Written by: Anna Filatova, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The CEO of a company is someone who acts as the company’s representative and makes major company decisions. The success of the company usually depends on the CEO’s leadership, vision, and commitment. Whether you are a CEO, entrepreneur, or employee, you are immersed in the company’s culture and follow its vision. You manage a huge number of responsibilities and do your work according to the best practices and strategies to meet the company’s goals. One way or another you can contribute to or rewrite the future of that company.
If you apply the same principle to your own life, you will see that you are the CEO of your own life. You are responsible for every aspect of your life such as your happiness, relationships, career, and friendships and you have the ability to make decisions for your life and the power to rewrite your own future. Every single one of us has the potential for success or disaster in all areas of our lives depending on how it is managed.
If you want to live a happy and fulfilled life on your own terms, you have to become the CEO of your life. It gets lost and forgotten but it’s the most important role that you play in your life. Like they say on the plane before taking off: put your mask first before helping others. You can’t make someone else happy if you are unhappy yourself. If you want to be an example to your kids, you need to be the best version of yourself and use your true potential.
Here are 10 ways to make yourself the CEO of your own life.
1. Define your vision and success
Defining your vision and what success looks like to you determines how you act and move forward. It’s a driving factor that gives your life meaning and helps you to stay motivated and on track when things get tough. Without a vision, it could be difficult to know what to do next and what steps to take. Be very clear about what you want and how you want your life to look like.
2. Set your priorities and goals
When you have a clear vision, it’s important to set clear goals and priorities. Goals provide you with focus and motivation and this is how you will know towards what activities you show concentrate your time, energy, money, and efforts. Setting priorities will help you achieve your goals as they will determine what activities and tasks need to be done and when. You should never waste your time and only focus on the activities that will bring you desired results. Use the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results will come from 20% of your activities.
3. Invest in yourself, your learning and development
Investing in yourself is the best investment that you can make. By doing so you will learn and develop new skills, and boost your confidence in your own abilities and this will have a positive impact on your self-esteem. Investing in your personal development allows you to generate new ideas and get inspired to do things differently and come up with solutions.
4. Practise self-care
To do your best and be productive, you have to maintain your physical and mental health and ensure that you have enough energy for the day. You are the most important asset of your life, so make yourself a priority and practice self-care regularly. Create morning and evening routines that suit you, take time off and regular breaks, and spend time doing things that relax and recharge you.
5. Master your mindset
Developing a mindset where your dreams or goals are already achieved is the best way to achieve those dreams or goals. Your mindset is a powerful tool and if used correctly it can open up a world full of possibilities and opportunities. Mastering your mindset is crucial for success as it allows you to execute the strategies and plans that give you the best chances for improvement over time and move forward when things get tough.
6. Learn to say no
Saying yes to absolutely everything is impossible as you have limited time per day and the capacity to fit all those requests in. Your body and mind need time to relax and recover on a daily basis too. Be strategic when you choose to say yes to something and learn to say no when you won’t benefit from a task or activity.
7. Take time to reflect
Taking time to reflect on the things that are going well and not so well in your life is important as it leads to greater self-awareness. It allows you to separate your own perception from a situation and notice your own thoughts and feelings. Reflection gives your brain an opportunity to pause, consider all observations and things that have happened, learn from them and consider the best way forward.
8. Create a plan and take action
You can’t succeed if you don’t do anything. When you have a clear vision and goals, nothing will change unless you create a plan and take action. Taking action might feel difficult and even impossible sometimes but if you break your goals into smaller specific steps and actions, you will be able to overcome fear and doubt much easier and your goals will feel more achievable. Also, the more you do something, the easier it becomes. So, keep the momentum going.
9. Have fun
No matter what you are trying to achieve, having fun along the way is important. It helps you to relax, balance out stress and boost creativity, energy, and productivity. Take time to enjoy your hobbies and spend time with family and friends.
10. Find the right support
You are the CEO of your life and only you can change your future. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to do it alone. Share your goals with the people that you know will support you and allow them to be a part of your journey. Having a mentor or coach is a great way to have accountability for your actions and support to move forward. If you are ready to make changes and become the CEO of your life, let’s talk.
Anna Filatova, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anna is the founder and CEO of Dreams and Beyond Coaching Ltd, a coaching and mentoring firm that was founded in March 2020. The company offers a variety of services including 1:1 coaching and mentoring, one-day intensives, group programs, training, courses, workshops, and DISC personality profiling. The services are available internationally as most of the work can be done online.
Anna believes that people are the most valuable asset of any business or organization and true success comes from finding the right balance and owning your inner power. Therefore, her work is heavily focused on people’s performance, development, and wellbeing.
As a qualified Business and Executive Coach, Anna supports individuals to unlock their potential and make progress within their leadership roles in business and organizations without compromising their personal wellbeing. She also helps develop high-performing teams to support business and organizational growth.
Anna earned an Honours BA Degree in Business Studies in International Hotel Management from the National University of Ireland Galway in 2011 and an MBA for Executives with Global Perspective from the London School of Commerce in 2015.
Anna spent 9 years in Hotel Management and 7 years in Investment Banking. When she was 25, she had burnout that made her realize that health, well-being, and work-life balance are more important than killing herself for a fast career progression.
Anna has written for Thrive Global and she is a Senior Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine. She has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Intrado, Latestly, Entrepreneur Mogul, and Zee5 News and invited as a guest speaker in Ireland and the UK. She has been nominated for the Women’s Business Awards 2021 (Category: Best New Business of the Year) and awarded the Brainz CREA Global Award 2021 in recognition of her creative and innovative ideas, and adaptability in business.
