I am giving a speech on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky titled, “Success Principles for Smart Women.”  In preparing for the event, I’ve been reflecting on the qualities I observe consistently in smart, successful, happy, and empowered women.  While there are many traits that are common among successful people in general, I find these nine attributes to be strong among high-achieving women.

1. Successful women know what they want. Winning women always have a clear picture of what they are trying to accomplish.  Whether it’s to do with their career or their life in general, they know what they’re shooting for – what the overall objective is.  They usually know how much money they want to make, what position they want to hold in the company, if they want their own business, a professional degree and career, what role a family plays in their life, etc.
2. Smart women have a strategic plan. It’s not so much that they are going to follow their plan “to a T,” but that, for their peace of mind, they need a plan to follow for when the going gets tough or they hit a wall or they don’t know what to do.  We’ve all been there, and a strategic plan helps get over those humps.  The more detailed your strategic plan, the better.
3. Successful women are willing to “pay the price.” Not accepting that they can’t have it all, smart women find ways of compromising, or better put, prioritizing, in order to achieve their ultimate result.  They accept that they cannot be all things to all people and that opportunities might get missed in order to achieve their dreams, but they readily accept that instead of trying to go back and forth with no forward momentum.  Focus is key here, as well as utilizing all available forms of leverage.
4. Smart women deal with “what is.” Successful women know that reality is only temporary.  Any situation can be changed in the twinkling of an eye if the desire is strong enough.  Dealing with “what is” is simply a matter of attitude.  I often hear smart, successful women say things like,” Okay, it happened, now what?  How do we move on?  What would it take to convince you to . . .?”  Or, “How can I convince you to work with me on this?”
5. Successful women constantly pick up from “where they are.” Smart women know that they are constantly starting over.  Instead of focusing on opportunities or time lost, they pick up from where they are now, today, this hour, this moment, and move forward.  Lamenting over lost time or actions wasted is, in itself, lost opportunity and time wasted. High achievers do not waste time feeling sorry for themselves or wishing things were different.  The accomplished attitude is, “This might be where I am, but it is not where I desire to be.  How do I go about getting from here to there?”
6. Smart women are happy on their journey. Well, you would be, too, if you were smart and successful, right?  Smart, successful women know that life is about the pursuit of joy.  Money, cars, clothing, relationships, even perfect health mean nothing if they fail to bring you joy.  Being able to experience joy in any situation makes the good times, relationships, health, and material possessions even more enjoyable.  But if you can’t experience joy, those things will do you no good anyway.
7. Successful women listen to and follow the guidance of their intuition. Smart women are very in tune with their inner being.  They hear the voice, or calling, and respond accordingly.  Whether it’s during strategic planning or when something takes them off the path, they receive their inner guidance with courage and trust.  We’ve all had situations when we went against our intuition and regretted it.  Developing the discipline to follow your instincts would be a worthy goal, indeed.
8. Smart women accept no excuses, but change their minds when they want to, or if it just makes sense.  Upon accomplishment of a goal, successful women take time to reflect and reassess the status of their strategic plan.  “Am I still on track?  Do I still want this?”  Doing this gives them control over their life experience, instead of following the plan for the plan’s sake, ending up burnt out, unhappy, and feeling like a workhorse.  Smart women periodically re-examine their plan.
9. Successful women are self-reliant. This characteristic might be the most important.  I never hear a smart, successful woman say, “I’ll have to check with my husband and see what he thinks.”  Any major decision that involves the family or relationship has been thought out ahead of time and smart, successful women make their own ultimate decisions.  Then again, it’s easy to make decisions when you know what you want and have wisely chosen a partner who supports that.  Perhaps this trait is a culmination of all the rest!

Of course, there are other delightful qualities that smart, successful, joyous women possess.  I encourage you to seek your own and your own way of acquiring those qualities that you believe would contribute to your own joy and ultimate success.

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