9 Creative Ways to Be Your Own Girl Boss
When you were a child, was your favorite insult, “You’re not the boss of me?” If you’re an entrepreneurial soul, you have every right to become your own girl boss as an adult. It doesn’t matter if you occupy the corner office or a cubicle.
How can you work it more boss-lady like in your daily affairs? It all begins with acting as if. Pretend you’re already the successful leader you plan to be, then follow these tips to take you the rest of the way to your dreams.
Get Organized
You know the cliché — if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you want to work it like a boss, you need to take control of your schedule like one.
Decide on one system of organization and stick with it. Nowadays, you can find a ton of organizer apps if you’re addicted to electronics. Alternatively, a paper planner gives you more space to write out your ideas. Whichever method works best, resolve to spend a few minutes each Sunday plotting out your week.
Develop a Team of Experts
Even if you have the mind of TV’s Spencer Reid from “Criminal Minds,” you don’t know it all. Are you starting a gym? Hiring the right team of personal trainers can elevate your services above the competition. If you’re beginning nearly any venture, hiring the right legal advisors can keep details like licensing and permit requirements from creating roadblocks.
Examine Your Motivations
What makes you tick? It may seem like a fluff question if your eye is on making your fortune. However, if you don’t love what you do, going to work will feel like drudgery. Examining your motivations frees you to live your passion — and money often follows when you’re living the dream.
Develop Confidence
People respect the woman who can walk into a room like she owns it. To develop your confidence, stop the negative self-talk — this closes your mind to solutions to the problems you encounter. Instead, ask questions and continually seek ways to expand your knowledge.
Learn How to Network
Sorry, introverts, but working it like a boss does entail interacting with others positively. Learn how to network by finding ways to help others — most people are receptive, and it gives you a topic of conversation. Don’t reserve your generosity for those with lofty titles, either. You never know what connections the janitor has. If they’re looking to buy a home, and you refer them to a steller agent, there’s no telling how they may return the favor in the future.
Continually Reassess Your Goals
As you grow and evolve, your priorities will change. Schedule periodic check-ins with yourself to evaluate your goals and your progress toward them. Did you hit a roadblock? Examine whether you simply hit a rough patch, or whether moving in a different direction may be best. Life is an ongoing process of starting over, not from scratch, but after learning from your mistakes and making necessary adjustments.
Look Forward, Not Backwards
If you ruminate on past events that you can’t change, you can fall into a negative thought spiral. Keep your eye on the prize and treat setbacks as learning opportunities, not disasters. Imagine all the inventions the world would lack today if Thomas Edison threw in the towel after his first few failed attempts.
Remain Calm in a Crisis
Think about the heroes we admire when disasters do strike. They’re not the people running around like Chicken Little, crying, “The sky is falling!” Instead, they dig in harder than before and find ways to rally the troops and rebuild. However, to become this sort of boss, you need to learn to manage your emotions.
- Focus on your breath: When you get anxious, your respiration increases. Instead, in a tense situation, practice 2-to-1 breathing, inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly for twice as long. Exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system that tells your body to calm down.
- Walk away temporarily: If a situation grows heated and emotional, distance can give you perspective. It’s okay to say, “I need to step away for a moment.” Then cry, scream or pound a wall — in private, not in public.
- Tame the sarcasm: When you’re stressed to the limit, it’s natural to snap out with sarcastic comments. However, doing so lowers the morale of the team around you. Show your leadership skills by communicating positively.
Respect Your Physical Needs and Limits
Hey, superwoman, remember, you are a mere mortal. If you want to give your best to others, boss lady, you need to fill your pitcher before you can pour from it. That means respecting your physical needs and limits. Can you pull a 12-hour shift sometimes? Sure, but doing so day after day is enough to tucker out the most energetic soul.
Remember, you need to nourish your body and take moderate exercise to function at your best. Learn how to prep healthy meals on your rest days and find a movement program that you love. Put it into your planner — yes, it’s that crucial.
Become the Ultimate Girl Boss With These Creative Tips
If you’re an entrepreneur or want to behave more like one, take your cue from the tips above. Once you start acting like you run the show, others will look to you to take charge like the boss you are.
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