7 Ways To Build Your Business And Personal Success By Being Selfish
Your self-esteem as a businesswoman can greatly benefit when you become selfish. That may sound quite strange, but let me explain. As a businesswoman, how many times have you stopped to take care of yourself and reap the joys of being more successful? If you have to think too hard about that to get an answer, read these 7 Reasons Why Being More Selfish Might Be The Key To Being A More Successful Woman In Business.
1. Set limits. Being able to set limits on what you will or will not do may seem selfish to others. When people want you to just bend to their will by doing things on their schedule and not yours, setting limits may be your only saving grace. It may seem selfish at first, but you will gain more respect and others will soon realize that you cannot be manipulated as they please. You will build your self-esteem while developing a reputation as a strong businesswoman.
2. Meet your needs. Being selfish means thinking about your health before you do so much that you ruin your health from overwork, stress, and poor eating habits. If you don’t meet your needs to be healthy, strong, and happy, no one else will. You don’t win if you let your needs slip away. Learn to take time to prepare and eat balanced meals, exercise and get fresh air, and take time to meditate and pray. You will be more balanced and live a fuller life as a result.
3. Get to the point. When you’re selfish with your time, you’re doing everyone a favor by making sure you get to the point in meetings, phone conversations, and even some email contacts. Getting to the point can mean cutting off unnecessary conversations that keep you from sticking to your schedule. Cutting to the chase means not having time to engage in gossip and information you don’t really need to know. Getting to the point is efficient and commercial. You benefit others by helping them “cut to the chase” and get on with their business.
4. Be real. When you are selfish, you can be real. That means you don’t try to always be available to others, no matter what. You know your limitations. You understand what you want to do, when you want to do it, and how. This does not mean that you never do anything for others. But it does mean that you are honest enough not to let yourself be exhausted by the demands of others on your time, effort, and energy. The more you learn to relate to people from an honest place in your heart and in your midst, the more real you will be as a person.
5.Increase productivity. When you are able to be selfish with your time, you can focus on what you need to do in your life. Start by making a to-do list each night at the end of the workday. Then start the next day by selfishly protecting your time from unnecessary interruptions. Stay focused on the tasks on your to-do list. Don’t be surprised if you get more done and you’ll probably end up finding an extra hour or two of time each day for other things. Instead of keeping you alone and isolated, you’ll find that focusing on your time can result in increased productivity leading to more completed projects and increased productivity in your business.
6. Find a day. The last point leads to this one in that as you take control of time by selfishly protecting it, you may end up giving yourself the gift of a shorter work week. You may be able to find as much as a full day’s worth of time left over at the end of the work week because you were selfish enough to get your job done faster and more efficiently. That means you can spend time doing more for yourself or being able to spend quality time with loved ones.
7. Honor your values. Selfishness means that you stay closer to your personal value system instead of moving away from it. What that means is that you’re not willing to commit to doing things that come from aimlessly spending time and effort in areas you don’t really want to be involved with. Take the time to identify the values that are most important to you. Is it traveling, spending time with family, reading good books? How often do you allow yourself to engage in these activities? Be selfish enough to honor your values and you will be a happy person.
Learning to be selfish seems like a strange thing to promote. But these 7 reasons should allow you to see the idea from a different point of view. Being selfish can actually add value to your time, allow you to be with loved ones more often, lead to a healthier lifestyle, and allow you to be more productive in your work life. Practice being selfish and find that your success as a woman in business leadership increases.