Being a successful single mom can seem like a daunting task. But the truth is that your success is just an arms reach away.
I had the honor of reading one of the thickest books of my life last month. Despite it’s size, I am glad, really glad it was recommended to me by my volunteer team at my church.
The book that had the honor of getting my attention over netflix and chill was:
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
*cue the confetti*
If you are looking for a book that will transform your mindset and set you up to be a leader in whatever you are in charge of, this is the book for you.
There is a learning curve at the beginning, but there are some valuable nuggets that you can take away and apply to any area of your life.
- 1 What are the 7 Habits According to Stephen R. Covey?
- 2
- 3 What does this have to do with being a successful single mom?
- 4
- 5 7 Habits Of A Highly Successful Single Mom
- 5.1 She actively seeks wisdom, understanding, and strategy.
- 5.2
- 5.3 She writes the vision and create goals to make it happen.
- 5.4
- 5.5 She makes healing a priority for herself and her child(ren).
- 5.6
- 5.7 She grows, learns from every situation and sees the blessing in every trial.
- 5.8
- 5.9 She is intentional with maintaining a balance between meeting the needs of others she’s in relationship with, without forsaking her own.
- 5.10
- 5.11 She knows the benefit of order in her home, her finance, and with her time.
- 5.12
- 5.13 She treats self-care as a necessity and not a luxury.
- 5.14 All in all,
- 6 Chyna Nicole
- 7 Related
What are the 7 Habits According to Stephen R. Covey?
The 7 habits are broken down into 3 different categories: Private Victories, Public Victories, and Renewal.
Within those categories you will find the 7 habits which are titled:
- Be Proactive.
- Begin With The End In Mind.
- Put First Things First.
- Think Win/Win
- Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood
- Synergize
- Sharpen The Saw with Self-Renewal
It will all make since once you crack the book open, so don’t worry.
What does this have to do with being a successful single mom?
This book teaches you how to manage yourself, others, and organizations. Which as single moms, we become the managers and leaders of all three in a short period of time. Therefore, in the pages of this book, you will learn how to manage and lead it all effectively aka toward success.
Being a successful single mom requires you to be effective, not perfect, in all areas of your life whether you manage it on your own or you gladly delegate it to others. Your efforts, your actions, and your communication should get results and not more setbacks/frustrations.
Can single moms be successful?
Hell yeah! Excuse my language but why is this even a question? Success is not just for the married, the engaged, and those who are only single. Success is an opportunity provided to everyone because it is defined by you.
I wrote a post at the end of last year sharing the 5 changes I believed single moms should start making now so their new year would be a success. You can check that out here: 5 Changes To Make For Single Mom Success This Year
Sucess is really what you make it to be. Not what the world defines or what other people want for you. You have to go to God for yourself, spend time alone, and really dig out what you desire for your life, your family, your career/finance, relationships, etc.
So success is definitely possible for a single mom that is willing to work on her relationship with God, with herself, and with those she is in relationship with. Keywords are willing to work because success is not handed to you through a co-parent, the government, or anybody else. You have to do the work!
7 Habits Of A Highly Successful Single Mom
You can look on Google and find a number of books and resources to get tips and strategies to achieve the successful single mom status. You can find some of the resources that I’ve used personally at the end of this post. Or you can look at the Made New Resource Guide. Below I share my 7 habits for a successful single mom.
She actively seeks wisdom, understanding, and strategy.
A highly successful single mom knows that she can not achieve this level of mastery without the guidance and truth of God. She knows that He is her strength and courage to move forward with things she’s called to do.
Successful single moms rely on God as a coparent, father, and friend. She makes room to seek God in prayer, mediate on His Word, and understands the importance of spiritual mentors, leaders, and like-minded peers.
She writes the vision and create goals to make it happen.
A highly successful single mom does not feel comfortable going through life floundering or running around aimlessly, looking for direction. She knows the importance of gaining clarity and the focus necessary to help move the needle forward for her life.
Succssful single moms make sure they make goals and take steps to better more than themselves. She focuses on goals that can set her child(ren) up for success and that focuses on creating a healthy life for her family.
She makes healing a priority for herself and her child(ren).
A highly successful single mom understands healing is the first step to moving on in life. She knows personally what it’s like to grow up and live with toxic, unhealed parents and the damage it can cause. Also, realizing that she must become vulnerable whether with family/friends or a therapist to be able to repair the blind spots.
Successful single moms desire to do the necessary work to heal their inner little girl and fully allow herself to become the woman she is meant to be. Her children are blessed by her efforts to change the pattern of unhealed trauma for generations to come after her.
She grows, learns from every situation and sees the blessing in every trial.
A highly successful single mom knows that trouble doesn’t last always. She understands that even though situations may not go her way, she know there is a lesson in every circumstance.
Successful single moms choose to see God’s hand in every area of their life. She operates in gratitude and thankfulness toward every chance she gets to be alive, with her children, and pursuing the purpose God has for her.
She is intentional with maintaining a balance between meeting the needs of others she’s in relationship with, without forsaking her own.
This habit can be challenging for the successful single mom. However, she chooses to navigate her relationships with grace, patience, and healthy boundaries.
She understands she is a light and supportive to many people, including her children. But she also knows that she can not do it all or be everything for everybody. Successful single moms focus on what they can control and point everything else back to God, so that they won’t be depleted for other assignments God has for them.
She knows the benefit of order in her home, her finance, and with her time.
A highly successful single mom is intentional about creating a home of peace, managing her finances realistically, and treating her time as precious. She knows that she can not do it all alone and requires the support of her children, experts, and accountability partners to help her maintain the order she desires in her life.
Successful single moms know the importance of routine and schedule, creating a budget, spending wisely, and committing to their priorities. She also extends great patience and grace to herself and others when things are chaotic or in disarray.
She treats self-care as a necessity and not a luxury.
A highly successful single mom make herself a priority and 1st after God on her list. She knows that if she doesn’t take care of herself, her children will suffer.
Successful single moms understand that there are season to forgo external self-care but the internal self-care is non-negotible. She understands that true self-care focuses on her mental, emotional, spiritual and psychological wellbeing.
All in all,
Don’t be overwhelmed by the habits and don’t look at this list as a measure of how terrible you are doing in life. Trust me, we are all falling short in some way or some fashion. You are not alone. Here I share the Highly Successful Single Mom Checklist to help assess yourself and keep you on track. Remember if you are not on the email list, sign up in the side bar to get the password for this year to be able to access the Freebie Vault.
If you feel that you have a handle on all 7 habits, then I would challenge you to share your story, your testimony with another single mom who may not be in the place you are today. There’s no point of being successful and doing well, if you are not going to use it to help and uplift another woman want to elevate and become more effective.
Below are some supportive resources for being a successful single mom:
- The KickA** Single Mom by Emma Johnson
- Successful Single Mom Book Series by Honoree Corder
- Do It Anyway by the Winning Single Mom Kaywanda Lamb
My favorite is Emma Johnson at Wealthy Single Mommy. Check out some of my other blog post to support your journey as well:
- 5 Changes To Make For Single Mom Success This Year
- 12 Tips To Begin Leading Yourself In Life
- 10 Best Self-Help Books For Single Moms
- Single Mom Goals: How To Confidently Execute Your Values in 1 year
Still looking for ways to connect with other single moms or women headed in the same direction as you toward greater faith, increased confidence, and fulfilling relationships?
You can also join the Women Seeking Confidence Facebook group for a community of women headed in the same direction as you in regards to growing in confidence:
