Drop the Ball: Tiffany Dufu

One of the most common questions successful women receive is, How do you balance it all? and Can you really have it all?. However, a response that we don't hear often is, I dont do it all. I drop the ball.

That is the proud answer of Tiffany Dufu, author of Drop the Ball, a new book written to inspire and help women achieve more by doing less. Not only is Tiffany an author and public speaker, but she is also the Chief Leadership Officer at [LEVO] (https://www.levo.com/) an organization created to help advance the careers of millennial women. In addition, Tiffany also serves on the board for [Girls Who Code] (https://girlswhocode.com/), [Girl Scouts USA] (http://www.girlscouts.org/), [Harlem 4 Kids] (http://www.harlem4kids.com/), and [StudentsFirstNY] (http://www.studentsfirstny.org/). Previously, she was the President of The White House Project. To top it all off, Tiffany is also a wife and mother-of-two. Phew...we're tired after just listing all of those credentials!

We spoke with Tiffany, who gave us a glimpse into her life and shared ways that we can all continue to grow toward achieving our goals. Here are some of Tiffanys tips (or "Tiffanys epiphanies" as she calls them) on

...Your Lifes Work

This is really the root of everything that Tiffany believes in. She believes that if you ask anyone, What is Tiffanys life work? They will be able to tell you, Tiffanys life work is advancing women and girls. As you can tell from her long list of achievements, this mission is at the core of everything she does.

As a leader, Tiffany feels that, sometimes the only thing you have is peoples faith in you. They wont have trust in you if they dont understand who you are and what you come from. Plus, the more you make it known what your purpose is, the more you can align your life and career with it.

...Mentors

Though you may question its worth, Tiffany believes that mentorship and being a mentee is an important relationship to foster. You might wonder: why would someone be willing to give up her time to help you when you might not be able to give her anything in return? Tiffany believes that you shouldn't think of it that way. She has a group of mentees who have truly changed her life. Whether its been through encouraging Tiffany to start a vlog or simply giving her fashion advice when she has to go to a big event, shes constantly gaining new insight from her younger mentees.

Her message: dont be afraid to reach out to anyone. Tiffany advises to wait in line after an event to meet the speaker and introduce yourself to everyone on the first day in the office. We may think that people dont have time for us or that they are constantly bombarded for requests for coffee dates, but these are simply missed opportunities. If there is someone who inspires or interests you, don't hesitate to make it known.

...How to Drop the Ball

Throughout her day, Tiffany asks herself the "drop the ball question" repeatedly: Is doing x,y, or z my highest and best use in achieving what matters most to me?

She constantly reminds herself that her lifes work is to advance the lives of women and girls, to nurture her relationship with her husband, Kojo, and to raise globally conscious children. By keeping this top of mind, she is more easily able to answer this question whenever it arises.

After speaking with Tiffany, we feel inspired to become clear on what matters most to us, and to let go of anything that doesnt help us work toward those goals and passions.

So, please join us in following Tiffanys lead to #droptheball!

If youd like to learn more about Tiffany Dufu, or her book Drop the Ball, visit her site [tiffanydufu.com] (http://tiffanydufu.com/) .