There are many articles out there that highlight the habits of successful women. Successful women who have done well in their careers and their personal lives. Women we often find on Forbes and on company brochures. How do these women have it so together? What are these women doing that we mere mortals can emulate.
What are the habits of successful women and are they realistically applicable into our lives? The answer is that we can all be successful women in whatever we do. Success is not measured by quantity but rather by the quality of our lives.
I researched and read quite a few biographies and found 10 common habits of successful women that I have highlighted below:
1. Prioritize & Set Goals
Successful women will typically create goals, specifically smart goals. Smart goals is actually an acronym for how goals should be set. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time based.
Smart Goal
A specific goal is one that is clearly defined. State exactly what you want in language that you understand. That means that goals should be easy to explain to a friend or loved one who may unknowingly become our accountability coach. Instead of saying, “I want to make more money”, say “I want to get a new job at a bigger firm with more responsibility and hence more money”. This is a specific goal that can be articulated to your recruiter based on experience and current income.
measurable goal
A measurable goal is one that you can set milestones for. Say you want a new job, do you need more qualifications? Do you need to shadow someone, take a class, go back to college? You can easily say in 6 months I will have taken this class and I can ask for a raise based on my new skill set.
attainable goal
Goals should be attainable. Don’t start a goal that will not be easily attainable. I know for sure a full home renovation isn’t in my budget nor is it something I would be willing to live through. With this in mind I can phase out any renovation work I have by prioritizing what needs to get done. I can then be able to say, “In the summer the bathrooms will be renovated”. I have set a goal that is specific, measurable and attainable.
relevant goal
Goals should be relevant. Don’t do things because other people are doing them. If you have no need to do something why even bother. A goal should be something that you have genuine interest in and passion. Don’t do things that will not fulfill you specifically. Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean it will make you happy.
time based goal
Successful women structure their goals based on time. If you want a summer wedding then you should plan for a summer wedding. I’ve seen people have long term engagements because they lacked smart goals for their wedding. There was no clear pathway to the wedding day.
Dress for
2. Have Boundaries & A Strong Mindset
Successful women know how to set boundaries and stick to them. If we don’t have a strong position on something then we are easily swayed even when the issue is important to us. We become easy to manipulate. Over the years I have learned to vocalize what I want and to stick to my resolve. I have also learned that this comes with setting boundaries over who has access to me. In this times of social media we have to be more vigilant with our space, our time and our emotional health. Successful people set their boundaries and are firm about them.
Successful women have a strong mindset and with that comes boundaries. We should all work on protecting our space and being vocal and honest about it.
3. Disciplined
One thing I have noticed about the Oprahs of this generation is that they are not slackers. Successful women have worked hard to achieve what they have and it takes discipline and purpose. A successful woman has a schedule for the things that are important. Failure is not an option and planning is essential.
We should all strive to be disciplined with most aspects of our lives. Successful women are disciplined with their health, time, finances, and families.
4. Health Conscious
Successful women take care of their overall well being. It is important to take care of your body, your emotional welfare and mental well being. Setting time for physicals, dental visits, working out, relaxing, getting adequate sleep and being conscious about their health is important to successful women. Try to ensure that you set up routine doctor appointments ahead of time. You can take the day off and prioritize health care. It’s possible to prioritize workouts with these recommendations to ensure that weekly workouts are done for our overall well being.
Successful women don’t depend on other people for their happiness. Happiness is an inside job.
5. A great morning routine
A morning routine sets out the trajectory of your day. A successful person has mastered how to navigate the morning routine to ensure that they start the day on a roll. Most successful parents organize lunches, school outfits, car pools, breakfast and school drops a week ahead of time.
This ensures that everyone knows where they need to be, they have what they need and that everything on the list gets crossed off. A good suggestion for this would be a black board or planner that is visible to everyone.
6. Ask for help and advice
Successful women know when they need help. It is not a bad thing to ask for help and soliciting advice when we are unsure of something. At every point in our lives there are situations where we need to defer to others.
This may be at work where you need a colleague to assist with a project. It may be in your home where you need a professional to counsel with issues that come up. It may also be as simple as asking a spouse or family to help. Maybe you need a break from your new baby so a couple of hours or a weekend away may be exactly what you need.
It is not a bad reflection on anyone for asking for help and advice. It is the smart and responsible thing to do.
7. Have a good network
Successful women have a good network. What is a network? A network is who I like to call ‘my people’. Successful women surround themselves with people who elevate them, challenge them and who support them. Your circle is important. It doesn’t have to be a big circle and in-fact as we get older the circle gets smaller.
Your network could also include your mentors and sponsors. Find people who have the same interests as you do and leverage those relationships to grow.
8. Financially Savvy
Successful women are financially savvy. They have learned how to manage their money. They know how to save, budget and plan for the future. A financially successful woman uses the resources that they have to grow their wealth.
A successful woman avoids debt that is unnecessary. This is debt that is incurred on things that aren’t essential. Successful women follow the steps in this post to ensure they are financially responsible.
9. Determined & Motivated
Successful women are determined and motivated. They are go getters and are self starters. They will typically be action oriented, problem solving and proactive. To be this type of woman it is necessary to have a clear vision.
Vision boards are helpful with this or even sticky notes that serve as reminders and motivators. Successful women have vision boards and planners that provide clear direction on what needs to be achieved. The constant reminders are a great boost for motivation.
10. Resource to others
A successful woman is a great resource to others. If they are asked for help they are often willing to assist. Most women that we can describe as successful are usually problem solvers. They would not stand by if they knew that someone was struggling especially if they can help. They are the ‘go to’ people who aren’t afraid to provide tips if they have them.
Successful women take great pride in seeing other people do well and they provide guidance if requested. If we can apply this in our lives the lesson is to be a resource to someone where we work for example. It could be as easy as providing guidance to an intern.
