Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life? Wondered if you felt really satisfied – fulfilled – passionate, even – about your life? Thought about how to finally make that big breakthrough? Who hasn’t?!

How can you actually start making the BOLD moves that will take you to HIGHER levels in your career and in your life? In truth, there is no single, direct path to creating a huge breakthrough in your life, but these tips will give you some pointers as you’re on your journey:

1. Take a trip – outside of your comfort zone. I’m not just talking about travelling somewhere that you’ve never been before (even though that’s a great idea, too!). It’s not just your body that you need to take on a vacation – take your mind with you as well.

Instead of trying to stick with “the way things have always been done”, get out there and explore the world. Watch how your world begins to expand as you open to new ideas and new ways of doing even the most mundane tasks. Explore a new perspective, listen to someone else’s point of view for a change. You might be surprised how much you’ve been missing.

2. Push your boundaries BIG time. Most of us know what that feeling – you know, where you think you’ve gone as far as you possibly can and you just can’t go any farther? That’s exactly when you need to keep going. When you discover a boundary, you’ve established your breakthrough point. Change, real change, only happens when you get uncomfortable. So, shatter your barriers, think big, and take a leap of faith!

3. Make time to take time…for yourself! Everyone needs “me time”, but so many people think of this as being “selfish”. Far from being a practice reserved for society’s most self-centered, “me time” can actually help you come back with more clarity, more focus, and more readiness to rock your world.

When you’re busy all the time, you don’t have time to just “be” – and that makes it about impossible to be open to trying anything new. So, start by taking some dedicated downtime at least once a week to give yourself the space to think creatively, to relax, to enjoy a hobby you’ve been missing out on, to take a stroll in nature…you don’t need to have any specific purpose.

4. Find someone who inspires you. This isn’t about imitating someone else – it’s about being inspired by that person to motivate you in your own journey. Some people are inspired by a close friend or mentor, while others find motivation in someone they’ve never even met before, such as a public figure or celebrity. Learn from what has already been done to make your own life steps firmer, faster, and more innovative.

5. Ditch your old habits. Notice I didn’t say “bad” habits here. Daily life can become pretty habitual. Your habits – good or bad – might well be the shackles that are holding you in bondage to your current situation. Try shaking things up a bit – it might not be easy, but you’ll find yourself a lot closer to your breakthrough BOLD move moment.

“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.”

-Stephen Covey

6. Get started – NOW! Many of us let fear stand in the way of a major breakthrough. How many times have you made excuses like the ones below?

When the time is right, I will…

After I do this or accomplish that, I can finally…

I’m just not ready; I need more time.

I was going to do it, but…

Start now – from the place where you are today – and work up from there. Be open to fresh ideas; flex your mental muscles. Instead of quickly saying “no” to a new opportunity…say YES to the possibilities that await you.

Do you want to develop the self-confidence you’ll need to make a BOLD breakthrough this year? Be sure to sign up for my FREE e-series! Or, contact me via email or by visiting my website, BolderMoves.com, anytime!

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What does it take to finally make us take BOLDER moves? What’s the breaking point? What’s your breaking point?

In an upcoming blog post, I’ll be giving you some quick tips to get you closer to your breakthrough, BOLD move moment. For now, let the powerful women you’re about to meet stir you to make your next BOLD move.

In 2012, Fast Company named 60 influencers who are changing the world to what they call the League of Extraordinary Women, an “interconnected group of executives, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, artists, governments officials, and academics” that are “formulating groundbreaking initiatives and hacking long-outdated aid models by tapping new thinking and a growing data set that suggests that investing in girls and women will create measurable economic benefits for all.”

Let’s meet some of the women who are rocking change in the world today:

1. Maria Eitel, CEO of the Nike Foundation, recalls the day she waited anxiously outside a 2004 meeting where she would make her case – that that mission of the Nike Foundation should be to halt intergenerational poverty by concentrating on girls, with a prominent focus on bringing child marriage to an end.

Yes, Eitel was suggesting to Nike that they invest in adolescent girls and poverty – and not even in countries where the company had factories. Eitel proposed that they reach out in areas like Ethiopia and northern Nigeria – places where few will ever venture.

Under Eitel’s leadership, the Girl Effect was initiated, using Nike’s money along with contributions from prominent celebrities to reshape African villages. It’s obvious that investing in girls and women pays off – it just makes sense, right?

In reality, says article author Ellen McGirt, all “members” of the League understand that coming to the aid of girls and women is never so cut and dry.

“I was struck again and again by the empathic capacity of these well-off Western women to correlate their personal and career struggles with the dire woes of girls in far-off lands. Their urgency, their emphasis on making the strategic case, and their sense that the battle is never really over come directly from their own experiences.”
-Ellen McGirt

2. Laura Pincus Hartman, founder of Zynga.org, is a DePaul University professor of business ethics who has spent most of her career studying how for-profit businesses can “do well and do good” – in the most “unlikely” settings.

One of Hartman’s bold breakthrough moments came in 2009, when she had lunch with her brother, Zynga founder Mark Pincus. “What impact do you really want to have?” Hartman asked her brother.

Zynga.org was born out of that 2009 lunch, and it has a straightforward model: “It commissions special virtual products that Zynga gamers buy for real money, and ensures that all the proceeds go to an appropriate cause,” according to McGirt.

Talk about some BOLD moves: Hartman took the “silly addiction” of casual gaming into a “lightweight form” of crowdsourced philanthropy. And, she tackles real problems at a local level, working with people in need.

This is common of members in the League of Extraordinary Women – these powerful ladies are using innovative approaches to attack global problems – one girl at a time.

3. Leila Janah is the founder of Samasource, a not-for-profit that gets poor young men and women on the job doing computer work.

Once frustrated by the “bottlenecks” she’d seen in traditional development circles, Janah took matters into her own hands to found Samasource, now a far-reaching organization that has paid out millions of dollars to thousands of workers, matching them with work from companies including LinkedIn, Google, and even the State Department.

Speaking about Janah, Laura Pincus Hartman has said, “…Leila is an unbelievable human being who is running a company you want to be connected to.”

In 2009, Janah was named one of the Most Influential Women in Technology by Fast Company. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s been profiled by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Scientist, CBS, CNN, PBS, BBC, and NPR. She was also named one of Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, and one of the seven most powerful women in tech in 2014 by Entrepreneur.

That’s pretty impressive, considering she was born in 1982!

More Extraordinary Women…

Susan Davis is President and CEO of BRAC U.S.A, where their mission is to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease and social injustice. Their interventions focus on achieving large scale, positive changes through economic and social programmes that enable men and women to realize their potential.

An author, speaker, and expert in the areas of international development and social entrepreneurship, Davis has served on numerous boards as an advocate for entrepreneurship and human rights. She has been a senior advisor to New York University’s Catherine B. Reynolds Program for Social Entrepreneurship since its start, and she led Ashoka’s Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship.

Tiffany Dufu served as President of The White House Project before joining the Levo League as Chief Leadership Officer and Launch Team member to Lean In. Named as one of 19 “women who are leading the way” by the Huffington Post, Dufu’s mission is to “inspire women and girls to recognize they are the most powerful change agent in their own journey.”

Many will recognize Alicia Keys as a popular singer, but back in 2002, an AIDS activist by the name of Leigh Blake asked Keys to join her on a tour of HIV centers in South Africa.

Eventually, Keys and Blake co-founded an organization called organization called Keep a Child Alive in early 2003. Keys has spent over a decade strengthening her understanding of the AIDS issue, even visiting the field when she is able, as well as raising funds for the organization.

What Makes You Extraordinary?

You don’t need to be a member of the League of Extraordinary Women to leave your mark on the world. In fact, you don’t have to be honored with any special award or recognition – you can start changing your world right now, from the place where you are.

I hope you’ve found the stories of these amazing women as inspiring as I have, and that you’ll be motivated to make your very own BOLD moves in your life!

Do you want to develop the self-confidence you’ll need to start taking BOLDER moves this year? Be sure to sign up for my FREE e-series! Or, contact me via email or by visiting my website, BolderMoves.com, anytime!

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Napoleon Hill once said, “The starting point of all achievement is desire.”

You don’t have to wait for any particular time of year – the present moment can serve as the perfect starting point for you to set new goals or evaluate existing ones.

As you do this, remember to maintain a positive mindset and make self-confidence a primary goal for this year. You can do it!

Whatever goal you’re working on, you’ll discover that your confidence also grows with each small step that you take, each milestone you achieve.

What a way to kick off the New Year – goal setting and raising your self-esteem!

Align Goals with Your Core Values

We all have desires and dreams, yet so often, we feel “stuck” in the same place. At one point or another, many of us feel as though we’re running on a treadmill as fast as we can to get ahead – never really getting anywhere in the process.

When this happens, take a moment to check in with yourself to see if you’re even enjoying your job, the company you work for…even the field you work in. What about your life? Do you feel like you’re living in alignment with your core values?

In a Harvard Business Review article, Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers, the authors point out that “Effective leaders develop a sense of purpose by pursuing goals that align with their personal values and advance the collective good.”

Moreover, the authors explain that when goals are aligned with personal values, leaders can look beyond their present state of affairs to the possibilities that lie ahead. For many, these positive opportunities can be a strong motivator to finally take action despite doubts and insecurities.

Why You Need to Set Clear Goals

Success breeds confidence.
-Beryl Markham

How clear are your goals…really? People who have achieved great success usually set very clear objectives along the way. Think about it – how can you achieve a goal that isn’t very clear?

Setting goals with a laser focus establishes the foundation for your success – and allows you to determine what your next steps will be.

When you consider a goal you’ve set for yourself, you need to ask why it matters to you. What does it look like – how satisfying is this goal for you? Really let your answers sink in – this will help you gain even more clarity as you move ahead.

Let’s say you want to get a seat on that next project or apply for a promotion. If this is really your objective, why? What does it mean for you? What does it look like?

In my own life, I can affirm that getting clear about my goal and the “why” behind it helped me ultimately take the actions I did to move my career forward in the most effective direction.

Don’t Fear Failure…Redefine It!

What does so-called success or failure matter if only you have succeeded in doing the thing you set out to do. The DOING is all that really counts.
-Eva Le Gallienne

Setting goals means taking charge of your life, determining where you want to be, what you want to achieve – and why you want to achieve it. If you don’t achieve a goal you set for yourself – don’t despair!

There’s an old saying that there is a lesson in everything, whether it was a positive or negative experience. When you’re serious about goal setting, you’ll learn from your mistakes – and turn them into achievements…building confidence all the way.

• Be realistic when you set goals for yourself.
• Be patient with yourself as you navigate the path to success.
• Reward yourself and honor yourself for goals achieved!

You may find that staying dedicated to your goals can bring even more to your life than the reward of a goal achieved – your self-esteem gets a boost as well. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll find yourself achieving more in life – and feeling better about yourself, too.

If self-confidence is one of your goals for 2015, be sure to sign up for my FREE e-series! Or, contact me via email or by visiting my website, BolderMoves.com, anytime!

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The numbers are in. A Stanford University/The Miles Group survey of 200 CEOs, board directors, and other senior executives found that while nearly all surveyed would be open to receiving suggestions from a coach, two-thirds don’t receive any outside advice on their leadership skills.

Why are so many executives not receiving outside advice? What do they name as the #1 area they want to develop? And, what quality in the company team do many CEOs rate the highest? Read on to find out!

Conflict Resolution is Key

In a Harvard Business Review article, author Gretchen Gavett asked the survey’s co-authors a number of questions about their findings. She wanted to know why CEOs say the area they most want to develop is conflict resolution.

The answer is straightforward: when a CEO avoids conflict, it creates a “domino effect of unproductive behaviors down the ladder”. In contrast, an executive who can successfully manage conflict has the opportunity to deliver the best outcomes. Therefore, conflict resolution is a dynamic, far-reaching skill that can aid the organization as a whole.

A Surprising Competency

What quality do CEOs value most in the company team? According to a 2010 survey of 1,500 chief executives, many identified creativity as a vital leadership competency for the successful enterprise of the future.

According to a Businessweek article, CEOs have experienced the “realities of global integration”. At the level of customer relationships, many organizations have discovered that their customers are more and more connected – but not to them.

“Against that backdrop of interconnection, interdependency, and complexity, business leaders around the world are declaring that success requires fresh thinking and continuous innovation at all levels of the organization,” the article asserts.

Creative leaders play a critical role by interrupting the status quo, seeking innovation through a change in business models, and driving decision-making. The result? A corporate culture that is more transparent and entrepreneurial. A culture that sees complexity as an opportunity – not a risk.

Why Aren’t Executives Getting Advice?

In some organizations, reports Gavett, a stigma may still exist about coaching. For instance, instead of being viewed as something that actually enhances high performance and goal achievement, some may still view coaching as “remedial”.

Many corporate board members grew up in an era when coaching really was seen as corrective – and not something that any CEO would voluntarily participate in.
Still, 60% of CEOs who responded said that their coaching “progress” is mostly kept private between themselves and their coach. Just a third claimed that details on their progress is shared with the board of directors.

In other cases, when things are going well within an organization, some may have the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…” attitude, making them less receptive to coaching.

As Gavett points out, blind spots aren’t as noticeable when everything is going well. Whether a CEO has been enormously successful or has many areas that need attention, Gavett says coaching can be a clear reality check for executives.

Conclusion

The Stanford University/The Miles Group survey found that almost 100% of the CEOs interviewed said they actually enjoy the process of receiving coaching and leadership advice. David F. Larcker, who led the research team, says there is a real opportunity for companies to fill in that gap.

And Stephen Miles, CEO of The Miles Group, says that it’s “concerning that so many of them are ‘going it alone’”. Even top CEOs have their blind spots – and can make impressive improvements in their performance when a neutral, outside party weighs in, explains Miles.

What do you want to know about executive coaching? Everything you’ve ever wondered is available for FREE in my comprehensive report, The Top 8 Things You Need to Know About Executive Coaching. Sign up here!

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“Success is a journey, not a destination…”

-Arthur Ashe

Ask a dozen people the definition of success and you’ll get a dozen different answers.

The standard dictionary definition is short and to the point: “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.”

But what does success mean in the business world?

To the businessperson, success is viewed in huge variations. It means something different to men – and something entirely different to women.

In the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, which started in 1971 and followed adolescents through adulthood in 2012, research found that gender played a compelling role in how the men and women defined success.

Men concentrated on money rather than childcare. Women were interested in “having it all”. One of the researchers, David Lubinski, concluded: “There are many different ways to create a satisfying life.”

How Is Success Different For Men and Women?

A Citi/LinkedIn study surveyed 1,023 LinkedIn members (511 men, 512 women) regarding their opinions on success and work. A few important facts stood out regarding how men and women think about success.

-Fewer women now include relationships, marriage or children in their definition of success.

-Men are more likely to equate children with success – 86% of men said having children was part of their definition of success, compared to 73% of women.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business asked 2,000 male and female business school graduates, “What is success to you?” Men responded: personal growth. Women answered: career goals.

160 senior executives were asked what success meant to them in The Many Colors of Success: What Do Executives Want out of Life? “The major indicators of success that emerged from this exercise were, in order of the frequency with which they were mentioned, family, wealth, work/career, recognition/fame, power, winning/overcoming challenges, friendships and meaning.”

And while the study noted that there is no universal notion of success, planning plays an important role.

What Makes Someone Successful?

Marc Chernoff has studied the lives of successful people. He found that they did – and continue to do – things that help them achieve their fullest potential. Here’s just a few of the steps he’s tracked in successful people:

-They create and pursue SMART goals – goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

-They take action – they’re not dreamers. And they’re productive, not just busy. In “The 4-Hour Workweek,” Tim Ferris writes,” Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is often a form of mental laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.”

-They make informed decisions.

-They avoid being perfectionists.

-They maintain a balance in life.

-They spend time with people who are like-minded.

Success Means Different Things

Write Oscar Wilde was asked how his new play was received. He responded, “The play was a great success but the audience a total failure.”

Perhaps The Many Colors of Success: What do Executives Want Out of Life? says it best:

“When we feel positive about ourselves—when we possess a solid sense of self-esteem—we do not need external validation for success. It is not really the events taking place in our lives that disturb our psychological equilibrium; what matters is how we perceive and interpret them.”

If the studies have enlightened us to one clear fact, it’s that success is personal. We view it differently – men and women, young and old. Neither is right, neither is wrong.

“There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

-Christopher Lasch

Whatever your definition of success, learn why building self-confidence can boost your self-perception and lead to greater levels of success and fulfillment in your life. Sign up for my FREE confidence e-series here! Or, contact me via email or by visiting my website, BolderMoves.com, anytime!

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