International Women’s Day - Celebrate your achievements

International Women’s Week started with a bang! I was so privileged to be on a panel with Elvena Graham from Ulster Bank, Jackie Henry from Deloitte and Patricia O’Hagan, Business Women of the Year 2013. Thanks to Anne from the MAC and Wendy Austin, our 'Oprah' - the atmosphere was relaxed, fun and inspiring.

Many themes came up such as: 

• The need to plan your career, thinking ahead to know where you want to get to, choosing assignments to help you get there.

• Taking opportunities that present themselves, there will be learning in everything and you never know what will come of them.

• Not being afraid to ask for help. People like to be asked.

• Not being afraid to tell people what you offer, otherwise they won’t know.

• Go get a patchwork of mentors to support you in your career.

• Find a sponsor, someone who will go to bat for you, put you forward for choice assignments.

• The need for balance, recognising that there will be peaks and troughs.

• Develop a thick skin.

• Not to put yourself at the bottom of the list!

I do hope that you also intend to prioritise yourself and attend some of the many events that are on offer this week.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you haven’t bothered. After all you are likely to have left yourself to the bottom of the list. Like leaving that hair cut or colour until it is well overdue! And it is rarer yet to hear of a woman taking stock of how far they have come and to acknowledge their achievements and the impact they have had.

So our gift to you this special day is to insist on you taking at least 15 minutes to yourself. Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or wine depending what time of day you are reading this) get some pen and paper. Go sit somewhere comfy and reflect on the following:

• What I am most proud of having achieved in my life so far

• My biggest success to date

• The most challenging thing I’ve accomplished

• All the things I have achieved in the last 12 months (as long a list as possible)

• Pick out the top 3

Congratulations to those of you have done the exercise! It feels pretty good when you look at your list and you acknowledge how much you have achieved, right?

And if you haven’t done the exercise, go and do it now. I promise you it will be a worthwhile investment of your time.

Now… I am sure there is a bunch of you who found this really difficult!

Maybe because you haven’t taken time to look at yourself before. Maybe because you take yourself for granted. Maybe because you don’t realise how fantastic you really are! Whatever the reason, it is time for you to squint real hard and find something to write.

So try again. Take a look at all areas of your work and life:

• that project you delivered
• that proposal you wrote
• that tricky situation you managed
• that new account you landed
• how you supported your kids through exams
• you started going the gym
• that room you got decorated

Keep looking. No matter how small it is, write it down.

I hope by now your page is full. And you are smiling from ear to ear!

Now repeat this on a regular basis!

Happy International Women’s Day.