Your job as a leader is to do more than survive each day. I know, that sounds crazy. You're probably saying, Kathy, my only goal is to get through today! My guess is you get up many mornings and say a little prayer: "God, just get me through this day, this meeting, this trip...."

You were not meant just to survive leadership and life. You ARE meant to thrive! ​

Yes, some days will be tough, in fact, many days will be difficult, stressful and downright ugly! I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's part of life. Struggle, suffering and stress will never go away. What you can change, is how you interact with struggle, suffering and stress.

We need to relax, renew and recharge
See, here's the thing. Good times, easy days and carefree moments don't develop you. The relax, renew and recharge you. They are necessary, but they don't develop you. We need to grow and develop:Think of a diamond. It comes into being because of the pressure it experiences.The same is true with a pearl. It is the constant friction that polishes it. The pressure you are under, the constant friction you experience, is what is creating you...your character.

We need to focus on who we are and who we are becoming:
It is how you choose to respond (not react) to struggle, suffering and stress that creates both:

• The type of woman you are and the impact you have
• The kind of woman you are becoming and the legacy you will leave

It's all about ....growing your character
When you move into thriving, you are consciously developing (rather than leaving it up to chance) your character. Character development (yours) is the subject of the book I am working on. This quick overview of the book will give you a head start on developing your character.

Steps for developing your character.

1. Increase your awareness of the language of character development.
   
2. Get to know yourself
   
   1. Your character strengths.
      
   2. Your values, ethics and morals.
      
   3. Your vision for impact and legacy in your family, organization and community.
      
3. Create a plan
   
   1. Find mentors, role models, teachers and supports.
   2. Build a system of ongoing reflection, feedback, practice and then more reflection, feedback and practice.

You don't have just to survive every day my dear! You can thrive in both your leadership and your life! You get to choose! What choice do you make today? If you want to discover how other women are doing this, listen into this video series about cultivating your character. 6 women, talk about what it's like to cultivate character as a woman leader. You'll find so much value and practical advice. Tune in here the Cultivating Your Character Video Series

This week I unpack the virtue of humanity
Humanity describes strengths that manifest in caring relationships with others. You know, being human in leadership! We are kind of like robots. We focus so much on the tasks and only focus on relationship when we have time. 
Humanity is needed! 
These traits are interpersonal and are mostly relevant in one-on-one relationships.
Humanity covers the character traits of

• social intelligence
• love (think compassion)
• kindness

Tune in to understand how you can practice living with the virtue of humanity

Watch this training on YouTube here

LINKS FROM TODAY’S SESSION

• Join the CULTIVATING YOUR CHARACTER FORMUM
• Join the CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADERS COMMUNITY
• Grab this week’s Guidesheet  THE VIRTUES OF HUMANITY
• Grab this week’s Guidesheet YOUR SIGNATURE STRENGTHS
• Create your plan to get out of Survival Mode

 

• Find MY BOOK -  Mastering Confidence: Discover your leadership potential by awakening your inner guidance system
  • On AMAZON
  • On Audible → 
  • Listen to it on ITunes

Do you hit "Like" when you see a good post? Do you share some that really move you? Me too! I love ones that just stand out in the newsfeed. 

• One about a more compassionate world has me wishfully thinking; If only people would be more compassionate!
• A post about gratitude reminds me to be grateful for my family.
• Seeing someone share a post about big dreams gives me a quick boost of confidence.

I share images like this in my Instagram and Facebook feeds. These images make people feel good. That's why we come to social media - to wash away the pain of the day. ​

Re-read those three comments in italics above again.
Did you notice anything? They all they blame out there....on someone else, the world or a lack of time. We are in victim mode when we see them and feel like we can't have that. That victim mode is why we head back to work, unchanged. 

It's because we have not taken responsibility for change. Instead, we need to see the posts and ask what the message or lesson for ourselves in it:

• How can I be more compassionate to that team member at work who's driving me crazy?
• What am I grateful for about this overwhelming challenge I have to face today?
• What specific steps, even if they are tiny, can I take today towards achieving that goal that I so badly want, but struggle to move forward on?

Take the inspiration and message and the post and turn it back to yourself. Take responsibility for applying what you've learned. Indifferent skimming, scrolling and scanning are no different than numbing yourself out in front of the TV. It's passive.