Whoa. Before you go any further, if you were thinking this was a typical self-help book and that I am going to spoon-feed you success principles, well, that’s not going to happen. No hand-holding either.
Well, maybe a little.
It’s time to take charge. And if you need a little push, I’m sharing these thirty-one ways to release your inner boss. Your inner boss is powerful and supportive and there when you need her.
Now is the time to connect with her if your life is complicated, chaotic, or disorganized.
I’m crawling right into the mud with you to discuss what it will take to dig you out. You can choose to close this book and walk away, or you can step forward and make things happen.
No more excuses!
I know life can be tough. We all have challenges. Are you willing to allow those stumbling blocks to trip you up, or will you line them up and create the path to freedom? You can go either way. It’s up to you.
I want you to have what you want, and releasing your inner boss will help you get there. I wrote this book to support you, but I can’t do it for you. When it comes to your life, you’re the boss.
Think fast and breathe slowly. You’ll get where you want to go.
It’s your choice from here. You can stop reading right now and gift this book to a friend, you can read from cover to cover and forget about it, or you can use it as a guide to get it done.
I hope making changes is your decision. Once you decide, you cut off access to any other options.
Where you go from here is your choice. There are millions of directions to choose from.
I’m going to ask one thing of you before we begin, though… Be honest with yourself. If you see yourself in one of these thirty-one chapters, be willing to look at what you see without judging yourself. Cut yourself some slack—nobody’s perfect! Awareness is the first step to creating lasting change. Want to get it done? Open your mind.
Are you with me? Let’s climb on this horse and ride!
XO, Hayley
Before we go too far, I’m going to come clean about a few things.
I lead a very busy life managing my home, a successful business, and a coaching practice—oftentimes from my phone. Yep, my phone. It’s my office away from home. I thought I had created a system to help me balance my life, but as it turned out, I did just the opposite.
For a while, it worked. I got a lot of work done, and my business grew because of it. But instead of using my free time to rest or be with family, I worked.
The more I got done, the more I added to my plate.
My lifestyle was healthy and I had a lot of energy, but I was slowly wearing myself out. As I wrote this book, I remembered a realization I had during this stressful time that pretty much shocked me.
I had become addicted to the technology that was supposed to free me to live the kind of life a seven-figure annual income affords. Instead, I found myself a slave to my email, social media messages, and phone calls—and I’m not talking just nine to five. I’m saying around the clock and even on weekends.
Low-level anxiety had become my way of life. Anytime my phone beeped, alerting me to a message, it flared like a flame in a sparkler factory. I couldn’t let messages wait without an answer. This was partly because of my desire to please people and partly because answering my messages relieved my anxiety.
I used to blame others for messaging me at all hours of the day and night until I realized it was my accessibility that had given them permission in the first place. I’ve since learned to set boundaries.
I stepped to the front of the line by respecting those boundaries myself. I set specific times for checking and responding to messages, and I let everyone in my life know what those boundaries were.
Guess what? I don’t blame anybody anymore. I am the boss of me, and managing my life is my job. I am responsible for taking control. Just like you are.
Is there an area of your life where you need to set boundaries? Are there any self-respecting adjustments in order? Think about what you would change and how you would change it.
Sometimes change (even positive change) brings on anxious feelings. Those anxious feelings are generated by anxious thoughts. The good news is you can change your thoughts any time you want.
What would your life look like if you took control? Well, guess what? It may not feel like it now, but you are already in control.
The thirty-one ways that follow offer a framework for making positive changes in your life. Some will be familiar, and other ideas will be new. You don’t have to tackle them all at once. One step at a time will take you where you want to go.