So, have you taken the reins yet? Have you committed to becoming your own best leader and providing leadership in whatever roles you fill? Have you decided to live and move with confidence?

Or are you still on the fence, hemming and hawing about whether you’ll move forward and if you do, how you’ll do it. And when. Oh, and then contemplating where to start, instead of jumping in and getting the ball rolling?

I’ve been pondering this question a lot lately as I observe this common trait in women of all ages, from all walks of life. It makes me curious. What is that about?

I took part in a workshop recently and at one point was fascinated to observe some of the self-defeating habits we engage in: hesitating to state our wants and needs, second guessing our decisions, doubting our own value and worthiness, and diminishing ourselves and our strengths. It was pretty consistent, eye opening…and a little disheartening.

What will it take for us to step into the beauty of being ourselves and creating what we want? Sometimes I wonder if we’re living with a residual Cinderella complex – we secretly believe there’s a magical prince coming to our rescue. So we sit and wait for someone to hand us the answers, the directions, the keys.

Guess what, ladies? Not only is the prince not coming, there never was a prince!

If you’re tired of taking a back seat when the driver’s seat is sitting empty waiting for you to occupy it, here are a few things I’ve discovered along the way that may help you climb up front.

Procrastinator
If you prefer to stay stuck, the following are guaranteed to keep you right where you are:

• Believing you must be something other than who/what you are in order to succeed
• Not being clear in your intention, your goal
• Not stating clearly to yourself and your team, what you want
• Believing there is only ONE right way to accomplish a goal or activity
• Not starting until you think you have all the angles figured out (you never actually do)

Activator
If you want to give your venture — and your life — a shot at living up to your dreams, you must start playing by different rules

• You are fully capable of realizing your dreams and potential
• You can’t reach a destination without identifying a destination and moving forward toward it
• There is no one right answer, there are many
• Make the best decision you can with the info you have, then tweak as you go
• Getting started is more important than doing things perfectly or in the perfect order
• The path isn’t straight and you can’t plan for everything. Get used to it!

What are you waiting for? Really, take a moment and ask yourself the question. If you want to live YOUR dreams, YOU are the only one who can take the lead in your life.

Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting

Procrastination is probably the number one trait that undoes more business owners than any other! I see clients get bogged down and putting off endlessly stuff they need to do to make their businesses more successful. This is usually related to sales and business development – the money-making part of the business, which is supposed to be the fun part! I keep an article around to remind me to not fall into the procrastination trap – Overcoming Procrastination. Manage Your Time. Get it all done.

My favorite part of the article is a list of indicators you can use to catch yourself when you start procrastinating:
• Filling your day with low priority tasks from your To Do List;
• Reading an e-mail or request that you’ve noted in your notebook or on your To Do List more than once, without starting work on it or deciding when you’re going to start work on it;
• Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to make a cup of coffee or check your e-mails;
• Leaving an item on your To Do list for a long time, even though you know it’s important;
• Regularly saying “Yes” to unimportant tasks that others ask you to do, and filling your time with these instead of getting on with the important tasks already on your list.

You cannot build a successful business if you indulge your P habit. If you regularly procrastinate on doing important things that will contribute to your success, print off the list above and keep it in a prominent place on your desk so you can STOP this bad habit. Catch the rest of this great article here.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc. www.fmwalsh.com