Huge personal insight.
As a working mom with five young children, I’ve had a variety of jobs from waitress to office manager. I’ve taken the best jobs I could find that would allow me to be home with my kids, while also helping to support our family. But if I were honest, I’d tell you that I’ve often envied the prestige I associated with women who had careers, offices and titles.
When I recently interviewed for what I thought of as a “professional” position, I started to feel like this could be the job I’d always dreamed of. The firm had a nice reputation, a beautiful environment and the pay was very good. It held all of the allure and status that I’d always secretly longed for. However, during the interview process I found myself feeling very uncomfortable. At first I could not figure out what it was. So, I went back to my Live Dynamite process to Pause & Reflect.
Here’s what dawned on me as I paid attention to what I was feeling and what it all meant. I love being a mom and being home with my kids matters more than anything. It’s what I’ve really always wanted to do…but, somehow I’d gotten sucked into thinking that I was not as valuable if I did not have a career path. If I were to take this “dream” position I would have had to work full-time and lose the flexibility that’s made our home work so well. Mentally I was willing to do this, but emotionally I could feel the discomfort that was building inside of me as I considered really pursuing the position.
As uncomfortable as all of this was, I am so grateful for this experience for it’s forever changed the way I look at my life. I am so happy and satisfied with who I am and the choices I’ve made. I’ve since decided to go back to being a waitress and I’m really enjoying it. I’m a great waitress, making fantastic tips and have the flexibility I need right now. Best of all, I no longer look at women with careers as having something I don’t. I no longer wonder if I took the right path by being a mom. I know with certainty that I am right where I am supposed to be. And I am very happy!
Thank you for helping me to reflect and learn from each experience.
–Erin, St. Paul
