To navigate career and motherhood you must exercise the following:
- Be unapologetic about your choices stop thinking about the “should.” Stop feeling guilty. Stop doubting yourself. Do the internal work to decide what you need and want to live a fulfilled life. Like my mentor told me, you only get ONE life – so create the life you want and don’t apologize for your needs and wants.
- Think about what is possible vs. what Sometimes we get so caught up in the chaos and expectations of our day to day routines that we become passive bystanders of our own lives. Think beyond what is and consider what could be. In The Art of Possibility, Benjamin Zander says, “In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold.” There is so much power in shifting the typical paradigm of how we view the world; you will be amazed at the shift once you think about the possibilities.
- Be bold: While I have not always had the confidence to be bold in certain moments and experiences, I have found that when I am willing to take a risk and make bold decisions, the outcome has always been a positive one. Being bold helps you ignore your self-doubt and harness your passions to play big.
- Cultivate a strong network It’s all about the network. Take the time to build and cultivate relationships. It is through a strong network that I have been able to identify new opportunities and ultimately turn them into reality at critical points in my career/motherhood journey. You will be surprised by how many people will open their doors to help you turn your world of possibilities into reality and connect you to opportunities you might not even know exist.
- Find and/or leverage your mentors If you don’t have a mentor(s), I highly encourage you find one either informally or formally. If you have a mentor(s), use them! It is through strong mentors that I have navigated through the most challenging times in my journey. More importantly than giving advice or having answers, they offered me different perspective, built up my confidence, supported me and ultimately were able to dig deep to help me come up with my own solutions.
Conclusion
It’s a whole support system starting with the spouse, supportive in laws, parents, siblings, and good caretakers at home! Also one needs to set clear priorities such as reduced mobile time and more of face to face talks everyday with the child, sharing responsibility, seeking support from others are some factors that have helped many career women balancing their responsibilities of being a mother as well as the home front. A career mom needs to embrace the change and be determined; without being stubborn though! She also needs to prioritise by focusing on one area at a time. The results are not the same for everyone so one needs to accept the self with new set of challenges and priorities.
