Be the CEO of your life
If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough
-Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Last year Rob bought me a travel mug for my coffee. On it is written “be the CEO of your life”. This simple statement has really shaped how I have shown up as the leader of my life in the past few months. It has made me much more intentional about my vision, desires and my actions. It has made me much more accountable for my happiness. Let me explain more…
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, it is very likely that this is the only time you are going to be living this life. It will be the only time that your soul is in this body in this period of time.
The biggest fear that drives me is the fear that I will look back on my life and regret the things I didn’t do because I chose to settle or let my fears hold me back. I can’t bear the thought of that for me, for you or any of the women I coach.
Here is what keeps us stuck.
We always think there is time. It is easy to think we will always have another day, week, month or year. It is never guaranteed for us. Before we know it, another day has passed or another month and then another decade.
Being the CEO of your life means stepping up and being the leader of your life. It is about setting a vision that inspires you, taking accountability and taking action. It’s about stepping into the most powerful version of you; the person you were always destined to be before the fears took hold. It’s about saying YES to the moments that grow you and moving forward despite your fears. It’s about taking back control and not settling for anything less than the extraordinary life you were meant for.
One of the reasons people look back on their lives with regrets is because they fall in to the ‘settling’ trap. They have not truly given themselves permission to dream big, tap into their heart and soul and uncover their big dreams. In lieu of this, they fall into routines and patterns that fit societal norms. We get educated, we get onto a career path and become successful, we ‘settle down’ (note the language we use!) and before we know it, we are looking back and wondering where all the time went.
For some people, the above scenario will be their dream and the vision they hold for their life. I hold no judgement. If that is the dream, I could not be happier for them.
Most of the people I coach though, talk about hitting their forties/ fifties and experiencing a restless feeling. They get a sense that all is not right, and they start using the phrase “there must be more to life than this”. When we unpack what is creating that feeling, it becomes evident that they have allowed themselves to go with the flow and have not allowed themselves to dream about the life they truly want to live. They become very conscious of the passing of time and freak out. The good news is it is never too late to live the life you desire. But where do you start?
You become the CEO of your life!
That restless feeling is a sign that you are ready. It is an invitation for you to become the leader of your life rather than being at the beck and call of everyone else.
Here are my 5 strategies for becoming the CEO of your life:
1 Your CEO identity
It is time to claim your identity as the CEO of your life. This is you stepping into the most powerful and impactful leadership role of your life. So, what type of leader do you want to be? The most impactful leaders are the ones who are authentic. As we go through life, we end up wearing masks based on the expectations placed on us. We become a shadow of ourselves because all our true beauty and potential becomes ‘masked’. It is time to let all that go. If you were to meet someone new, what would you want them to see? When you are at your most authentic, you shine.
2 Your vision – This is the ‘what’
When did you last allow yourself to dream? You have probably been so busy delivering the mission of the organisation you work for or supporting others around you or literally just trying to get through each day that your dreams have probably been put on a shelf gathering dust. It is definitely time to dust them off. Now is your time.
This time of year is so powerful for leveraging the energy of a new beginning. It is time to schedule a CEO Day. A day that is all about you and what you desire. It is precious time for thinking big and then bigger. I know that you might be a bit rusty in terms of dreaming big about your own desires so here are three basic questions to get you started:
· Who do you want to be?
· What do you want to do?
· What do you want to have?
You are the CEO so you can shape this however you want to. You are going to find yourself censoring your answers. I guarantee at some point you will want to cross something off because you think it might be too much. Your dreams can’t be too much! We censor for fear of being judged. Listen, this is your vision, and you are the CEO of your life so write it down and own it. Visions are meant to be BIG and BOLD.
3 Your mission statement
Now it’s time to write your mission statement. Your mission statement is the short statement that you will use as the compass that moves you in the direction of your big vision. It is the ‘how’ you are going to do something.
When I stepped into becoming the CEO of my own life last year, I developed a big vision that included travelling the world and creating a global impact through my female empowerment brands. I describe myself as a woman on a mission.
My mission is to
‘Help 100,000 women globally to redefine their identity, reimagine their big dreams and create extraordinary, fulfilling lives of purpose.’
When I read this mission, I get chills. It lights up my soul. Everything I do is aligned to this mission.
My vision and mission will be different to yours. It doesn’t matter. We all have different dreams and desires, and we all want to make an impact in different ways. The important thing is that you need a vision or mission. Without them, you are a CEO with no direction.
Your mission will evolve over time too and that is ok. Mine has evolved many times. Each evolution moves you closer to your true mission. You have to start somewhere.
4 – Your values
Your values are your compass. They underpin your leadership identity which is about being authentically you. Your values are your navigation system. They will keep you aligned to your vision and mission. They will most definitely let you know when you stray off course!
I believe you will already have a good sense of what your values are. If you don’t, here are a couple of questions that will give your insight to your values:
Think of a time when you were at your best. What contributed to this feeling of being at your best?
Think of a time when you were really frustrated or upset? What contributed to these feeling?
Your values leave clues particularly when they are compromised. I can literally feel it in my body and soul when something challenges one of my values.
My values are:
Loyalty
Freedom
Integrity
Growth
Making a difference
5 – Strategy – Time to take action and be accountable
Being the CEO of your life means you need to make decisions and take action. It is great to have a vision, but you need to take action to move in its direction. You also need to be willing to take accountability for your actions and results.
It is really exciting to have a big life vision, but you need to break that down into actionable steps that are going to move you in the right direction otherwise it won't get achieved.
In January, I do my CEO planning for the year:
I have a vision board that brings my big vision to life and that I can see every day. It excites and delights me and creates a strong emotional bond with the life I am creating.
I pick a word of the Year, and this becomes my context for the year. This year I wanted to lean more into my spiritual side and so my word is TRUST.
I also did a tarot reading for the year. I pulled 12 cards (one for each month) and looked at the story the cards were sharing. It is shaping up to be an exciting year!
I set my 3-4 intentions for the that support my vision. I don’t too many as they become unmanageable. Being CEO of your life means you get to stretch yourself but not break yourself!
I have a high-level plan for the year broken down by each month, so I have a general sense of where my focus is each month
I have a monthly/ weekly planner so that I can breakdown the actions I need to take aligned with my vision, mission and intentions
This might feel like a lot however all the processes above align to each other and underpin each other. As CEO of my life, these processes enable me to stay on track and hold myself accountable for my results. More importantly, it gives me the opportunity to track and celebrate my successes and know that my vision is moving closer to me.
Becoming the CEO of your life is an incredibly powerful mindset and way of being. This shift has fundamentally changed how I see myself, how I show up and the quality of the life I get to live. It enables me to intentionally move in the direction of my dreams. It is powerful.
So, are you ready? It is time to become the CEO of your life.
ps I have any amazing resource called The Life Audit that will help you get clear about what you want. You can download this free E-Book HERE
