Happiness. Our September Guest, Julianne Hough, actually helped to redefine the word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. (True story, keep reading.)
There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how to be successful, but personal happiness is surely part of the equation. Keeping important relationships intact while reaching for your dreams is not always easy, but necessary according to our September Guest Editor, Julianne Hough, who literally danced her way to the top – and still has great girlfriends to speak of. It’s a feat not every woman has been able to achieve.
We asked Julianne to share what success and life balance look like to her and we love what she had to say. Hard work and dedication to her own health helped land her a career doing what she loves most – dance! And that same passion has helped her keep life in balance while developing other successful endeavors, including a new collab with fitnesswear brand MPG Sport…
Success is…
Happiness derived from good relationships and achieving personal goals. I’m proud to say that I was part of the Strayer University campaign that changed this definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
3 resources every girl boss needs:
I love The Four Agreements, anything that Tony Robbins has written, and strength/ability assessment tests. I recently took the Gallup Strengths Finder and loved seeing what my core strengths were and how I can use them in my career.
3 qualities you most admire in colleagues:
Close attention to detail, punctuality, honesty and drive! I know that’s four, but they’re all very important to me.
The hardest truth about success:
It is filled with ups and downs! The key is to stay positive and motivated through the good and the bad, learn to let things go to allow room for new ideas and never stop believing in yourself.
The loveliest truth about success:
That you get to be a part of something that is helping other people, either physically or emotionally in the world. It’s also rewarding when you see how you’ve created something out of nothing. Knowing that you’re taking a risk on something that you’re not 100% certain about, and having faith in yourself and the people around you that everything works out exactly how it’s supposed to.
3 businesses inspiring you now:
Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company – I love the brand that she has built!
Tony Robbins, because he keeps me inspired in both the professional and personal sense.
And Duane Johnson, because I admire his unconventional career and that he has a hand in everything. He started as a wrestler and has since built an empire. I feel I can relate to this because I started as a dancer, but now I have multiple “passion buckets” that I like to fill.
5 staples every woman in business needs:
A good notebook (I still love writing versus typing my notes); a good Rolodex of people you’ve worked with and to whom you make sure you stay connected; a white board for brainstorming sessions (Derek and I love using these for our MOVE meetings); a kettle close by for when you need a cup of tea; and a happy and excited attitude!
Best advice you ever received:
Build up the people who work for you instead of asking, “what can they do for me?” Not only will you find that this actually helps your business grow, but seeing their personal growth and happiness evolve will be inspiring and rewarding.
Advice you'd give yourself at the start of your career:
To hold onto the original reason I wanted to be an entertainer, which was because it was fun, and also to bring joy into people’s lives through my love of entertaining. In my early 20s I found that I was trying to be the most successful and “the best,” and I wasn’t enjoying the process as much as I did when I was kid. I was comparing myself to others instead of just enjoying the journey and being proud of myself for what I had already accomplished.
