First let me say that I am OVERWHELMED (in a good way!) by the response my last post, "Grace vs. Grind: Which One Are You Operating in?" has gotten. I have received so many emails, comments, and messages letting me know that my post has FREED you from the bondage of burning yourself out, which makes me so, so glad.One of the main themes I noticed behind why so many women felt like they have to grind in the first place is because successful people in their field made it seem like they had to.Now I'm not one of those people who believes you should never receive inspiration or even instruction from others. There is a ton of value in "learning from the best" which is why I'm always recommending books and other resources.That said, no matter how successful a person is, you still have to balance their advice with your own path to success. Wise counsel is good, but too many voices speaking into your life is a fast way to get off track.To help you combat this, I recorded a new podcast episode, "Do you Boo: Defining Your Own Success vs. Learning From the Best" where I share 3 tips for balancing your own journey to success with the inspiration you receive from others. Click below to listen:For the full audio, please check out the podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud.[podcast]

Podcast Summary:

Obviously following your own path is important but learning from others is important to. The key is knowing how to learn from others without losing yourself in the process.After falling into the trap of letting others define success for me, here are the strategies that have helped me define success for myself.#1: Know Thy SelfThe first step to maintaining your own path to success while still receiving inspiration from others is to know...well, YOU!And I don't just mean knowing your goals and what you want out of life. Though that's obviously important (so important I wrote a book about it! ;-) ), it's equally important that you know your inclinations and how you like to do things.For instance, are you a morning person or a night owl? Type-A or free-spirit? What motivates you? What do you respond best to?This is important because not everyone's process will "jive" with who you are as a person. Someone may inspire you because they've reached a goal you want to reach but maybe the way the reached it is not the best way for YOU, since you're a different person.It's all too easy to get depressed and down on ourselves, thinking the way someone else had achieved something is the "only" way.You are unique for a reason. You're in your current situation for a reason. Honor who you are by giving yourself permission to do things differently.#2: Learn the Landscape (Don't Search for a Roadmap)The biggest mistake people make when drawing inspiration from those they admire is they look to others to provide the roadmap to their success. Here's the thing - no one can provide a roadmap to your success but YOU. Why? Because your journey, just like you, will be 100% unique.Yes, parts of your journey may overlap with the journey of someone you admire, but your journey will not be their journey. Period.In our modern age, we're so used to having step-by-step instruction delivered to us from Google or apps on our phone that we think other people who have reached success can do the same for us. Just like the Google maps app, we think others who have succeeded can get us from point A to point B.Remember what it was like planning a trip before the internet? Before MapQuest, Google maps, and ever-present smart phones, people had to pull out a paper map, assess the landscape - the roads the cities, and the obstacles between them and where they want to go - then charted a path for themselves. Likewise, the journey others have taken should serve as a picture of the landscape, NOT a roadmap. It is up to YOU to figure out how to get to your ultimate destination, the path others have taken should simply give you an idea of the possible paths (and pitfalls) you'll encounter when getting there.#3: Grow Your GutWhat if I told you one of the most powerful decision-making and discernment tools was already inside you? Good news: it is! It's called your gut! If you find yourself constantly getting off track by following other people, it's a strong sign that you need to strengthen your gut.This is harder to explain in writing so I encourage you to listen to the podcast above to get the depth of this point! If you learn how to strengthen this powerful, internal "muscle", learning how to balance the voices of others with your own journey to success will become a lot easier.Books mentioned in this podcast:The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker[symple_divider style="dashed" margin_top="20" margin_bottom="20"]This whole "Grace vs. Grind" movement ended up being so popular that I decided to create a free journal and audio guide book to help you on your #graceovergrind journey!

It's called the Grace Over Grind Guide and it includes 11 pages of journal prompts and affirmations to help you craft your own grace-filled journey to success. It also comes with a 20 minute audio where I personally walk your through each exercise.I had a lot of fun putting it together and now I'm making it available to you for FREE! Just click the button below to download: