Aimee Cohen - Woman Up!: Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins That Sabotage Your Success

WOMAN UP!

Praise for

WOMAN UP!

Aimee Cohen is empowering and inspiringWOMAN UP! combines your best girlfriend and an elite career expertin a powerful, purse-sized package! Aimees advice is easy to follow and gets results.

Teresa Taylor, author of The Balance Myth and former COO, Qwest Communications

As I was first reading WOMAN UP!, I decided that I would order a printed copy for every female in my organization. By the third chapter, I realized that everyone (including men!) needs to read this book.

Suzanne Conrad, CEO, Iowa Donor Network

WOMAN UP! will be mandatory reading for my 10-year-old daughter. The females in my generation need to be clear and supportive, and provide our wisdom and insights to help women at all levels succeed. WOMAN UP! is a great contribution to help women move forward in whatever career they choose!

Margo Karsten, CEO, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center

WOMAN UP!

Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins that SABOTAGE Your Success

AIMEE COHEN

WOMAN UP!

Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins that SABOTAGE Your Success

2015 AIMEE COHEN. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James and The Entrepreneurial Publisher are trademarks of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

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To P

My love, my heart, my soul

and to Zachary and Rachel

Do what you love, love what you do

CONTENTS

WOMAN UP! Tips

Preface

BIG-GIRL PANTIES

There is a special place in hell for women who dont help other women.

Madeleine Albright

W hat do you want to be when you grow up? Its a question we are all asked as little girls, and we are encouraged to dream big. Fortunately, today, we can be ballerinas, astronauts, doctors, lawyers, executives, and presidents. But no one ever asks you how youre going to get there. No one ever tells you how to overcome the self-sabotaging behaviors that get in your way, kill your confidence, and destroy your dreams. Until now.

I may not be an official card-carrying, bra-burning type of feminist, but I believe with every fiber of my being that women are powerful beyond measure, and I have dedicated my career to helping women realize and reach their full professional potential.

As a career coach for more than 20 years, I have worked with and listened to hundreds of women share their stories, their challenges, and their insecurities. I recognize that not only are there external obstacles to a womans successsuch as women only making $0.77 on the dollar, the proverbial glass ceiling, and the inequities that exist in traditionally male-dominated industriesbut there are also internal, self-imposed barriers to overcome. Women unknowingly and unintentionally hold themselves back by engaging in sinful, career-limiting, self-sabotaging behavior.

The truth is that, as women, we already have so much in our favor. We have the raw materials and a solid foundation composed of intuition, compassion, intelligence, and drive. However, we can also be our own worst enemies.

Ill be the first one to admit that sinful behavior can be fun and indulgent, but it can also sabotage your career if youre not careful. As professional women, we commit Deadly Sins every day without even knowing itand, without realizing the damaging consequences.

Heres some good newsdespite the description Deadly Sins, none of these behaviors represent permanently debilitating or fatal conditions. Unlike personality, which we know forms by the time we celebrate our fifth birthdays, behavior is learned. And, because it is learned, it can be unlearned. Patterns of thinking can be modified. And, with practice and patience, new behaviors and beliefs can pave new paths to success.

The best analogy (simplistic yet effective) I can think of is an impeccably dressed woman: head to toe, she is stunning. Shes having a great hair day, her suit looks custom-made, and her stilettos just walked off a Paris runway. She has about 90% of what she needs to put together a complete outfit. Then, she achieves the final 10% when she adds the perfect accessories. The accessories may be smalla few bracelets, earrings, or a necklacebut the impact is enormous and takes the outfit to a whole new level. Impeccable. Extraordinary. Memorable. Complete.

Thats exactly the mission of this book: to deliver the final accessories (I like to call them successories) that take your career to a new level of success. Its a roadmap for how to avoid potential potholes and pitfalls, and a guide to demonstrate how small changes can lead to big results. Basically, you have nearly everything you need today. Youre 90% of the way there, but for some reason youre struggling to get ahead. Now its time to think about what changes, tweaks, and modifications you can make that will have an enormous impact on your career. If youre frustrated, disappointed, and falling short of your full potential, then its time

Its time to pull on those big-girl panties, get real, and WOMAN UP! Its time to hold up the mirror and remove the blinders. Its time to slip on those steel-heeled stilettos (metaphorically speaking) and walk a little taller, strut a little stronger, and show the world who you really are.