"One day you are going to go all in on kids and the next day you might need to set family tasks aside to catch up on work. It's normal, it's life, it's what we need to do to have success and happiness without guilt"
I am a full-time working mom who also has a more than full-time job as a mom. My days consist of driving kids to activities, doing housework, chasing dogs around the house, planning summer camps, oh and let's not forget the laundry! Parents, please know that I feel your struggle and it's REAL. For years I strived for balance and now I have decided that it just does NOT exist and you know what? THAT'S okay. Once I started giving myself some grace, I allowed myself to not be at every single activity and social gathering. I then realized that the overused term "work/life balance" is just that, a term and it actually creates anxiety! We don't need "balance" to be happy. What we really need is to find the career that
gives you pure joy and excitement.
I had a 28 year career as a TV news anchor and I am so grateful for the experience, what I learned and the people I met along the way. But when I was at work I felt like I was thinking about the kids and when I was at home I felt like I needed to be catching up on the endless emails from work or the interview and story I had planned the next day day. it was a vicious cycle. I needed a change and I needed to focus on the topics and the type of journalism I am passionate about. I decided to focus on families and health and you know what? I feel more balanced than ever. Naturally, there are days when I give more time to work and days when I am focused on what my family needs but narrowing in on
my passion helped create a new found peace.
I interviewed New York Times best selling author, Rachel Greenwald in this week's podcast (click here to listen). Rachel talked about how she found her career as an author and relationship expert. She made an "adrenaline journal" and
documented everything she does in a day for one full week and was surprised by what created the most excitement in her daily life. I created a printable "Adrenaline journal"
with the hope that you can do the same. Sometimes the most obvious answer is right in front of us.
Be well,
Natalie
