Stephen Covey inspires "Habits of Highly Empowered Women"

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Stephen Covey last week at the age of 79.  We've been fans for years and avid readers of his books.  "First Things First" is a personal favorite and "The 8th Habit" confirmed for us that we were on the right track with Soulspring Groups.

Back in November he inspired one of our most popular twitter-series and blog posts, the title of which was a playful twist on his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".

Seeing his book on the shelf one day prompted us to write our version, "The 30 Habits of Highly Empowered Women". In our post we asked, "What qualities do empowered women have in common?  What is it that sets these women apart from their counterparts?"

In memory of Stephen Covey, we invite you review our list and contemplate how you might accomplish your mission and leave the world better than it was when you got here.

The 30 Habits of Highly Empowered Women

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character...”  ~Stephen R. Covey

The 30 Habits of Highly Empowered Women

While doing a little dusting in the office, I spotted a well-worn copy of Steven Covey’s classic, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.  This book first introduced us to concepts like the “abundance mentality” and the “upward spiral”, launching us down a path of personal development and growth, and a desire to support other women to do the same.

Seeing that title again got us thinking about the habits of highly empowered women.  What qualities do these women have in common?  What is it that sets these women apart from their counterparts?  Some lively conversation and a brainstorming session later and we came up with quite a list that inspired our Twitter-series for the month of November:  “The 30 Habits of Highly Empowered Women”.

Each day this month on Twitter we’ve been tweeting a habit that we have found that all empowered women share!  Below is a recap of our list...

1.       Empowered women know they have a mission to fulfill. They think, plan and live in accordance with their life purpose.

2.       Empowered women set aside the stereotypes and instead choose to focus on being their best and most authentic self.

3.       Empowered women know it’s o.k. to ask for what they want. They feel deserving of the best life has to offer.

4.       Empowered women have an open mind. They welcome new ideas and often a change of mind is more like a change of limiting belief.

5.       Empowered women see fear for what it is, “False Evidence Appearing Real”.

6.       Empowered women spread love and kindness wherever they go. Their open hearts attract great opportunities and wonderful people to them!

7.       Empowered women make their own self-care a top priority. They know they can’t help others if their personal energy is in short supply.

8.       Empowered women show gratitude for all the gifts in their life. It’s this gratitude that brings them abundance!

9.       Empowered women accept the differences in others. We’re all uniquely different (and equally important) after all!

10.   Empowered women surround themselves with other empowered women. They know the support of others allows them to do really great things.

11.   Empowered women close energy-sucking cycles in their lives. They know what’s important and can delegate or even dump the unnecessary.

12.   Empowered women are clear on their core values and live according to them. It’s the only way to fulfill their life’s purpose.

13.   Empowered women live a life of clarity. They know what they want to create or accomplish and they keep their eye on their goals daily.

14.   Empowered women take 100% responsibility. No matter how difficult, they always have a choice, and every decision is theirs to make.

15.   Empowered women believe anything is possible! They achieve because they believe!

16.   Empowered women recognize when things aren’t working in their lives and make the necessary course corrections to get back on track.

17.   Empowered women commit to constant and never-ending self-improvement. Knowledge is power!

18.   Empowered women put more focus and attention on the positive than the negative.

19.   Empowered women are constantly challenging their limits beliefs. They often question “why” and “why not”.

20.   Empowered women live in present time consciousness. They experience each moment to the fullest.

21.   Empowered women are honest with themselves and others. By living truthfully they will have no regrets!

22.   Empowered women “pay” themselves first. When their financial house is in order, they have more ways and means to give to the world.

23.   Empowered women empower themselves by empowering others. That’s all we’ve got to say about that!

24.   Empowered women don’t fall into playing the blame game. “If it’s to be, it’s up to me,” is their mantra!

25.   Empowered women know how to say no. They don’t let feelings of guilt or obligation keep them from what’s really important.

26.   Empowered women never, never, never give up on their dreams and goals. They believe and achieve!

27.   Empowered women have a strong relationship with their Creator, taking time for daily reflection and meditation.

28.   Empowered women live in balance; mind, body and spirit.

29.   Empowered women go over, under, around or through every challenge until they achieve their goals.

30.   Empowered women spend life doing the “right” things, instead of just “more” things.

Of course there are many, many more qualities that highly empowered women share.  What traits would have made your top habits list?  Please comment below.

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:

"Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.”    

~ Shaquille O'Neal

Women’s Empowerment Tip: Kick Your Habits to the Curb

Habits, no matter if they are good or bad, make us who we are…and, habits, no matter if they are good or bad, can make us or break us. 

Habits have a way of overtaking our lives and as a result we find ourselves stuck.  They’re sneaky; silently creeping up on you until you’re hooked!  You may not even realize the negative impact they are having on your life until it’s too late!  That’s why it’s so important to be aware of your habits and confront the ones that no longer serve you. 

Identifying bad habits is as easy as asking yourself, “What am I doing out of habit that no longer serves me?”  Look to the areas in your life that cause you constant struggle or challenge for an additional clue.  For example, if you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck, your spending habits may need a review.  Habits such as eating the wrong kinds of foods in excess, shopping or eating out of emotion, spending too much time in front of the television, and most likely many more, might also come to mind. 

Once you have identified the habits you know you must change, follow these 6 tips to kick your habits to the curb:

1) Tackle one bad habit at a time and give your new positive habit 30 days to develop and establish new muscle memory.  Don’t be hard on yourself if you have a set-back; put any digression behind you and pick up where you left off.

2) Write it out; don’t leave commitments in your brain. Put pen to paper and gain clarity around the change you wish to make and why.  It’s tempting to skip this step but it’s extremely important!  Whenever you’re tempted to give up, this is just what you need to once again get clear on your objective and what it will mean for your life!

3) If the habit you want to change is an especially tough one, recognize the need for a step-by-step plan.  Just like when you create a plan to achieve a goal or finish a project, identifying key steps to break your habit will allow you to make small but steady progress each week.  Taking manageable action steps over time will ensure you have a successful outcome.

4) Habits are often prompted so it’s important to recognize your trigger (ie: If TV sparks a snack attack, stop the urge by eliminating TV time or replacing it with another activity).

5) Surround yourself with loyal supporters.  Let them help you and cheer you on!  Your Soulspring Group will undoubtedly be a valuable resource to you at this time.  They will gently hold you accountable to your mission and some members may even join you in your quest to kick the habit!

6) Awareness is key. Present time consciousness (PTC) will ensure you don’t mindlessly revert to old ways.  Don’t look back and don’t look ahead, stay focused on the now and take it a moment at a time.

It’s not necessary to remain a hostage to your habits.  A desire to change combined with a splash of will-power and the right support network, is all you need to change your life!

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:“The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”  ~Samuel Johnson