Level 02
Striving
From Progress to Results
You’re actively building momentum, learning, and in production mode. Striving is about turning curiosity into consistent effort, without losing yourself in the hustle. It’s about harnessing your energy with focus, creating systems that support your goals, and moving from inspiration into tangible progress. It’s a stage of invigoration and tenacity where action meets intention, setting the foundation for stability, long-term growth, security, purpose, and peace.
is Élanoura’s self-discovery framework guiding women toward Living Intentionally, Fearlessly, and Transformatively. Each of the five levels represents a stage in the journey of growth, mastery, and meaningful impact, helping you understand where you are, what you most desire, and how to move forward with clarity and confidence.
You may be at the Striving level if:
- You’re experimenting, learning, and taking consistent action.
- You want your efforts to build something meaningful, not just keep you busy.
- You’re developing habits, routines, and systems but still figuring out which ones truly support you.
Not sure of your level?
Meet Your Spirit Animal
Horse
Quite literally the “workhorse” of the levels, you embody strength, determination, and discipline. It can feel at times as if you’re racing along a fast-paced track, harnessing all of your energy to build focused momentum toward the finish line and your next level. The key is to remember it’s not a sprint, but a steady journey of perseverance that leads to balance, freedom, and the space to explore what really matters.
Insights to fuel Your Next moves
Our founder Erika shares what she’s gained through this level of focus and determination to move her forward.
Your Strengths
- You’ve courageously committed a direction, no longer stuck in place or unclear on your end goal
- You’re highly motivated right now and ready for action-oriented steps
- You’re excited by your momentum and starting to see traction
- You’re developing confidence through doing, not just thinking
Your Growth Edges
- You can overwork yourself, leading to burnout
- You might seek external validation, rather than grounded inner reflection and grace
- You may be unclear where to focus your energy to see the most movement toward your goal
- You are learning how to organize yourself and create consistent systems that ease your workflow
What you might be desiring at this stage
Streamlined efficiency of your efforts
and time well-spent
Building structures that support
longer-term stability
Visible progress and reassurance that
your hard work will pay off
the shadow that can keep you stuck
Chaos
You’ve chosen a path and are gaining traction, but it feels like your to-do list is ever-growing and overwhelming. Your energy can get easily scattered and you may feel like you’re not making progress fast enough, especially when you don’t have the luxury of time to dedicate to your goal 100%. This is when it’s critical to define your priorities and direct your attention with laser focus, being realistic about what you can accomplish, adjusting as you go, and having grace with yourself through this process of immense growth.
Remember: This is your training ground for future abundance, ease, and flow. Channel your energy into setting yourself up for success. And don’t forget to celebrate each step forward to avoid crashing out before you’ve given yourself a chance to get there!
WORDS TO LIFT YOU
Your To-Do List
Dig Deeper
Download the guide “Striving with Purpose: 3 Shifts to Build Momentum with Focus & Intention” to transform hustle into consistent, aligned progress.
Putting in a little time to go through these steps will go a long way. It’s not just about the doing, it’s about the being, too.
Streamline Your Focus
Each week, identify your three most important priorities that directly support your goals. Everything else is optional or supportive.
This builds clarity and prevents the overwhelm that can come with the hurdles of learning and doing something new.
Build Simple Systems
Automate or delegate repetitive tasks. Use tools or support to take recurring items off your plate — scheduling, invoicing, content batching, email templates, etc.
This creates more space for meaningful work that feeds your soul and helps prevent burnout.
Reflect on Progress
Create a “weekly reset” routine. Spend 30 minutes reviewing what you accomplished, what you learned, and what matters most for the week ahead. It builds reflection into your rhythm, especially when it feels like you aren’t checking enough off your list. You may be surprised that you’re further along than you think!
When we overwork, we tend to overlook progress. To keep your inspiration up, it’s crucial to celebrate the small wins!
Your daily MANTRA
“I trust the process and honor the work I am doing today. Every action I take builds the foundation for my future. Even when progress feels slow, I know I am closer to the finish line.”
Make today the day your next chapter begins.
More to Explore
Who Are You Doing This All For? How Focusing on Others Keeps You Motivated
When you think about your work, your brand, or your impact, do you start with yourself—or with the people you want to serve? Simon Sinek reminds us to start with the why, but there’s a step before that: start with the who. Knowing who you’re creating for, influencing, or leading is a powerful motivator. When…
Focus Your Energy Toward Your Next Steps (and Let Go of the Rest)
Entering a new season often comes with long lists, big goals, and the quiet pressure to do everything at once. More growth. More output. More proof that progress is happening. Clarity rarely comes from adding more. It emerges when attention is placed on what matters most and the rest is released. One simple and powerful…
Why Knowing Who Inspires You (and Why) Is a Power Move
We often think inspiration is something external. A passing feeling, a mood, a spark we catch from someone else’s success or creativity. But when you slow down and look more closely, inspiration is not random at all. It is information. The people, brands, and voices you admire are mirrors. They reflect qualities you value, energy…
How to LIFT
Intentionally focus.
The LIFT principles are tools and mindset shifts to lift you from one level to the next.
Your next lift comes when you’re starting to achieve real stability through developing reliable routines that keep you organized and grounded. You’re enhancing your focus by concentrating your energy on what matters, and finding the right balance between your ambition and personal well-being. It’s about knowing where to put your intention that creates meaning for you, not simply taking action for the sake of action.
You’ll know you’re ready to LIFT from Striving to Steadfast when:
- You’re starting to work smarter instead of harder.
- You’ve outgrown chaos and you are creating systems that support your creativity.
- You’re seeing results come in consistently.
- You’re beginning to feel safe, secure, and stable.
LIFTing from Striving to Steadfast means you can transform your hard work into sustainable growth, and make more time and space for yourself and what’s important to you. It’s about creating systems that support long-term expansion while maintaining balance. LIFTing allows you to harness your energy with purpose, build routines that grow with you, and see your efforts compound over time.
HOW TO L-I-F-T TO SIGNIFICANCE
Seeking » Striving
L - Live your joy - take small steps toward what energizes you while building your self-trust muscle.
Striving » Steadfast
I - Intentionally focus on structure and systems that bring stability and consistency to your efforts.
Steadfast » Shining
F - Fearlessly step out of what’s safe, realign your work and life, and redefine success on your own terms.
Shining » Significance
T - Transformatively leverage your experience and skills to make your mark and expand your meaningful impact in the world.
