Motherhood is a continuous journey of not just nurturing your children, but also rediscovering and reinventing yourself. Because let’s face it, amidst juggling the diapers and the deadlines, there’s a superwoman in all of us- just waiting to discover her superpower.
And maybe that’s just it. Our superpower is our ability to juggle it all. To live a life dedicated to our little humans, but also a life dedicated to ourselves. We just forget about the second half sometimes. There were certainly moments where motherhood tested my limits and had me believing that simultaneously building a life for myself would have to wait.
The past two years, juggling a full time job while building my business, while raising three kids, was nothing short of exhausting. I was working seven days a week and in the peak of busy season, I was working seven days a week for nine weeks straight. That’s one way to drive someone to the brink of insanity. My patience was shot- both inside and outside of the home. Self-doubt sunk in hard. I had moments where I wanted to quit, truly. From sleepless nights to balancing work and home, each hurdle has truly been a step towards finding my inner strength.
But with every little change in my children, I found parts of myself growing and changing as well. The older they were becoming, the more independence we were witnessing. The older they were becoming, the more helpful, understanding, yet aware they were being. And their awareness changed all of my tough thoughts. My “I can’t do this much longer,” turned into “I want them to see how hard I worked for this.” My “I can’t continue to juggle all of these things,” turned into “I want them to see me fight so hard for all the things I want.” My thoughts of self-doubt turned into, “I want them to know they are capable of doing everything and anything they want in life.” All of their changes, led to my internal motivation when the feelings of impossibility began to set it.
Change can feel daunting, but it’s also where we find the most unexpected layers of our persona and strength.
Despite these moments of doubt (which I know we ALL can relate on), perseverance become my ally through the exhaustion. Finding strengths in small victories and setting realistic goals kept me anchored through those difficult moments.
For me, one of the biggest changes I made in business that moved me to the next level, was making a spreadsheet of how much income I wanted to make to feel secure enough to walk away from my full-time job. I broke that down into smaller, more achievable numbers.
Ex. How many weddings I would need to book for the year? How many family sessions I would need to book for the year? If I did not book X-amount of weddings, how many family sessions would need to be taken on to make up for it?
Those smaller goals and shift in my business planning made things much more achievable and motivating. Versus a broader thought of “sell, sell, sell.”
Own an Etsy shop? How many items would you need to sell to make the income you envision? How will you price each item to achieve that? How will you reach customers to purchase? Simply shifting into smaller, more manageable goals, helped me see that what I was working towards WAS possible. It kept me motivated and consistent- and consistency truly is key.
In the chaos of motherhood, I found pathways to revisit old dreams and passions- passions I never once foresaw being a career. It’s never too late to pursue a hobby or a dream. Motherhood isn’t an end to your aspirations; it’s a new beginning to more than you could have ever imagined (only on this journey, you get free, built- in cheerleaders through your little’s!)
This journey has taught me that I’m not ‘just a mom’ – I’m a woman who’s constantly evolving, learning, and growing. And it’s just as important that I nurture that part of my life as well. To every mom out there, remember, you’re on a journey of incredible transformation. Embrace it. Cherish it. And let it reveal the superwoman living inside you!
What advice do you need most today? Or what advice do you wish you had at 20? Comment. Let’s hang out on social media! Visit my Instagram @kait_ejensen
