As a mom, we all desire to provide well-balanced meals, a clean home, help with homework assignments and a bath all by 8:00 pm. So, I have to let you in on a little secret on how we do it all. Truth is, we don’t do it all! To be honest, we are happy if we can even take care of half of those things on the to-do list.
The day described above only happens in my dreams. Right after I accept my giant lottery check for one zillion dollars. Even as a mom of only one I have to sound the alarm on balancing business and being a mom. Becoming a parent has awarded me with some of my greatest lessons and these lessons are what I would like to share with you. I also want to commend you for your courage to step out and make such a decision. To step out and start a business of any kind is amazing but to start a business knowing that you have a child that takes extra courage.
Before we proceed, I want you to take a moment and just take a deep breath. Now, release any judgment that you may have held against yourself for not doing enough. You know, like that time you forgot to bring the cookies to the bake sale. Parenthood and balancing your life, in general, is a lot. I do not care how they make it look on TV, on Instagram or Facebook, it takes a lot of patience, love, and forgiveness. Below I have a list of 5 lessons that I’ve learned from attempting to balance business and motherhood.
Before we proceed, I want you to take a moment and just take a deep breath. Now, release any judgment that you may have held against yourself for not doing enough.
1. Be intentional
It is all about being intentional about the time that you have with your children and making the very best of all of those moments. Children do not learn from what you tell them, they learn from what you show them.
2. Become incredibly selfish
Does your cup runneth over or is it just dry. Before you can be the best mom, wife, friend or business owner you have to be able to fill you up first. If you are tired, angry or stressed out your kids are going to be able to see and feel that and they are not going to have the best experience with you. However when you are happy they get a more patient, loving and fun version of you. Understand that taking time for yourself is mandatory and yes you deserve it!!
[bctt tweet=”Before you can be the best mom, wife, friend or business owner you have to be able to fill you up first.” username=”pricelessplan”]
3. Get a tribe-Thank God for my tribe!
The dynamics of your tribe may look different, it may include your mom, best friend and your neighbor. Whatever your tribe looks like embrace them and be willing to let them help. You do not have to do it alone!! Make use of your tribe. It could be to pick your kids up after school which gives you a few extra hours, or teaching them something you are not good at. Also, do not limit or underestimate the value that all of these people bring to your children as well. If you’re looking for extra support from a group of women fearless women then join us over at Facebook Join the tribe!!
4. Surrender to perfectionism
Surrender! Surrender! Surrender ! This subject is so important that Leah wrote a whole Ebook on it. For the person that told you they live a perfect life; the lie detector test determined that was a lie. One of the worst things you can do to yourself is comparing yourself to others. Whether you are comparing your style of parenting, yourself or your business to anyone else it will never turn out well for you. As a reformed perfectionist, I used to set unrealistic expectations for myself. I have learned that finish is better than perfect any day and more profitable too! Perfectionism was a form of bondage. It stopped me from starting and finishing so many things. Even as a parent you have to be willing to understand that you are not always going to get it right. But you should be willing to be human and have compassion for yourself and others.
One of the worst things you can do to yourself is comparing yourself to others. Whether you are comparing your style of parenting, yourself or your business.
5. Love
Win, lose or draw, my son still loves me unconditionally :-). My four-year-old has taught me more about love than I ever have known in my adult life. I mean that unconditional love that does not have any strings attached. He does not care how I look in the morning, if my breath stinks or how well I cook. I remember a time when I was using the restroom and he sat by the door and waited for me to finish. In that moment I thought to myself, wow this kid loves me so much, my heart was full of gratitude. Only if adults could experience that same type of unfiltered love, pure, genuine and unfiltered the world a better place.
Bonus: You got the skills to pay the bills!
You have so many skills that you have developed just from being a parent alone and these are the very skills that have qualified you to run a business. Skills that include but not limited to: strategic planning, scheduling, budgeting, project manager, the distribution I mean you name it. So again, give yourself a round of applause! For you, mom I take my hat off to you and do not ever forget the importance of the role that you play.
This job is not always pretty but it is worth it. Through it all, I love the example that I am setting for my son. Go for your dreams, put in the work, do not take no for an answer and most importantly F-Fear!
Brittany is one-half of the duo of www.brittanyandleah.com. They are two best friends and entrepreneurs who advocate for women to live a Fear-Less life. They challenge women to get over their fears through Live Streaming, Group Coaching, Workshops, and Retreats. After many challenges in life and business, we decided to stop playing small and believing that being who we are whether in our personal lives or entrepreneurship was not ENOUGH. Our 2017 goal is to help 1,000 women like themselves a little more, take their life’s purpose a little more serious, and live with a little less fear! We have created a safe space to challenge women to experience what is on the other side of fear. Join our community Facebook Community Click Here!
