Article Roundup: Overcoming Failure, Having it All, 10 Habits of Leaders

August 8th, 2013

I come across so many informative and interesting posts on social media and in my RSS reader. I share them on Twitter and Facebook and have collected some of my favorite posts from the last few weeks in the post below.

7 Influential Women Who Failed Before They Succeeded

Photo by David Shankbone

Reading about these 7 women who failed before they made it big is an inspiring reminder that all of us fail and what matters most is that we keep trying.

Failure is part of the learning process. One of the women featured, Arianna Huffington, was rejected 36 times when trying to publish her 2nd book. She has said, “that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”

There have been several key moments in my life where I’ve failed. It was often devastating but I had to pick myself up and keep going. As Woody Allen once said, “If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.”

Having it All – The Career, The Kids and Your Sanity

“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” Oprah Winfrey

This article starts with a quote from Oprah, that has been ringing especially true for me ever since I became a mom 4 years ago. As a Mom I have had to streamline, organize and prioritize like never before.

I’ve put some of my career aspirations on hold while I enjoy my son’s formative years. It sometimes gives me anxiety that I’m missing out or sabotaging myself but in the end I know it’s worth it.

Having it all looks different for every woman, and changes as our children grow and our careers expand.

This is a topic close to my heart and something that can never be truly resolved. Last year, I wrote Why Women Still Can’t Have It All (At the same time) in response to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All.” I think it’s important to be honest and realistic about how hard it is. More recently I wrote What Does Success Really Mean? about defining our own levels of success.

The Top 10 Things Amazing Leaders Do

I’m a huge fan of Robin Sharma and have incorporated many of his teachings into my daily life. His post on the top 10 things amazing leaders do is a great reminder of things we should all be doing.

I think one of the most important rules is “Don’t confuse movement with progress.” We can spend all day running around and checking things off our to-do lists but still not accomplish anything significant. By making small goals each day that move you towards your larger goals you can slowly make progress towards your life goals.