Get Unstuck!

How many times have you simply sat and asked yourself, "What am I really supposed to be doing with my life?"

We have all been in a rut, unable to decide what to do and how to go about accomplishing it. Every now and then, it is time to take serious inventory of where you have been, where you are and where you would like to be.

Now is a great time to stop doing any and everything that is not working for you. Start by trying something that you have never tried before or, perhaps, approach what you have been doing with a different method, with different people or in a different environment.

You must be honest with yourself when you answer the question, "Is what I am doing really working for me?" If you are angry, anxious or frustrated with where you are, start new: let go of anything that has held you back from your aspirations and goals. Get some friends together to brainstorm and keep listening to our shows; we are planning a conversation with some women who can show you the way. If you are someone who works in the coaching profession, contact us about participating in the program.

Ola Jackson
Founder and CEO
OWN: Onyx Woman Network
Celebrating 20 Years
Being a Voice and Giving a Voice to Women of Color
www.ownonyxwomannetwork.tv

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(412) 731-5159 

Ola Jackson

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“Break Your Own Rules: How to Change the Patterns of Thinking that Block Women’s Paths to Power” by Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt

c.2011 Jossey Bass                                    $25.95 / $30.95 Canada                        208 pages

You’ve run out of breath just running in place.

For months now, you’ve been more than willing to work sixty-hour weeks. Nights and weekends are the norm and you never complained. You’ve taken classes, gotten certified, volunteered for committees, but it hasn’t seemed to matter.

Your career is stalled, you’re running place, and you just can’t get ahead.

So what’s holding you back?  According to authors Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt, the problem might be you. In the new book “Break Your Own Rules”, they’ll tell you how to step aside and let yourself fly.

When it comes to work, you might think that tooting your own horn is akin to bragging. You’ve got a responsibility to nurture the careers of those below you, right? You might believe you’re just plain lucky to have a job, period.

But you’d still like to succeed and grow. In order to do that, Flynn, Heath, and Holt say that you need to learn to think differently. By doing so, you’ll be able to act differently and opportunity will follow.  In this book, they’ve identified six major stumbling blocks to career advancement.

Biologically, you’re hard-wired to be nurturing but focusing on others won’t get you ahead. Instead, take your own goals seriously. Learn to say NO. Practice taking center stage. And notice that your male co-workers aren’t the ones leaping to organize birthday cakes and baby showers…

Be brazen and bold. Asking permission, over-apologizing, and wanting to be liked are holding you back. Instead, learn to take action and make decisions. Make things happen, and see what happens.

Seize the power. Act like the executive you want to be and don’t be modest. Instead, be poised, confident, and take credit for your ideas and your work. Toot that horn!

Remember that you may be limiting yourself if you want “all or nothing.”  There is such a thing as “both-and,” so learn to relax and compromise with yourself.

Understand that there’s no way to avoid office politics or sales. The good news is that women excel at both of them. Learn to “run for office at the office” and know that work is a game you really can win.

When you first pick up “Break Your Own Rules,” you may wonder if such a skinny book could possibly hold much real, useful information.

Rest assured, though: it does.

Authors Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt say in their introduction that their dream is to see women in 30% of the top leadership positions in corporate America. This book is packed with guidance and thought-changing information to make that happen - so packed that it practically begs to be read over time and with careful pondering. Good habits, after all, will take more than a quick, half-hearted 208-page browsing.

If you’re tired of bonking your head on the glass ceiling and you’re ready for career advancement, this book may be just what you need. “Break Your Own Rules” is, in fact, a book you should run and get.