Often in life, as well as in business, we aspire to achieve what others have. We tend to base our goals on material possessions: a new car, a bigger house or the latest mobile phone. Are these really the reasons you went into business or are they a symbol of status in the minds of others?

Keeping up with the Joneses can be an exhausting exercise, especially when you don’t enjoy the results of your labour. The goals you set for 2012 must relate to your personal desires, business aspirations and what you most value in life. Most mumpreneurs set up in business for the following reasons:

• To have flexibility to work around the needs of the family
• To be answerable only to themselves
• To increase their sense of fulfilment and achievement on their own terms

These in themselves are signs of enormous success. If you’re achieving any of these goals, and they were the reason you started your business, you should feel immensely satisfied and proud. If you struggle to identify your own goals, it could relate to issues with confidence and self-belief.

You must value your own self-worth enough to live life based on your terms. It is worth taking time to reflect on what makes you unique, including the things that make you smile, feel proud and enjoy most, especially your personal quirkiness! Here is an example of such a list:

• I love spending time with my husband and three children
• My passion is baking
• I can speak French fluently and a little bit of Spanish
• I run my own business making cupcakes for all occasions
• I ran Race For Life for the first time this year
• I want to travel Asia
• I love writing letters to my friends and family
• I hate early mornings. When can I have a lie-in?
• I love snuggling up watching a film drinking red wine
• I have amazing friends

When you list things about yourself, you will be surprised at what you have achieved in life and all the diverse things you enjoy. Once you have a list of all the things you know about yourself, you can rate what you like doing most and ask yourself: is your work life supporting your personal life and enabling you to achieve your greatest dreams?

We can surmise from this example that this mum’s cupcake business is helping her to spend lots of time with her family and to save for a long-haul flight to Asia. She should also be ensuring it gives her the time needed to keep in touch with her friends and to train for her running hobby. If she achieves these things, she is a success in her own right and on her own terms! Give this exercise a try: list up to twenty things about yourself, such as your strengths, qualities, likes, dislikes, development areas and achievements.

You’ll soon identify which aspects of your life you can be proud of and use to boost your confidence and self-belief, and also the areas that require your attention to enable you to grow as a person and business owner. You can then set goals to improve these areas and make yourself an even greater success!

Start your journey today – achieve confidence, balance and clarity for an easier, happier life!

Empowering Mums is on a mission to empower a million mums and mumpreneurs just like you with greater confidence, balance and clarity to activate your infinite capabilities within! Enabling you to enjoy an easier, happier life alongside running a highly successful business. Aligned with enjoying time out for an essential self-care routine that fulfils your own needs and delight in quality time spent with your children being the mum you really want to be!

For further support please contact Empowering Mums today on 01606 334 015, alternatively visit our website at www.empoweringmums.com for more information.