About 18 months ago I found myself in a career no-man’s-land. I loved having a career in technology. I loved working for Microsoft with so many great people both inside the business and connected to it. I loved the projects I had the scope to work on. But, I reached a point where I could not deny my deep-seated need to also somehow be the Mom who helped at the school events, stood on the sideline at netball matches and – dare I say it – helped build the bloody Viking Village/Galaxy/Farmyard (insert random school theme of choice) diorama!
In this way, I realised I was different. My unique personal history and physiology meant that no matter how flexible and rewarding my job was, I needed to take responsibility and control for myself and try to take all the unique ingredients of my life to create a recipe that worked, just for me.
I now manage every day in various distinct ‘zones’. These include the super organised school mom zone; the always challenging client zone; the always learning entrepreneur zone; the wife and mother family-focused zone; the gym loving introvert recharging zone. I never imagined it would be possible to be both so exhausted and exhilarated at the same time!
It doesn’t always go to plan. Just because I get to do more of the kid’s activity doesn’t mean I don’t pull my hair out with frustration or regularly groan at the thought of spelling practice. Hunting for new business still takes incredible courage. Making sure I still reserve enough energy for personal time can be tough. But thanks to great advice received just before the birth of my first child, I manage by being 100% focused on each zone while I’m in it.
Zebra Perspectives is almost a year old – and it’s been amazing. I’ve worked with some fantastic clients and learnt more in the past 12 months than in a good few years before that – about business, digital marketing, mindset, technology, planning, VAT (:-)) and most of all about my own strengths and weaknesses. I have also had my eyes opened up to astounding networks of women and entrepreneurs that are endlessly supportive and helpful.
I’m sure it’s not for everyone but if you are struggling to find your personal balance, I encourage you to spend some serious introspection thinking about your values (the real ones, not the ones you think you should have) and be brave! The bank balance may be smaller, but my heart is definitely fuller!
