I love the concept of GRACE. Sure, grace is mentioned in all major religions, but I’d like to talk not about its divine meaning, but rather a secular meaning and how it relates to personal leadership.

In personal leadership, I like to think of grace as a state where the heart and mind come together. When that happens, we have a sense of inner peace that allows us to show kindness and empathy not only to those around us but to ourselves as well. It’s an important quality for leaders of all kinds.

You display grace to others through love and compassion. You don’t hold them to an unattainable expectation of perfection at all times. You allow for second chances when appropriate. You are the shoulder to cry on, the sympathetic ear when they need to talk, and a soft place to land when things go wrong.

But it’s critical that you learn to show yourself the same grace.

Don’t hold yourself to that unattainable expectation of perfection either. And don’t beat yourself up when you fail to meet that standard. Make time for taking care of your physical and emotional well being.

Self-care is the ultimate way to show yourself grace.

For many women, the concept of “self-care” brings to mind massages, manicures, and facials and while all those things are wonderful, self-care doesn’t have to feel indulgent.

True self-care means things like getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, establishing a practice of gratitude, creating a morning routine that allows you to start the day feeling centered and focused, eating healthy foods, getting exercise and making time to do the things you enjoy.

Showing yourself grace means learning how to prioritize YOU… something you probably have not done enough of lately.