Photo by Emily Long
We’re thrilled to share advice from the extremely accomplished Wendy Capland with all of you today! Wendy is an award-winning executive and one of the top women leaders in the field of transformational leadership development. She has over 20 years of experience helping organizations and individuals, from c-suite executives to entrepreneurs, build leadership skills. Read this before making your New Years resolutions!
Have you ever been faced with a yearning to achieve something that seems so much bigger than you are? A desire to answer your soul’s call for purpose and fulfillment? It’s the bold move that will undoubtedly change your life in the best ways possible. We’ve all experienced the sensation of standing at the edge of something big….VERY BIG! The first step is recognizing that you are enough and that because you are enough, you have all the power you need to manifest and express your full potential.
But how do you figure out what it is you truly want? The answer to that question isn’t as hard to find as you may think. You are given signs of your genuine desires every single day. It is simply a matter of learning to recognize and evaluate what you are being shown. This is a skill that must be developed and fined tuned at every opportunity. My journey began when I woke up one day feeling dissatisfied and unsure of what I wanted and what my life was supposed to be. On the outside, I had it all; a supportive husband, loving children, and a successful business under my belt. Everything was fine, but suddenly fine wasn’t good enough anymore, and I couldn’t figure out why. All I knew is that something inside shifted, and I was craving more.
Making the effort to practice such internal excavations is what helped me realize that the woman I wanted to be, the things I wanted to accomplish, and the life I wanted to live had been here all along waiting for me to wake up and do something about it. Even though my realization didn’t come until later in life, your quarter life years are the ideal time to start using your gifts and talents in new ways, loving yourself and believing that you are good enough. Almost suddenly, the path you walk will seem much brighter; like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.
What I discovered was that the key to this breakthrough was letting my heart guide me instead of allowing my mind to take the reins, and learning to become a better version of myself. In watching my own journey to greatness unfold, I ended up crafting nine straight forward steps to encourage and guide women to step confidently into their next bold move, whether it be on a professional or personal playing field.
First and foremost, Check Your Inner State. You need to be able to recognize what is calling you forward before you can listen to it and determine the appropriate action. Ask your heart to finish the following sentences: “I feel _____ about my life right now.” (Happy, satisfied, out of sorts, confused, etc.); “The area of my life that I want to be different is______.” Try journaling about the experience that is causing your dissatisfaction. Awaken the voice inside you that is trying to get out. The more attention you give to trying to hear this voice, the louder it will speak to you.
Next, Give Yourself a Time-Out! It is critically important to allow your heart and your mind a quiet opportunity to speak to each other. One of the greatest gifts you can offer yourself is a few moments of guilt-free peace. Our brains sort through our greatest life challenges when we are at rest or play, so give your mind a vacation; it will serve you up tremendous information and inspiration to take action on.
Once your inner voice is awake and you have allowed yourself a quiet moment to hear her, it’s time to Listen. What idea keeps floating around in your mind? Is there something that you feel in your gut over and over again? This is your intuition trying to tell you something. Recognizing the interference of your intuition takes practice. Test and evaluate the results of your intuition without fear of right and wrong. Just listen and see what happens. After awhile, you will start to trust what your voice is telling you.
Preparing for the Game is the 4th step in making your next bold move. Preparing for the game means taking great care of your body, mind and spirit. Like an Olympic athlete, preparing yourself to play the game physically, emotionally and spiritually are critical to the results you will create. A body overstressed and overworked won’t be likely to create anything except for burnout and chaos! Physically, it is important to honor your body and provide it with the fuel to keep you moving. Preparing your mind for the game consists of learning and growth with regards to your passion. Knowledge is power and provides confidence for your journey. Preparing your spirit involves anything that brings you peace: meditation, a good book, a walk in the woods, etc.
Next, you need to Get Clear About What You Want. Learning to listen deeply and trust your inner guidance is paramount in getting crystal clear about what your true desires are. Bringing those desires to fruition is made possible by harnessing a balanced approach to masculine and feminine energy. Ask your analytical mind if it likes the idea (masculine) and then ask your heart if it feels right (feminine).
Step 6 is to Surround Yourself with Extreme Support. Make a list of your biggest personal and professional supporters and designate someone who might be a good coach/mentor for you to move you through your next bold move. Women are often better at supporting others than allowing others to support us. Get used to asking for support and surrounding yourself with cheerleaders versus with all the people that need care and tending for a change.
Along with extreme supporters, you will also need to Gather a Purposeful Community - collecting a group of like-minded people who will be there to encourage you and share with you the same focus, passion or vision. These people could be essential to moving you forward and supporting you in a way that personal supporters cannot.
Now comes the fun part; it’s time to Generate Some STEAM! STEAM is an acronym for an active process that will propel you forward and turn your vision into a reality- Step into action, Tweak what’s not working, Execute and experiment, Act again, and Measure your results each step along the way.
The final step to achieving your next bold move is to Dance through the steps easily And Weave your masculine and feminine energy together so that your journey is fun and fulfilling.
The most important concept I want you walk away with is that you can achieve absolutely ANY goal you set for yourself. You simply need to acknowledge your power, get clear about what your intuition wants you to accomplish, and make it happen! There is nothing else standing in your way, and you have nothing to lose. It’s okay to be afraid and unsure of how it will all play out. If your heart is calling for it and your head thinks it’s a pretty good idea too, then you really have no choice but to take action. And, if your goal changes somewhere along the way, that’s okay too! Simply starting out on this journey could lead you to opportunities that were beyond your wildest dreams. So ladies, start the New Year off with Your Next Bold Move and watch your life fall magnificently into place!