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" You speak up in meetings and work late without complaining. But despite busting your ass, you still might not be as far along in your career as you&amp;#039;d hoped. What gives? Well, according to experts at the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, a nonprofit that trains women in business skills, even many determined Gen-Y chicks aren&amp;#039;t asserting and advocating for themselves enough. &amp;quot;Young women are ambitious, but they still have self-doubt, which hinders success,&amp;quot; explains Naomi Wolf, Woodhull&amp;#039;s cofounder. Here, three big mistakes you may be making. You Downplay Your Accomplishments &amp;quot;Boys are often encouraged to toot their own horns; girls are socialized to think that people will like them more if they&amp;#039;re modest,&amp;quot; says Woodhull&amp;#039;s executive director, Wende Jager-Hyman. But if you don&amp;#039;t champion your victories, who will? Sorry, but your boss is too busy. Chances are, she doesn&amp;#039;t even know how damn hard you&amp;#039;re working \u2014 so you need to tell her. A quick e-mail saying &amp;quot;It took long hours, but it was worth it \u2014 the venture was a success!&amp;quot; can open her eyes...and fast-track your career.  You Talk, Like, Uh, Dumb Your voice rises an octave, statements end with a question mark (&amp;quot;I turned it in yesterday?&amp;quot;), and little fillers, you know, sneak in. These speaking habits, like, totally undermine your professionalism. So why on earth would a confident chick regress? &amp;quot;Many young women are embarrassed to be wrong, so their talking style is tentative,&amp;quot; says Wolf. &amp;quot;But to get ahead, you have to speak with authority. Men do it, even if they&amp;#039;re wrong.&amp;quot; So be aware, focus on using a stronger voice, and believe in what you have to say, even if others might not. You Don&amp;#039;t Step Up Look, everyone is scared of failure, but women tend to let it get to them more than men do...so women play it safe. &amp;quot;Wanting your life to run smoothly is understandable, and you may not feel equipped for a challenge that may tip the boat,&amp;quot; says Jager- Hyman. &amp;quot;The thing is, real growth usually happens when you step outside your comfort zone.&amp;quot; Although exploring an unknown \u2014 whether it&amp;#039;s a new job responsibility or an entirely new career path \u2014 may feel scary, there are times when you just need to bite the bullet. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/advice/a2436/Work-Habits-That-Hurt-You/>