Traits of Strong Women:  Tips to Accomplish Your Goals!

Strong and independent women inspire me.  By independent, I don’t necessarily mean unmarried nor women who live alone.  I am talking about the moms, wives, daughters and friends out there who don’t live by a set of rules.  The women who set a goal and go for it.  The women who aren’t afraid to go without make up whenever they feel like it.  I’ve put together a list of tips for setting out to do what you’d like to accomplish in life.  And then taking the steps necessary to get there. The most recent example I have read about this is Laura Cope, who decided 8 years into a career she didn’t like, to give it all up and go after her dream. Find out what your goal is, and then learn how to achieve it.

Write Your Goals Down and Make a Plan

Successful women don’t just talk about dreams.  They write it down and make a plan.  I grew up in the city but always wanted to live out West in the wide open spaces.  I could have just dreamed about it until my grave, but instead decided to go for it and make the move West many years ago.  Write down what you want.  Whether it’s a career, to get married, an athletic goal, having kids, or living somewhere you’d always dreamed of.  It could be several of those above or your own set of goals not mentioned here.  The first step is to acknowledge your goal.  Writing it down and making a plan helps to move you in the right direction. It’s surprising how much something so simple can help you achieve your goal.

Do Something Every Day To Move Yourself Closer To Your Goal

The old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day can apply to many things in life including goals.  Sometimes, time is needed for great things to happen. But even if a dream seems so far away, it doesn’t mean that you can’t move closer to it every day.  I once wanted to run a sub 3 hour marathon.  To work towards my goal, worked I ran twice a day, ate nutritious food, got 8 plus hours sleep a night and ran 100 mile weeks with a lot of hard workouts thrown in.  I ended up running a 2:56 marathon but it did not happen overnight.  Brick by brick you can build your dream.  Do something today to move you closer to it.

Live Boldly and Say No To Fear

I have been wanting to interview a lady, Elizabeth Geer, who is 97 years old for an article.  I finally got a hold of her tonight.  She was a hard lady to get a hold of because she was so busy caring for her farm and staying active.  Talking to her, made me realize that successful women don’t let fear run their lives.

Elizabeth had ridden horses her entire life, but started riding less as she aged.  She explained to me tonight that, “When I got old, people tried to get me to stop riding.” But that didn’t stop Elizabeth from going riding on her 97th birthday.  “It was just wonderful. I felt so good to be in the saddle. It felt like home.” Elizabeth could have lived more cautiously that day, and not taken the chance, but she summed it up this way, “If you don’t truly live, you will stagnate.”

Don’t let yourself stagnate.  Live life abundantly.  We weren’t created to live in fear.

Take Time To Celebrate Your Success

When you reach a goal, celebrate it. This doesn’t mean that you have to be snobbish, arrogant, or haughty.  I wanted to finish a 100 mile mountain trail race.  When I accomplished that goal, I took time to celebrate the accomplishment.  And yes, I still wear that finisher jacket this day to important events even though that race was a decade ago.  It reminds me that when the going gets tough as it did at 10,000 feet with snow coming down in the middle of the night, I can still put one foot in front of the other.  I know that what I learned in the middle of the night during that race, can help me today to put one foot in front of the other.  Keep working toward your goal even when it feels like you are only taking baby steps.  When you reach your finish line, relish the accomplishment before setting a new goal.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article got you thinking about a goal you might have.  Or maybe it’s a dream you’ve put on the back corner of a shelf in your mind. Dust off that goal, write it down and take a step today towards achieving it.  When you reach that milestone, take the time to know that you just became stronger because of the journey that it took to get you there.

Jordan is the beauty and brains behind Beautifully Alive! She loves eating healthy and trying new recipes.  The self-proclaimed Zumba Queen has a passion for beauty products and loves reading new books. She’s always down for a DIY project!