Move #1: Dump the Excuses, Purpose to Make it Happen

I’ve always been able to get pretty good jobs: I interview well, I have a strong work ethic, take initiative and am a pretty good problem solver. Despite the hard work I put in, I still found myself in a job that was unfulfilling and that failed to provide the challenge and opportunity I sought after. It was a pretty good job, but I was just bored. I wanted more; I knew that – I just had no clue of how to get it. Have you ever been in that place? Or maybe you are there now.

As a working mother and definitely as a single mother – there is every excuse as to why our ambition gets put on pause: We are doing everything by ourselves, there’s not enough time, money, support, _______ you fill in the blank. But the excuses don’t stop our heart from wanting. There’s a verse in the Bible that says “a heart deferred makes the heart sick.” It is unhealthy to put off and dismiss the things your heart wants – regardless of the reason. I’ve often wondered if the reason so many of us are depressed or tired is because of the energy it takes to mask and bury our true desires so we can get through the day to day grind that requires less and less of our true brilliance.

Here’s the first move I made once I reconnected with my own ambition: I read (or should I say studied) Barbara Stanny’s Secrets of Successful Six-Figure Women. One of the first ideas from this book that caught my attention was the reason why most women don’t earn six figures. It wasn’t education, lack of role models, or lack of skills. According to Stanny, most women don’t earn six figures because they don’t think they can. It simply never crosses their minds.

Three years after I first read Secrets of Successful Six-Figure Women, I am just shy of reaching my target. This book changed my mind, and once I began to think differently I began to do differently. And wouldn’t you know it – I got different and better results. It’s been a while since I read the book that started me on this journey. I’ll be re-reading the book to see what new insights I find and share them here. I invite you to join me and post your comments here.

Happy Reading, Dreaming and Move Making!