Hi lovelies,
I recently listened to the BBVA Compass 10 podcast series, Working Moms Mean Business, and even though I'm not a mother, the lessons learned from the podcast resonated with me as I'm navigating creating a career that fulfills me while seeking harmony with my career, personal life, and romantic life.
The podcast series is hosted by Emma Johnson of the Wealthy Single Mommy, who is also a writer and blogger that focuses on personal finance. During the podcast, I realized that as an entrepreneur, particularly a female entrepreneur, that many of the same crossroads and challenges that many working mothers face, were very similar to the same experiences that I needed to overcome while paving my own way as a creative professional.
The podcast that really hit home for me, was the "Mom Momentum in Careers" interview featuring Samantha Ettus. The podcast touched upon creating healthy boundaries both at home and in the workplace, and gave Shonda Rhimes' "no emails after 7pm" policy as the perfect example of how to create the working lifestyle that you want while conditioning your co-workers, employees, and even bosses, to do the same.
Another a-ha moment came to me while reading the "Mom Guilt: Why we have it and how to conquer it" ebook, when I saw even more parallels between working moms and myself, such as having to embrace your own sense of independence, financial freedom, and becoming a true example of what it means to be a successful and fulfilled woman. The pursuit of seeking a holistic life was the same for me as a female entrepreneur.
When I left corporate America to forge my own path and cultivate my own personal brand as a writer, blogger, and influencer, I quickly learned that there was no such thing as "work/life balance." The lines between me-time, work-time, life-time, family-time, boyfriend-time, friend-time, and personal-time, all began to blur and there was no way that all of the parts could get equal attention.
But my true moment of clarity came when I realized that they shouldn't. Not all areas of my life needed equal time and attention and it was ok to accept that without feeling like I'm being a bad friend, sister, daughter, girlfriend, or professional. It was ok to give more attention to certain things at certain times and that didn't mean that I was lacking in any sense. All of these beautiful parts that make-up a fulfilled life needed to work in harmony with each other, not perfectly balanced and opposed to each other.
Additionally, whether you're a mother or not, I learned that if you are a woman in the workforce who decides to defy convention, you are bound to experience push-back, guilt, and self-doubt. All of which are born from the need to not feel judged by your co-workers, peers, family, and friends, and most importantly, by your self.
Through my own personal and professional successes and pitfalls, I have found that self-judgement is one of the biggest killers of living a complete and fulfilled life. I remember when I first started out and I had no idea what to charge for my services. I was scared to ask for what I knew I was worth out of fear of being rejected and hearing, "no."
But literally, out of necessity, since being a writer, blogger, and influencer is my full-time job, I had to start charging what I was worth in order to stay a float. It taught me to quickly get comfortable with the word, "no," and that it wouldn't stop me. In fact, it made the "yeses" even that much sweeter. I was doing less work, but in a more meaningful way, while getting paid based on the value that I was providing and delivering for my clients.
For more insights and to listen to the podcast and download the ebook, visit here.
