Stress is a real confidence crusher. It’s hard to feel your confident best when you’re under stress – this is especially true when you’re a working mom. As if you didn’t already know how stressful life can be as a working mom, here are some stats:

• A recent post on Mommifried.com noted that working moms are more stressed and spend more time multitasking at home than working dads, according to a study in the American Sociological Review.
• According to Fox News, a recent study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that women who reported high job strain and high parenting stress had markedly higher cortisol levels on workdays. Over time, high cortisol levels place women at risk for exhaustion, cardiovascular problems, or other mental or physical health ailments.
• A 2013 article called Modern Parenthood cited a Pew Research Center survey that said 56% of working moms feel stressed about balancing work and family life,

As a busy working mom myself, I’m sharing five of my favorite tips to lower stress and gain the confidence you need to shine!

1. Take a time out – for you. This isn’t the same as indulging in yourself, and it’s not like meditating, either. When you’re busy mom, it can be hard to step away from it all – even for a few minutes. If you want to lower stress – and thereby gain confidence – taking a time out is critical. Stepping away from a stressful situation for five minutes can help you regroup and return with a fresh perspective, or at least, a calmer mind.
2. Delegate tasks. For many moms, I know this might be the most challenging tip of all. Many of us want to give life – work, family, home – our very best, so asking for help can seem like a failure. It’s not. Don’t be afraid to ask your partner or significant other for a helping hand, and if your kids are old enough, invite them to partake in helping too. Try organizing tasks and then create a list of household responsibilities so everyone does their fair share.
3. Indulge in yourself. When was the last time you did something for yourself? If you can spend even 30 minutes a few times a week doing something you love, it’s a great start. Embrace one of your hobbies, buy something you enjoy, or plan a girl’s night out with your friends. Find something to look forward to! If you’re on a budget, you don’t have to go out and buy a Chanel blazer – some luxurious bath salts will do just fine!
4. Meditate. While there are many types of meditation, the idea is to focus your attention and reduce or eliminate the stream of thoughts constantly flowing through your mind. When you meditate, allow thoughts to come and go without judgment, and return to center. Start with just 5 minutes every day – you might be surprised at the benefits, which include a greater focus on the present moment, better stress management skills, more clarity, and a stronger ability to cope with life and all the challenges that come with it..
5. Let go. Have you ever stopped to wonder why you feel stressed to begin with? If you really consider it, you’ll probably find that you feel out of control, inadequate, or like you’ve failed. In reality, life is far from perfect. Start with the small things by telling yourself it’s ok the next time a stressor pops up. It’s ok if your daughter is five minutes late to her dance class or you forgot to mail your mother-in-law a birthday card. Life happens. Flow with it.

Each of the tips above share one thing in common – they give you the opportunity to release yourself from stress. When you feel more in control, you’ll finally be able to work on gaining the confidence you need to master all areas your life.

Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What makes one leader so successful while another fails miserably, despite great potential? While many factors influence business success, great leaders often have several things in common.

Successful business leaders often have a clear purpose, live their passion, persevere despite obstacles, serve others, and take risks. Below, I’ll delve into five of my favorite tips for business success.

1. Discover your purpose. Great leaders don’t just know what they’re doing and how to do it – they know why they’re doing what they do. Their work has meaning that goes beyond dollars and cents – it’s a way of life – it’s their cause, their belief, their purpose.

In the TED presentation, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, Simon Sinek says very few people – or organizations – know why they do what they do. Surprising, isn’t it? When you don’t know why you’re doing what you do, you communicate from the outside in. Inspired leaders and organizations – no matter what their size or industry – know their purpose, and thus, communicate from the inside out.

2. Live your passion. In his presentation, 8 Secrets of Success, Richard St. John says passion is the first thing that leads to success. St. John interviewed hundreds of successful people over several years to find out what made them successful and found that business success starts with following your passion.

If you’re doing something “because it pays the bills” or “it’s just a job”, you can be assured you’re not following your passion. Let your passion drive you, and the rest will fall into place.

3. Push yourself. Success in business or in any area of life doesn’t come easily – not often, at least. Don’t expect to get something for nothing – if you want to become a true business success, you’re going to have to work for it.

Pushing yourself can mean a lot of things. We all struggle with setbacks and challenges – you might have to push yourself past feelings of inadequacy or a lack of self-confidence.

Just because you’re living your passion doesn’t mean growth stops – push yourself to become a master of your work. Be persistent – push past failures, shatter self-doubts, and continually seek ways to grow your knowledge.

As St. John amusingly suggests, be a “workafrolic” – not a workaholic – work hard, but have fun working!

4. Serve others. No list of business success tips would be complete without this one – actually, an entire post could be written on the importance of serving others. In a sense, the foundation of business success is about successfully serving others.

When kids tell St. John they want to become millionaires, he responds by telling them they have to serve others something of value to get rich.

Authentic leaders don’t center on just getting rich – they embrace the entire concept of serving others. Serving others isn’t just about delivering a great product or service – it’s about being a good listener, taking time out to connect with others, and practicing empathy. Essentially, put people, not profits, first.

5. Be a risk-taker. Roselinde Torres, in her What it Takes to Be a Great Leader presentation on TED, says great leaders dare to be different – they don’t just babble on about taking risks – they actually take that leap of faith. “Are you courageous enough to abandon a practice that has made you successful in the past?” Torres asks.

We’ve all heard phrases like “that’s the way it’s always been done” or “why reinvent the wheel?” – if you want to be an effective leader, you must challenge the status quo. Even if an approach has made you successful in the past, you absolutely cannot become complacent.

Prepare to withstand naysayers who tell you your idea isn’t worthwhile, that it wouldn’t work, or that it’s just plain inconceivable. Your ability to think outside of the box and to confidently defy those who tell you “you can’t” will differentiate you in a crowded marketplace – and others will take notice.