What is your work?

When women talk about our work - the efforts of working toward accomplishing a goal, pushing us closer to the person we want to be - we can get pretty passionate.  (Speaking of passion...)  The question of "do you work outside the home?" often comes up when meeting new mamas around here.

Many of us do work outside the home.  Some of us work out of our homes from our home computers.  And some of us work inside of our homes each day, managing a household and family.  We have all been created differently.  We each have very different roles, different families and various gifts and talents.  Do you feel like you're using your gifts and talents?  You're probably doing so more than you realize.

Whether you're at home with young children today, or if you're at the office, hoping to see your children before dinner tonight, your role is extremely important.  You are setting an example for your children and your family, so don't take your role lightly.  Treat it (and you) with love and respect.

I have a dear friend who worked throughout her children's baby and toddlerhood seasons.  This friend is a brilliant accountant, who is an organized, genuinely warm and very loyal individual.  She had been with her company for many years and didn't want to leave after starting a family.  Her company was her other family, and she wanted to keep them in her life.  I greatly respected her decision to continue working.   I always inspired by her ability to come home and truly connect with her family.  She was always been a super present mother who leaves everything at work when she comes home - and extremely giving of her time at home.   She gave everything she had to her work, and then she came home and gave even more to her family. 


We had very different experiences in our early season of motherhood with babies and toddlers.  While she left for her corporate office each day, I was at home in my yoga pants, trying to maintain a (somewhat) organized home. Her husband (who became one of the "girls"), for various reasons, stayed home with their daughter, and three years later, their son, and we often met at the park or with a playgroup.  When her son was in his early preschool years, she left her full-time job and relocated with her family to West Coast from Texas.

This year, both of our youngest children (both boys) began kindergarten.  And so we have both begun a new season of motherhood and are in very similar places.  But, still very different.

I shared my friend's story with you because we all come to motherhood with different professional (and personal) backgrounds.  Some of us may set down our work for a while, and some of us may pick up the same work years later, or - something new altogether.  And some of us may continue to work to keep our family in check.

We all work differently.  And we are all part of the sisterhood of motherhood.

Whatever your work is, be all in.  Have passion for what you do.  If your work isn't your passion and you can't escape it, then pursue an interest that is your passion.  This may mean saying "no" to opportunities that come your way and saying "yes" to your important work.  And when you are reunited with your family at the end of the day, be all in there, too.

 

One thing today:  Think about your current work - what you focus on the most.  How can you be better?  What can you say "no" to in order to say "yes" to things that will further your work?  Do you need to rearrange some priorities?


Work-ing Resources:
DesignSponge BizLadies:  Read some great profiles on creative business ladies.
Discover How You Work Best - What are your working styles?  How can you work smarter?
Elisa Pulliam - A lovely writer, speaker and life coach.