Have you ever looked at certain women and thought, “What’s their secret?” You know the type—those fierce and fabulous beings who seem to glide through life with charisma and confidence. Their careers are thriving, they’re always the center of attention at the hottest spots, and let’s be honest, they just exude that “hot” energy that’s hard to ignore. It makes you wonder what they’re doing differently, doesn’t it? Well, it turns out they’re not just lucky; they’ve incorporated what I like to call “hot girl habits” into their lives—strategies that can ignite your own path to success and happiness. So, how do you break free from the shackles of low standards and the lurking shadows of self-doubt? It’s time to choose the life you want! Let’s dive into the six game-changing practices that can elevate your life to those exhilarating heights. Ready to uncover the fire within you? You might just be surprised at what you discover! LEARN MORE
Have you ever wondered what makes the most compelling women so impossible to ignore? Regardless of their beauty, they’re “hot” — their careers are on a hot streak, they go to trendy clubs and have overall enviable lives. How do they do it? They practice “hot girl habits” — winning strategies that set you up for a hot streak in life.
You know how damaging it is to your psyche and your confidence to set low standards for yourself, but it’s a hard pattern to break. Now is the time to do it differently and reap the rewards of a life we choose — and not one we react to. And that’s the secret to letting the fire inside of you shine.
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Why do you keep promising yourself to speak up in relationships, at work, in meetings, and at social occasions, and find yourself holding back at exactly the wrong moment? Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve grooved a deep pattern both in your behaviors and in your brain that’s challenging to overcome without the right amount of information and energy.
But that “hot” energy doesn’t come from holding back. Being thoughtful about what you say and how you say it? Sure. But they don’t let anything hold them back.
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A few years ago, if you had asked me what I wanted out of life, I would have given you an answer that reflected what mattered to my loved ones, with hardly a glimmer of what mattered to me. Whose fault was this? Mine.
I put others first and lost sight of myself. By doing so, I become resentful, bitter, and just the slightest bit jaded. Yet, I still wasn’t speaking up for myself and was only complaining.
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So, what do you want out of your life? What makes you happy? What’s your favorite color, your favorite restaurant, your favorite TV show? What activities make you joyful and which ones leave you bored? What do you want from a partner? Friends? Work? It is well past the time for you to figure yourself out.
You may have seen beautiful women who fade into the backgroundt, but you’ve never seen a truly hot person allow themselves to disappear when they want to make something happen. Being “hot” means displaying a fire inside yourself, and your voice is part of htat.
Every time I was about to speak up, something in my brain would trigger and silence me. It sounded like:
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This mindset was tough to break. I started by thinking, “I matter. My voice matters.” I repeated it again and again until I believed it. I changed my thinking because a fearful mindset led to insecure feelings, and thus, to rather useless behaviors, as shown by a study in Attachment & Human Development.
Start with your thought process, figure out how it’s holding you back, and change it until you believe it.
This is tough. You aren’t used to doing this, but neither was I. I started to say,
Yep, I started very tentatively to speak up.
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Don’t be surprised when the people in your life push back as you start to find your voice. They aren’t used to it and are likely to ignore or disagree with it. This is when you need to summon some big strength, leave your victim thoughts behind, stand up and say it again.
Don’t say it louder, say it nicely and firmly. Say it!
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The less I spoke up, the worse I felt about myself. My confidence plummeted, my self-esteem was on hiatus, and I didn’t like who I was.
I looked at my incredible teenage daughter and my heart broke because this was not what I wanted to model for her. She deserved a mother who showed her how to do hard things.
Seeing me become strong, powerful, and speaking up for others and myself has helped her to do the same. There has been little else in my life that has brought me as much joy as watching her develop her voice.
I watched other women who I greatly admired and imitated their assertiveness and well thought-out opinions. When women speak up, they promote others to do the same, as supported by an APA study. They let their heat, their fire, spread to others.
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Most of us spend useless energy on resolutions that don’t change much in our lives, but learning how to speak up will change every aspect of your life:
“Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say”
—Sara Bareilles, “Brave”
Lisa Kaplin is a psychologist, certified professional life and executive coach, and a highly experienced corporate speaker. She helps people overcome stress and overwhelm to find joy in their personal lives and success and meaning in their professional lives.
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