I had a chance to talk about DrivenWoman in Asia. I introduced our concept in Hong Kong and Singapore to a very welcoming audience. It was interesting to see that the themes for ambitious women are very universal. How can I become more confident on my journey towards my dreams? Am I on the right path? How can I leave a positive legacy? Do I dare to ‘jump’ to a new career? How can I better balance my work and family life? What is the best route to financial independence?

The themes are similar, but we all post our own unique questions. These questions can become more powerful than answers, as it’s the search for answers that keeps us moving along our own path. There’s no point in expecting a magic bullet, someone to give us all the answers and catapult us to success. Everyone has to do their own work and figure out a way to their own kind of success. It’s tempting to look at others who’ve succeeded and think they were lucky or that they had special resources to explain their success. Hardly ever that is the case. The truth is that they were willing to do the work.

Years ago I had a leadership coach who said: “I don’t care if you use tea leaves [to influence your future] as long as you do the work!”  What he meant was that he didn’t care if I’d believe in seeing my future in the bottom of a tea pot, as long as I’d take my vision and do something about it. I could use tea leaves as an inspiration, as long as I’d do the work.

That is so true, you can use any method you like to stir up your mind and to discover what makes you excited. I’m sure I’d see a global women’s network from tea leaves!

What matters is what I’ve been willing to do to make it happen. I’ve rolled up my sleeves, I’ve shown up and applied myself. Even then I haven’t often times known exactly where I’m headed or fear and self doubt has tried to slow me down.

The goal is to stop life from drifting away and take an active role in how things are playing out for you.

There are more effective tools than tea leaves to get inspired. And if you feel stuck you might even consider therapy. Either way, you still have to do the work.

Here’s a list of ways to get inspired to do personal development and to become more aware of your choices:

Read a book

I haven’t heard of anyone who’d change their lives without learning more! Check out DrivenWoman Reading List to get started. But don’t just become a ‘self help junkie’, the important part is to put at least one idea per book into action straight away. Reading is for inspiration and learning, what follows is doing.

Write a journal

From morning pages to keeping a diary, writing is an effective way to inspire yourself to dream bigger and to become more aware of your choices. Writing is also known to reduce stress and anxiety, which in turn frees your energy to creativity, rather than worry.

Follow a blog

I’ve listed the ‘25 Must-Read Personal Development Blogs For DrivenWoman‘ to save you time searching for great blogs. And a big thank you for following this blog! I’m always aiming to inspire you to take action and to put ideas into action.

Go to an event

This weekend a group of DrivenWoman members is at the Tony Robbins ‘Unleash The Power Within’ seminar. What a great way to kick start your journey! An inspiring event like that can really accelerate your growth and put you on a new level. However, you still have to do the work.

Listen to a guru

An easy way to get inspired is to listen to a personal development guru via an audio book, online video or a pod cast. My personal favourites are Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma and Tim Ferris. Keep a pen and note pad ready to scribble down your ideas and what you are going to do about them.

Chat with a friend

A cheap yet often effective way to get your thoughts into better focus. The key is to give up the conditioning of your egoic mind and share freely with a trusted friend. A great friend can help you see more clearly.

Stop for a while

It’s our hectic life, chasing our goals and constant achieving that can actually stop us from fulfilling our true potential. Check out the benefits of mediation, or simply learn to breathe properly to de-stress when life gets too hectic. Inspiration and your true creativity can only grow from within.

Join a DrivenWoman group

I have to throw it in here, of course! But you could also create your own group with a regular schedule and set up with people who are interested in working on their goals and putting dreams into action. You can find DrivenWoman Lifeworking groups across the UK, Switzerland and Finland. And new groups opening across the world. If you would like to open one where you are, you can register your interest here.

I believe anything and everything is possible if you tap into your true potential and give yourself enough time to do the work. There are so many ways to get inspired and start envisioning a bigger life, be it the tea leaves or the stars in the sky.

Use the tools that work for you to get inspired, and then do the work.

~ Miisa