“Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge
I’m trying not to lose my head
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin’ under”

The Message

Hi,

I was watching the documentary ‘Hip Hop Evolution’ on Netflix the other day and it made me think of some of the heavy and emotional conversations I have been having with corporate women lately. Especially women who work in a mostly male environment.

For them it is like the song says, they are “trying not to lose their heads”. Listen, there is a lot to be learned from artists. Believe me. The Message was the first hip hop song that got a five star rating from renowned music magazine Rolling Stone.

Why?

Because it was real. It was describing a situation that people were ignoring in America. The desperate times going on in the neighborhoods of New York. In the seventies The Bronx was burning (there were constant fires in apartment buildings) and in Manhattan everybody was dancing to disco music at Studio 54.

So, that is how I got to think of some of the similarities between what Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five where describing to the desperateness I can hear in some career women voices.

Because how do you survive in a world where it is all focused on the survival of the fittest? How do you reach your own goals in a world where it is all about winning and where a certain culture dominates the minority?

First of all you ask for help. Don’t think for others. Too many women think they are the only ones going through a certain situation, so they stay in their heads (drive themselves crazy), don’t ask for help and stay with the problem. Just stop it ok! Ask for help. I am sure there are more people dealing with this problem than you think are. Perhaps they have even found a way to deal with the pressure that can also become your way or solution.

So yes, first ask for help, then gather more allies who are aligned with your way of thinking. If you look for more like-minded people, you will find people that share your values and you feel more at home and can be more authentic. When you are more authentically yourself you relax and that is when great ideas come to mind.

And yes you need a tribe (or a network) but there is more, because you also need a strategy. The right strategy can save you a lot of headaches. If you know your goals, why you want to move ahead (your real motives and intrinsic motivation) you will be able to execute the action needed to help you get there. Especially if you discuss this with your tribe. They can help you figure out what will really work for you.

Sometimes things seem to go more organic. But let me tell you a secret. There is only one way that happens: when you take action. For something to happen you have to do something first! Take the time to figure out what you really want. Go back to feeling like yourself. Empower yourself with what will make you feel strong and healthy.

The year is coming to an end and I always get that feeling of unrest. Because what will 2019 bring? 

So I like to plan ahead. Instead of waiting I get into action. The first thing I have planned is my Personal Branding Info masterclass on the 5th of January. I am on a mission to help more women move forward in their careers through personal branding. If you are one of those women that is ready to make a difference in your career in 2019: take action. You can register here.

But before you do that, ask yourself one thing. What growth do you want to create for yourself in 2019?

Then enroll yourself for the free personal branding info masterclass.

XOXO,

Nancy