Relationships
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Becoming the mother I want to be for my daughter
I find it so much easier to focus on my leadership skills in my business and organisation settings. This is the natural default of where our minds go. The most important leadership role I have, though, is not in those arenas. It is in my home where I hold the title of ‘mother’. Do you see yourself as a leader because you are a parent or do you dismiss the importance of this role? I am taking a few minutes to step back and reflect on whether I am becoming the mother I want to be for my daughter. Does anything else even matter if I mess this up? Why…
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Remember that your people are essential in your journey
I hit the end of a week and found myself in a heavy headspace. I stopped to pay attention. It could easily be explained by ‘2020‘ which is now really an adjective! There was more to it though. I realised that I had forgotten that your people are essential in your journey. As I shifted my perspective, do you know what stood out in my mind? Not the amount of tasks I crossed off of my to-do list. Not how clean my house is or isn’t or the meetings and steps taken towards my goals. What stood out most was the moments with friends and family. Where is your time…
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Letter from my heart to my daughter
My daughter, I want to tell you all the things I hope for you but I don’t want to box you in with a sense of expectations. I want to share all the fears I have but don’t want to weigh you down with burdens that are not yours to carry. You challenge me, delight me, grow me and comfort me. I see aspects of me reflected in the mirror of you- some just a hint and others magnified beyond what I have known. While I desperately want to protect you from all the heartache of this world, I know that without it you will not be able to grow…
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The end of an era: preparing to say goodbye
How do you prepare yourself to say goodbye to a workplace that has been part of your life for more than ten years? I made the choice to leave a long time ago and have delayed leaving twice for different reasons. Now it is finally drawing to the end of my time there. This is the next right step for me but pain is still involved. I have to give myself permission to grieve. I am masterful at pushing aside emotion and expecting myself to carry on. There is part of me that feels I don’t have permission to be sad as this is my choice and something I have…
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Balancing work and motherhood
Balancing work and motherhood used to be my goal. I searched for that magic number of hours, the flexible work arrangements and the energy to do it all. I never found them. Whether you work simply to pay the bills or because of the passion within you for a particular career, I’m guessing you have experienced this too. Sometimes it can feel like I am dropping the ball in all areas or one is receiving the greater portion of my energy. Honestly, I have given up on balancing work and motherhood. Balance implies an equal divide of time, energy and resources. Instead, I choose to be fully present wherever I…
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Invest in relationships
Find an audio version of this post here. As the to-do list grows and the project ideas fill my mind, the relationships in my life suffer if I am not intentional in this area. It is easy for me to switch into task mode and focus on ticking off items on my checklist. Projects looming lure me into justifying sacrificing time with my people. Work, tasks and projects come and go. Relationships are long term, or at least we hope they will be. Where does my priority need to be? I need to invest in relationships. Family This is the glass ball in the juggle of roles. Other areas of…
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What I Learned This Autumn 2019
Do you follow along with Emily P. Freeman‘s seasonal reflection practice? I haven’t been consistent with it the past couple of rounds but felt drawn to the idea of stopping and reflecting today. I think it has something to do with the feeling of change, growth and intensity in my current season. Maybe you could benefit from some reflection time too? Here are a few things that I have learned over the past three months. I hate shopping for jeans and possibly wearing them too. I used to live in jeans whenever possible. They were my comfort go to. Now, I can never seem to find a pair that fit…
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In awe and without words today.
When was the last time that you were at a loss for words, in awe of the life you have and the people you get to share that life with? Have you taken time recently to stop and look around you? I had the absolute privilege of spending my weekend running a leadership training seminar for the incredible leaders I get to work with for MOPS. I am at a loss to know how to articulate all that is in my heart and mind about this. While I process all that was learned, all that was shared and all that is ahead, I am giving myself permission not to have…
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A letter to Em. You are missed.
Trigger warning: please look after yourself and your mental health as you read or choose to stop reading. Dear Em I miss you. It’s been a lifetime since we just sat quietly together or laughed together. It’s been an age since I saw your spirit break through and radiate around the room. And yet, you still pop into my mind when I want to share good news, or need someone to commiserate with me. I wonder sometimes about what we would chat about now. I imagine you hanging out and loving on my daughter. I can almost feel you cheering me on as I take each next step. How deeply…
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Life-giving investment in friendship
You know how Facebook throws up those friendship anniversaries? I noticed a trend in mine. Those friends that I actually feel closest to in real life have the least amount of evidence of friendship online. We don’t tend to take many photos together. I don’t think to pick up my phone and document the moments with them. I both love this and am disappointed by it. I love that I am able to be relaxed and present with them (not an easy feat for my mind often.) I love that we are too caught up in simply being together. I would also love to have more of those moments captured…
