‘You put high heels on and you change’ – Manolo Blahnik
I have, admittedly, been focussing quite a lot on shoes in my personal Twitter feed of late. And yes, I do love them! But more than that, high heels are, much like a little black dress, part of the armour, and the image, that as women we often use to feel more confident and assured – particularly in situations when we might in reality be quite insecure.
But one of the things about strutting out in high heels is, of course, the ability to walk in them – and just as we do with our heels, sometimes we wobble in our business direction.
So how do we manage to stay upright and not shaky in heels, and in our work?
There is no easy answer; but what really sets the strutters apart from the runway wrecks is the ability to keep your eyes on the prize – to keep hold of that pinpoint vision. Entrepreneurs and visionaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer, Creel Price – what makes them so steady is their clear, unwavering focus on what they want to achieve as an end goal.
If you are wobbling a bit, work out what it is that is making you feel unsteady. Is it outside influences? Is it a lack of ability to keep yourself motivated? Is it the people you have surrounded yourself with?
Take a long hard look. Be prepared to adjust your strategies – and occasionally perhaps your heel height. Sometimes you may need to take smaller steps to get to where you want to go instead of the large, swinging strides you feel you should be capable of. Understand that sometimes you may have to take actions which some people may regard as selfish – but in fact are about self-care. You are the only one who is in charge of your destiny; be prepared to own your purpose.
When it comes down to it, whether it’s your heels or your business direction, it’s all about having inner strength and the passion to want to disrupt the norm. And bear this in mind; there are a lot of women out there willing and ready to be amazing – but it’s the 5% who are willing to put up with metaphorical (and real!) blisters and sometimes even anguish who will end up in front of the pack.
So don’t be scared if you stumble in your shoes; it happens to every single one of us at some stage.
But after a few wobbles, and a bit of wearing in of the new heels – and the new attitude and clarity of purpose towards where you are heading – you should be able to take the world by storm.
In an amazing pair of high heels.
And with an even more amazing focus.
