Listen up entrepreneur moms. I’m talking to you today! As I sit in my office extremely aware that I only have 2 hours until the kids get home from school, and still haven’t made a dent in my work for the day, I’m thinking of you. My hair and makeup are undone. Miraculously I showered today. And tonight we have a cross country meet, football game, and church youth ativities all at the same time. Do you feel me?
I bet your day looks similar. So I want to have a super honest conversation about the challenges of pursuing your dreams while raising your family.
35 year old Amy thought she had it all figured out. Multiple 6 figure business, happy marriage, 5 happy healthy kids. 39 year old Amy has been a little beaten down by life. If you’re wondering the difference, I can sum it up in one word. Teenagers.
I thought having babies would be my most exhausting phase of life. Boy was I wrong. It’s definitely teenagers! They are BUSY people with their own agendas and challenges. And I can’t seem to wipe them away with magic kisses.
In the last 4 years, the demands of running my family have doubled. And as a result it’s caused me to revise and improve some of my beliefs and strategies around motherhood and business.
So here you go! My secrets for being successful as entrepreneur moms.
- Less is more. I’ve always been really careful about what I say yes to. I’ve made it my goal to only spend time on the things that matter most. But, in the last couple of years, I’ve needed to up my game in that department. It’s not just about doing good things with my time. I’ve cut out every program, system, social media platform, and idea that aren’t producing. If it’s not making me money now, or in the near future, I’ll be honest, it’s on the chopping block for me.
- I am not the top priority, but I am a priority. I’ve struggled with self care for years. There are so many demands on my time that self care only happens when some other high priority task doesn’t happen. And it caught up with me. As I approach 40, my body is no longer patient with that pace. So I’ve embraced the concept that my health and wellness may not be the top priority, but it is a priority. And I make some time for it every day. It helps me feel better and show up stronger.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify. It’s easy to overcomplicate in business. Don’t! Avoid it at all cost. What is the easiest most efficient way to reach your goal? Do that.[easy-tweet tweet=”Simplify, simplify, simplify. It’s easy to overcomplicate in business. Don’t! Avoid it at all cost. What is the easiest most efficient way to reach your goal? Do that.”]
- Let go of others expectations. It doesn’t matter if your life and business look good to everyone else. It matters that you are producing what you want most. It’s amazing how much time we spend trying to look more successful that we realy are. That is wasted energy. It’s okay to do the least amount of work to produce the desired reward.
- Remember that kids grow up. My oldest is graduating from high school this year. Crazy! And it’s a reminder that this time with my kids is so valuable. Enjoy that time. And know that for many of us, once the kids are out of the house, we will STILL have a lot of time to pursue our dreams. There is a time and a season for everything!
- Place efforts over results. This one has been hard for me to embrace. I can’t always guarantee everyone will be happy, get good grades, and be kind respectful citizens. I can’t always guarantee that every client is satisfied, every marketing campaign wins, and every sales call closes. All I can guarantee is my efforts. I’m learning to put in the effort, and celebrate that. The wins always come when I put in the work. And I find much more peace and joy than when I place the focus on creating a specific result.
- Look at your wins! A friend of our family recently put his arm around me and said lovingly, “You have no idea what an example you are to others. Never underestimate the importance of what you do.” It made me cry. Because he is right. I’m not going to get done with everything on my to do list today. But my business and family are both better because of my efforts. Celebrate your wins!
If you want more support in this area, I’ve got an entire playlist for entrepreneur moms on my Youtube channel. Go check it out. (Plus I’d love for you to subscribe to the channel. And releasing a new video for this week is one of the things I will not be getting done on my list today. Sorry if you were waiting for a new one. At least the blog got done!)
Entrepreneur moms, you have a lot on your plates! I applaud you. Keep trying! Be patient. Your time will come!
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