go on that vacation you have been putting off. It will make you more productive in the long run.

 

If you are eager for more tips from successful female entrepreneurs, pick up a copy of my book, “The Ambition Women,” and get inspired by other women who are making waves and living the life of their dreams!

 

If you are struggling to stay motivated on your own,

email me at [email protected] to get help and support

from a fellow woman entrepreneur who has reinvented herself many times over.

 

NOW LET’S GO OUT & GET INSPIRED!  

Corporate Mom: Discipline and Determination

Posted on by estherspina

Sheryl Sandburg is the Chief Operations Officer of Facebook
and a working mom and wife.

img-sheryl-sandberg-holding_204909765218

She is also the author of Lean In: Woman, Work and the Will To Lead.  Over and over in her book, Sheryl points to something that seems to be missing in many of our daily lives:  discipline. Without discipline, you will never achieve your dreams because you will not have the organization and strength to move toward them in a way that guarantees success.

Discipline is not a difficult concept to understand, but it is sometimes very difficult to put into action.  The word comes from the Latin disciplina which simply meant to “teach or guide.”  Later, the word took on a negative connotation:  to scourge or beat into submission.

I prefer the original Latin meaning.  Discipline means teaching yourself or someone else to follow a pattern that brings success.  It also embodies the idea of choosing to improve and setting your sights on the future.

Let me give you an example of how discipline should work.  Let us suppose that you have the goal of running a 5K race and placing in the top 10.  Remember, the more specific your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it!  What does discipline and learning have to do with this goal?  Plenty, as we shall see!

First, in order to place in the top 10, you must find out what the top ten average speed is.  Are these people running a 15-minute mile or a 10-minute mile?  The faster they are, the more vigorously you will have to train to reach your goal.  As for running 5K, if you have never run before, it is time to start thinking  about getting out there and putting the feet to the road!  However, you are probably not going to run 3.1 miles your first time out.  How do you get from sitting on the couch to running a 12-minute mile?  Discipline is the answer.

I promise you that if you get up this morning, put on your shoes and walk 3.1 miles at a brisk pace, then increase your speed gradually every single day over the next three months, you will be running that 5K.  This is because you are disciplining, or teaching, your body to accept that type of physical activity level.  As your body gets used to the work, it becomes easier.

Be it your career, relationships or motherhood- It is vital to put a focused, diligent effort into what you want to achieve. Discipline is one of the best qualities to carry when leading by example.

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