The most successful women are not afraid to toot their own horn. If you don’t do it, nobody else will do it for you – except maybe your mom.
I am a 57 year-old grandmother. I look it. And sometimes, when I want to leap out of bed in the morning, I feel it. But when people ask if I am retired, the answer is an easy, resounding NO. If they ask me what I do, it’s a little harder to figure out what to say.
For me, the second act of my life is the definition of reinvention. And, the reason I can do it now is simply because there is no reason good enough not to try. In the two years since turning 55, I have
• written a book, What’s a Mother (in-Law) To Do? 5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son’s New Wife, which was released by Simon & Schuster in June 2009,
• started a pet product company and have my first product, supercollar® coming out in October, 2009,
• became a 2009 semifinalist in Inc. magazine's "Newpreneur of the Year" Contest
• became a volunteer for Mentiuum, an organization that supports the development and advancement of key talent in the workplace
• became the In-Law Relationship columnist for examiner.com, and
• gotten a backyard makeover from HGTV’s Colorsplash.
Add to the list that I am thoroughly enjoying my life with my husband, two grown sons, one daughter-in-law, one brand new grandson and two black Labs.
There are plenty of ways to take charge of your success and to make great things happen in your life. You have earned the right to celebrate your accomplishments. Many times when something great happens to us, we can't believe it, and we wind up questioning ourselves as to whether or not we deserve it.
We get concerned about being considered obnoxious or egotistical. We worry that someone will wonder, "who does she think she is." Fortunately, the most successful women have gotten over that fear. They're not afraid to tell everyone who'll listen how well they are doing, and frankly we should applaud them. If you don't toot your own horn, nobody else will do it for you – except maybe your mom, but she can't call everyone you know on your behalf.
I have been a business coach with a specialty in women-owned businesses for over 25 years. When I begin my work with a client, I ask her to make a wish list of what will define success in her life. I don’t want to see a list confined to business success factors. I want to know about her personal life, too.
I then ask her to write her obituary. Now, I’m not trying to be morbid when I bring this subject up. What I am looking for is a document that represents how my client wants to be remembered. I tell her that it should be “New York Times” worthy and should reflect her wish list, even if none of the items on it have happened yet.
My third tip to her is to promote herself. Most of us don’t promote ourselves well and some of us don’t do it all. By denying yourself credit for the things you do well, you not only discount your strengths, you also cheat yourself out of the opportunity to get the attention and recognition you deserve.
I do what I teach.
