Are Women Going 'Back to the Basics'?

There has been a great deal in the media lately about women being good leaders, strong in the business place, growing more and more confident and able to handle both work and family. Time magazine ran an article a few months back which agreed with many of these points. While waiting in the doctor’s office, I had a chance to glance at that editorial and found myself nodding in agreement, thinking ‘well of course that is true’.

In my own experience, the more I grew and accomplished as a woman, the more I wanted other women to experience the same rewarding satisfaction inside. For years, when asked what I do for a living, I have told people that I help women make a great first impression every time they walk through the door. Even though I have a tremendous amount of education and experience working with skin care, cosmetics, colour analysis and clothing personalities, I always point to some very basic things that we as women can do to grow into who we were created to be. See if you agree with any of these:

1. Attain a together appearance before walking out the door.
   Simple things like keeping a current haircut and eye glass frames, nails filed, good personal hygiene and dressing appropriately for the work place. Taking a few extra seconds to check in the mirror before heading out for the day allows us to take our eyes off of ourselves and go out to give to others.


2. Sustain a good attitude.
   Remember that not every day is going to go as planned, but sometimes one door closes so another can open up. People who carry a ‘woe is me’ attitude with them seem to repel others. Doesn’t it make more sense to be so upbeat that others move toward you and ask ‘what in the world are you so happy about?’


3. Maintain a favorable work ethic.
   Knowing that there is no such thing as a free lunch in life, implies that it is going to take some effort to achieve anything worthwhile. We’ve all heard that it’s the early bird that gets the worm. Many times persistence is just as important. Remember that when our hard work sometimes is not showing the fruit we would like to bear, it’s really important to implement point B) at this time while we are pressing on to our goals.

These are three very basic points that seem to be present in any successful woman that comes to my mind (and there are a lot of them). Maybe women have found a way to eradicate the excess and get down to the basics, finding that the nuts and bolts can strengthen the foundation. Maybe we are in the process of opening our eyes to what is really important to each of us. Whatever the reason, here is something we may all agree upon…the tallest of buildings is unable to stand unless a firm foundation is in place. So let’s use those basics in our favor and soar to new heights.