“Girl Boss?”
It is simply a phrase used in regards to an ambitious young woman who aims to gain success in her career.
This phrase is not limited to just success in a woman’s career but in all aspects of her life. Even though, ‘Girl Boss’ seems to be pointed more towards females, it can still be applied to whomever wishes to gain success in all areas of their life. However, success is not attained overnight; it takes work. It takes work to become an improved person internally and develop habits that will result in the success of your health, academics, job, and mental well being…it takes work to become a “Girl Boss.”
The question then is, how?
1. Get your 8 hours of sleep!
We have heard this many times in our life but fail to practise it. Getting 8 hours of sleep can help you feel refreshed and ready to conquer your day. In addition to making sure you spend enough time in a deep slumber, try to wake up and go to sleep at reasonable times. You may find your body adjusting to an internal clock that maximizes productivity.
2. Start the Day Off with Good Food
In my opinion, nutritious foods are equally, if not more important than good sleep. To be the most productive and present throughout your day, it’s vital to eat foods of high nutritional value. The foods we fuel our bodies with in the morning determine how the rest of our day will be spent. If you eat healthy, nutritional, you may find that your nervous system, digestive system, and circulatory system have more energy to work at their personal best. Fruits and green vegetables can help with positive energy and moods to start your day off on the right track. Alongside nutritional foods, protein (i.e. from eggs), can also contribute to energy gain. I love to eat fruits, vegetables, and eggs in the morning. I always feel like I’m starting my day off right.
3. move your body
I find physical activity to be super beneficial in staying energized and more attentive throughout the day. Moving your body has many benefits, whether it is through a workout routine, running a certain amount regularly, or even just walking 10,000 steps daily. According to the physiology of our bodies, exercise generates blood flow that is essential for our brains to receive all nutrients. While physical activity distributes nutrients to different areas of our body, it can also help remove toxins in our body that may be negatively affecting our daily activities, thoughts, and moods. Additionally, I find that physical activity exercises our organs, such as our brain, to work faster and thus absorb more information we may deem useful. Physical activity helps us stay fit and makes us able to perform various different tasks throughout the day that do not necessarily require our brain. Overall, moving your body helps keep you physically active while also keeping your brain mentally active.
4. read every day
According to Healthline.com, reading is another way to exercise your brain and keep it sharp. Reading, whether it is for a course, a novel, a magazine, the news, or a passage on social media can strengthens your brain. There are numerous benefits to reading everyday. Reading improves your focus because to successfully read a certain passage, you need to ensure you are fully focused so you don’t miss or mis-interpret the information. It exercises your brain to focus on one thing at a time instead of wandering off or lacking concentration when needed. You are less likely to develop age-related cognitive decline because reading enhances your memory. Reading builds your vocabulary and hones in on your communication skills which can have an immensely positive impact on your daily life. Strong communication skills can help one succeed in their work life, in their academics, or even in their relationships. We don’t need to finish novels or long reading pieces everyday, but even just reading a news article daily can go a long way in improving brain function.
5. practise productivity
Productivity can be achieved in numerous ways and each individual practices it differently. I believe the best way is to use the 8-8-8 rule. This rule suggest that if someone successfully gets 8 hours of sleep, then they should spend 8 hours working/doing something ‘productive’ and spend the remaining 8 hours for fitness, family, and friends or anything else recreational. During 8 hours of work, having specific goals and tasks to complete written down can help a person to visualize what they need to get done. Making “To Do” lists also helps increase productivity as they make you feel a sense of accomplishment when a task is completed. It is important to then incorporate time management while also considering one’s capabilities to complete certain tasks. For example, sometimes we accidentally gaslight ourselves into thinking we can complete a chunk of tasks in one day. This can negatively affect our productivity as being unable to complete tasks might make us feel like we have failed. That is why to practice productivity, we must carefully and logically plan our 8 working hours so we can accomplish all our daily goals in time.
6. make connections!
Socially interacting with others is a human necessity. However, this is different from making connections. Socializing and hanging out with friends or family is usually considered a way to unwind after a long and hopefully productive day. It is considered another form of relaxation or just fun. All of which is important because without it we can find ourselves feeling alone and sometimes even depressed. Socializing is not necessary everyday but it is important to incorporate it in our schedules and make time for relationships we’ve built outside of work or school, as well as for family. On the contrary, going to social gatherings is also important once in a while. Social events are a great way to meet new people “in the same boat as you.” Nonetheless, it is always an amazing way to make connections or even life long friendships. There are so many benefits to making connections; you can provide help to someone who may employ you later or simply be inspired, you can learn a new way of doing a business, you can adapt a new skill, and more. All in all, human to human interactions can benefit or even act as a fun activity for us to unwind and relax to, both of which are important in a working or studying person’s life.
7. engage in hobbies that interest you
I believe that everyone is working towards a career in their life but seems to still want to pursue their interests on a larger scale or just engage in them for fun on the side. Hobbies are an essential part of life and allow us to be unique compared to others. No matter how small or big it is, one way or another hobbies are a personal outlet for many people where they get to work on something they may be passionate about or simply just find fun, which is different from their usual responsibilities or school/work related priorities. Having such hobbies are found to be very beneficial as well, especially for our mental health and wellbeing. This makes sense as it is a way to participate in activities other than what we may be working towards for 8+ hours during the rest of the day. In conclusion, hobbies keep us ‘sane’ and happy. Therefore, one should engage in their hobbies once in a while to help keep our motivational and ambitious levels high.
Practising these habits can ultimately make you healthier, capable, sharp, and eventually successful because these habits bring out the better version of one’s self and channel an inner power which makes us feel like we can walk with our head held high. One day, before we know it, we’ll be channeling our inner “Girl Boss.”