It's a light-hearted phrase tossed around a lot when talking about entrepreneurial mothers, but it hardly encapsulates the hard work, conflicting demands and intense challenges (intellectual, emotional and physical) we face when we are both a mum and a businesswoman. These are some of the issues I've been discussing with Cat in our coaching conversations for Living Savvy TV. Cat runs a successful business, alongside her husband, and is mum to two young boys. Like so many working women, she feels the pressure of 'keeping up' the appearance of being calm and in control. She describes herself as like a duck that seems to be skimming serenely across the lake while, in reality, her feet are paddling furiously under the water. I can relate! When I asked Cat what her top priorities were, she talked about her family, business and her friends. But she also acknowledged that what she really needed was time to look after herself.
Look for harmony between your personal, family and professional needs
I saw this described wonderfully by an award-winning businesswoman, in an article from Notebook Magazine: Heather Rose, Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the year (2005), is not only the managing director of advertising agency Coo’ee Network, a business which has won 17 international awards in the past five years, she is also a published novelist… [and] a mother of three children. “I see my life as a mixture of priorities, with family and children being the first…” Heather doesn’t focus so much on balancing home and work life, but instead on achieving a harmony in everything she does. “When I am doing anything, I try to focus only on that – whether it’s my family, writing or work. I work really hard at not dividing my attention and being completely present for whichever task I am involved in.” From the Notebook Magazine website
Creating space for reflection
In her video, Cat talks about finding relief from her busy life, and clarity, in meditation. Meditation is certainly a powerful practice, but it can be difficult to set aside time for it everyday. However, being present, in the way Heather describes, is also a kind of meditation and is something you can do in the moment, wherever you are. Here's a practice for being present, described by the Comfort Queen herself, Jennifer Louden. These are four questions you can use to bring yourself into the present moment: What am I doing? What am I thinking? What am I feeling? What am I perceiving?
What about you? Are you 'juggling' a family and a business? And how do you balance everyone's needs, including your own? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Related posts:
- Personal and Business Partnerships – Can they work?
- How do you bring balance into your being?
- Gratitude AKA celebrating the good stuff in life
- The master key to living savvy – the number one thing you need to do to live extraordinary
- Living Savvy Episode #7: Cat reflects on the cost of trying to “do it all”
