Have you ever seen a dull kitchen knife? Dull knives are a pain to use. They don’t cut vegetables properly, and if you aren’t careful, you can hurt yourself trying to get one of them to peel a potato or chop an onion. A dull knife isn’t useless, but it will require sharpening before you can use it again.
According to Southern Living, there are some ways to avoid getting a dull knife in the first place. If anybody knows about good livin’, it’s southerners. They all seem to be kind and in no kind of hurry. I’ll take that kind of EZ Breezy Life if I don’t mind saying so myself.
I may not live in the south, but I still hate a dull knife. More importantly, I don’t want me or any Breezy Tribe members to become dull knives. Of all the tips I saw listed on Southern Living’s list of tips to keep blades sharp, my favorite one was watching YouTube for sharpening methods. I love me some YouTube.
In all seriousness, you have to keep your blades sharp, Alpha Woman. You cannot do that if you keep yourself surrounded by dull knives or women who don’t possess superpowers you don’t. Entrepreneur Magazine recently shared an online article about the creation of a group called Chief for high powered women climbing the corporate ladder.
Women are understanding now more than ever that they need a network that "works". You CAN make it to the pinnacle of your trade, field, and industry, but you will need a tribe of women with real superpowers to get there.
Here are the women you need in your corner if you are about to propel to your next level:
1. The Mentor
I would say you need several mentors. We are multidimensional. This means we need to have mentors in every dimension of our lives. I have spiritual mentors, marriage mentors, professional mentors, financial mentors, health mentors-- a sea of mentors. I don’t always do the best job of following their advice 100% of the time, but when I do, it pays off dividends.
It is so important to keep yourself surrounded by women who are steps ahead of you in life, career, family, finances, spirituality -- virtually any aspect of your life you want to see real success in. Make sure these women see your come-up as a good thing, not competition.
2. The Mirror
There is a special woman in my life who reminds me so much of myself. Every time I see her superpowers come out, I say Yassss, that's my chick! However, when I see her act out and cut up, I also say, “Ooh, do I act like that?” My mirror image can check me in ways no one else can because she knows my heart.
In contrast, I also know when she needs to be talked off the ledge because she is about to go AAALL the way in. It isn't always a bad thing to share similar characteristics, as long as you and your mirror image are genuinely pursuing growth, success, and want what is best for one another.
3. The Blindside
Whoa Whoa! Hold your horses. We all need someone watching our blindside. Maybe your blindside is compulsiveness, anger, assumptions, or staying ready for war. The friend who watches your blindside is everything you are not. If you are calm, they know how to turn up when someone crosses the line. If you stay ready for battle, the friend on the blindside tells you to calm down before you go to jail.
If you are too trusting, the blindside tells you who to look out for. The blindside also sees the talents, gifts, and abilities on the inside of you that you can’t. They believe in the good in you when others can’t. Can intuition be your blindside? Absolutely. But it is also crucial you surround yourself with fellow women watching out for your weaknesses and correcting you in love.
4. The Catalyst
Girl, get up. The Catalyst is the friend who doesn’t have hugs or kisses for you in dry seasons. They give kicks in the butt. This is the friend who will not take no for an answer when it comes to you pursuing your goals and living your best life. They seem the most insensitive, but you need them to step in when you are too busy feeling sorry for yourself. Your catalyst must be relentless in pushing you to your next level.
5. The Cheerleader
They cheer you up. They hug you. They champion you. Their love for you is unconditional, and they don’t scare easy when you get into your Alpha Woman antics. You can count on your cheerleader to scrape you off the floor when you cannot pick yourself up. You can also count on them to be your number one groupie when you win again.
It is hard to find a team of women who genuinely love and support you. You may have to look in different arenas of your life to find them. If you are lucky, you find one or two people who check all five boxes. These women are Iron Women. They are your real friends. Keep them close. Love them hard.
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