3 Powerful Lessons for Women in Business from My Dad's Favourite Saying

Last year for Father's day, I wrote 'The Father of All Articles' - it made me smile to re-read it today (and also slightly freak out that it's been year already)

But a year on, and for today's #SaturdayServing I'm going to share one of my dad's favourite sayings when we were growing up - and I'm sharing the powerful lessons that it has in store for every woman in business

His favourite Saying

So, my dad made it really clear to us from an early age that excellence was the only acceptable standards for us. It was that or nothing.

And so, if we weren't top of the class (thankfully, I usually was - but on rare occasion when I wasn't), he would ask us a powerful and infuriating question that would always get us thinking

"That person who did so well, do they have two heads?"

Like I said - infuriating... because the answer was always 'no' and yet there were 3 powerful things to note in the question that helped set us up for success!

1. Always Attainable

The fact that someone had achieved something better than you had, meant that it was also attainable for you. After all they don't have the physical or mental advantage of two heads over you... you both had one head each.

If they could get that position with one head... then so can you.

It was so simple, and yet so profound. And is a perspective that has such value for women in business, especially as it can be so easy to think that others have things that you don't when they're achieving what you're not.

The fact is that they don't

Everything you want is attainable - you just need to decide how much you want it.

So, knowing that no one had two heads meant that I could go out and make the best use of the one that I had

2. Everything is Figureaoutable

I know Marie Forleo named her book as such – but actually it’s a lesson that my dad through that favourite saying has been telling us for decades.

No one has what you don’t have…

Everyone has got just the one head

So, everything can be figured out and obtained.

The question always made us go back to ask what we could have done differently and stoked a practice of self-reflection that is the bedrock of so much of what has supported my growth today.

Understanding that everything is figureoutable gives you a fighting spirit that builds resilience and persistence that are strong foundations for success.

And once again sees you working hard to make the best out of the one head that you’ve got

3. No one is better than you

I think from an early age, the ‘two heads’ question, and it’s obvious answer had a really interesting reaction from us all.

As it really powerfully confirmed to us that no one (and I mean no one) was better that us. In a society that’s obsessed with education – two heads would have been the pinnacle advantage, and yet, as we didn’t know anyone who had it – it meant that YOU were the best if you were willing to be so.

It equally had us firmly on the tenacity train, as we knew that we didn’t have any more heads than anyone else – and so if we were going to stay on top we would need to work and continue at pace.

But it gives a powerful and salient reminder for women in business so many of whom I see struggling with feelings of self-doubt and constantly wondering if they’re enough.

NO – you’re not enough lovely – because you are more than enough…

You have the one head that everyone else has, now get some self-belief, and do all that you need with it.

In summary

It pushed us

It infuriated us

But ultimately it forced us to confront a powerful and important truth about what we were doing and what we said we wanted to do… and I for one am forever grateful to my dad for the constant asking of the two heads question.

I’ve just got the one… as have you

So, ladies it’s now for us to make the absolute best use of the one that we’ve been given!

__________________________________

About the Author

Yinka Ewuola is a Strategist, Consultant, Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and Founder and Chief Prediction Officer at Calla Success Systems - who's on a mission to support busy ambitious women to build thriving and profitable businesses while living full, fab and nourishing lives. This is so that women never feel like they have to make the false choice between their money and their life, or their health and their wealth.

Her Business Transformation Programme, based on her 'Holistic Success Method' is changing the game for women in Business.

Her dynamic and decidedly different Masterclasses cover the building blocks of success for women in businesses with the next one focused on Beating Procrastination. She also support she supports women through a variety of programmes, courses and conversations.

Check out her daily email list for ambitious women in business by emailing her at [email protected]