By Jennifer Davis // Empowerment // EEW Magazine Online

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Black Christian woman and a boss despite the efforts of some within society to disparage our hustle and diminish our glow-up.

If you’re ready to shut out negative distractions and hindrances and soar to the heights God destined for you, EEW Magazine Online is sharing 5 girl boss essentials to help you experience success.

#1 Run your individual race. God placed you on a specific track. Run your individual race by staying in your lane and avoiding the temptation to assimilate. The unique flavor you bring to the world cannot be duplicated. Don’t be afraid to strike out on your own path, put your signature on things, and do it just the way you envision it. While educating yourself about your industry, best practices, top trends, and useful hacks is good, don’t let the opinions and methodologies you learn about put you in a box and hold you back. Your race is your race; run it the way God leads you – and do it with perseverance and faith (Hebrews 12:1).

#2 Honor your time. Blessed is she who honors her time, for she will be rewarded with priceless treasures. If you don’t respect your time, no one else will. If you don’t set firm boundaries and keep them, others won’t either. Time is invaluable and it takes lots of it to reach your goals; be protective of the precious seconds, minutes and hours of your day. This means assessing which habits and activities best serve you and having the courage to reasonably reduce or altogether cut out the ones that don’t. Your success depends on your ability to make strategic decisions like ants – that have no boss or leader – but use effective strategies that keep food plentiful (Proverbs 6:7-8).

#3 Celebrate you. Don’t wait for others to praise with you, throw you a party, or make a big deal of your latest milestone. Develop the practice of celebrating you, rejoicing over progress –great and small – and acknowledging areas of growth. Clap for yourself while remembering that the glory belongs to God. Doing so accomplishes three things: it keeps you motivated; it strengthens your gratitude muscles; and it reminds you that you’re doing well which is particularly important in frustrating times. Like David did in Scripture, encourage yourself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6).

# Be proactive. No one can control every situation, but doing your best to remain aware of and alert to possible issues will keep you a step ahead of the game. Passive people wait around to see what will happen and react to it when it does; proactive people identify potential problems and prevent them before they happen. Adopt a “fire drill” mentality. Running drills helps you understand how to implement safe and effective practices in case of an emergency. As the popular saying goes, “You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.” Time and chance happen to us all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Prepare for it as much as possible.

#Pray hard, work hard. Some girl bosses boast, saying, no one can outwork me. Be sure no one can out-pray you either, sis. Pray fervently over everything. Even in situations when you feel confident and in control, invite God’s presence and guidance into your endeavors. After all, it is not your plan but His purpose that will ultimately prevail. It only makes sense to ask: God what do You want me to do and how? If you acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will direct you (Proverbs 3:6).

While it takes hard work to be successful, success is indeed possible if you apply these principles and never give up on your grind.