It has always been very important to me, to be a career woman. I did not understand what it meant. What I really wanted was to be my own boss, with a successful career, with a fabulous husband, beautiful children and the white picket fence.
My career finally started to come together and I got married and started having children, and my definition of a career woman shifted. I realised I really wanted to be a happy woman, wife and mother with a career. My career does not come first, my family comes first.
Since coming to that realization, I have taken a decision to cut back on the many projects and professional opportunities I take on. I think I speak for many women, when I say that it is difficult to be a career woman, wife and mother and do it all to perfection. The truth is I have been trying to do it all for many years. Something or someone suffers. When you define yourself by your career, then your career comes first. However, when you define yourself as a woman with a career, you will find real balance.
As women, we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything perfectly. This approach gives me anxiety. When I am unable to achieve all the things I have identified, I shut down. This summer I tried a different approach in the midst of a fully loaded week. I decided that I was going to plan my work assignments around my husband and children. After all, we all say that family is first.
Therefore, my husband and children are not an interruption to my life. They are my life. Therefore, if I am struggling to keep up with my work load, then I need to make some adjustments to prioritize what matters and who comes first. And that is my family. I would be broken hearted if I could not attend a meeting at my kids school or if they started the school term and all their needs and wants were not met, because of my workload. I need to be mentally present at all times for them.
Since making the decision to cut back and strike a balance between career and home, I feel whole again. Admittedly, I write less blogs🤩. People have been messaging me, asking for more articles. Sorry, I have to cut back. After all, I have over 240 articles on this blog alone. Feel free to access the ones you missed. Instead of writing 4 blogs per week, I will be doing 2 blogs.
I love being a woman with a career, but it is more important for my house to be a home. I am the thread that holds the fabric of my tribe together. A woman makes a home. When my home is functioning well, only then can I be effective at what I do to make a living. I am not a career woman, I am a woman with a career and more importantly, a happy family.
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