Maybe it’s because my family’s idea of a fun Saturday evening is to yell-count in unison as each member (from my 4-year-old son to my 65-year-old mother) pounds out 20 push-ups. From our toes.
Maybe I have an intensity problem. But so help me God, I love a strong, resolute warrior queen.
If you’ve declared 2015 to be your year of stepping up, standing out and staying strong. This one’s for you.
1. Pushups.
Upper body strength is a gorgeous thing. There is nothing more gratifying than being able to haul your own weight. Whether you do 1 or 100, from your knees or from your toes, know that I’m standing over you in spirit, yell-counting my support the entire way.
2. Eye contact
A steady gaze is strong, sexy and reassuring. Resist the urge to stare continuously at your screen. Keep your head up. Look them in the eye.
3. Posture
There’s nothing more regal than a straight back. Golden thread through the top ofyour head. Shoulder blades pulled together. Bust decidedly out. Go get ‘em, youstrong, queenly thing.
4. Voice
You know the way you used to talk when you were a teenager? When everythingwas a question? When your voice inevitably tilted up at the end of every sentence? Don’t do that anymore. If you have a question, ask it. For everything else, declare.
5. Permission.
A friend once told me a story about a kid who always wanted to run away from home but couldn’t because her mom wouldn’t give her permission to cross the street.
Constantly asking for permission is an annoying but ultimately life-preserving activity when you are six. When you are 26 or 36 or 46, constantly asking for permission is still annoying…and rarely life-saving.
Your life is your kingdom. Own it and do your thing. When you ruffle feathers or make mistakes, apologize and move on. But don’t ask permission to claim what is already yours.
6. Money
Invest it in yourself. In your business, professional development, your appearance, fun, health, whatever. Warrior queens spend on others (their children, for instance) but they also invest consistently in themselves. And they reap what they sow.
7. Fear
Get used to it because it never goes way. Especially when you are walking the path of the warrior queen…a path that will draw you frequently to the limits of your comfort zone. As that wonderful warrior queen Brene Brown says, “You can have comfort or you can have courage, but you can’t have both.”
8. Gossip
We swear we detest it yet we all succumb to the dark, insidious act from time to time. Declare your life a gossip-free zone. Dispel that negative chi. Put that incredible energy on more positive things. Like world peace. That book. An extra zero to your revenues.
9. Friends
We are all so very busy getting it all done. We go weeks working night and day and then wonder how we got so boring and lonely. Warrior queens draw their strength from their girlfriends. Make time for them. They will lift you up more than you know.
10 Flair
Make a statement with your outward presentation. Inject your wardrobe with boldness and colour. Creating a bold display on the outside can give you the courage you need to be bold on the inside.