The Seven Secrets to Balancing Career and Motherhood
Personalised Favours Founder and Joint Managing Director, Melissa Wilkinson, has two babies – one is the personalised wedding and special occasions online store she began from her second bedroom almost ten years ago as the cornerstone of her global online empire, and the other is her four-month-old daughter, Jaz. On the eve of International Women’s Day 2019, Mel shares an honest account of the challenges and triumphs in her journey so far and helps women everywhere understand how they can achieve #balanceforbetter across all aspects of their lives.
Finding Better Balance
Although Melissa is only relatively new to the juggle of motherhood and running your own business, she already sees the renewed perspective being both a mum and a business owner has bought to her life. Here she encourages women to see the benefits –as well as acknowledging the struggles-- of having both a baby and a business, and shares what she believes to be the seven secrets to balancing career and motherhood successfully.
- Be guided by your family’s happiness
While many of us use external standards for success as the barometer for our own happiness, Mel believes we should be looking closer to home for personal fulfilment. Career and motherhood are always a juggle – and at times a struggle – but being guided by the happiness of our children, our families and our own sense of personal contentment is a much better gauge to true success.
- Stop comparing
No two families are the same, and no two women are the same for that matter, so stop comparing yourself to other mums and other women, and start concentrating on what works best for you. Some mums work more, some mums work less, and some not at all. It's all hard and its all rewarding, so Mel says to focus on what you have in front of you – rather than comparing yourself to others and trying to achieve what’s not possible.
- It's all about perspective
Four-month-old Jaz has bought a fresh perspective to Mel’s life. What may have seemed like a devastating crisis in her business before Jaz’s arrival, is now viewed as a manageable problem with a workable solution. Children open our eyes to what’s important in life and help us to view lots of situations with a fresh set of eyes.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
As Mel has discovered in her time so far balancing motherhood and career – you just can’t do it all. Rather than trying to be Wonder Woman and be all things to all people, know your limitations and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Everything will pass
If motherhood teaches us anything, It's that nothing lasts forever. What can be a perfectly sleeping baby one week, can become a nightmare toothing terror the next – and what might be an exhausting and soul-destroying 24 hours can be followed by a day of pure joy. Even when times are tough, Mel tries to remember that It's only a matter of time before everything will change again.
- Say no to things that don’t matter
Juggling career and motherhood makes time your most important commodity – so guard it fiercely. Many women have a hard time saying no – to social engagements, work commitments or taking on more responsibilities on both the home and work fronts. According to Mel, motherhood makes saying no to certain things a necessity. If you don’t start saying no to things that don’t matter, you will start missing out on the ones that do.
- Give up your unattainable ideas of perfection
No one and nothing is perfect – so stop trying to be. So what if the house is messy, the washing’s not done and the work emails will have to wait until tomorrow? Mel says give up on trying to be perfect and you’ll balancing motherhood and your career a whole lot less stressful. And you’ll be a whole lot happier as a result.
Happy IWD 2019 To all the mums, daughters, sisters, cousins, nieces, aunties, grandmas and girlfriends out there, wishing you a very happy International Women’s Day 2019 and may we all support one another in the quest to achieve #balanceforbetter
For unique, affordable and personalised gifts to suit every special occasion in your life visit PersonalisedFavours.com.au
Team PF. X