How to balance being a mother while working a full-time job all while building your brand!

I often get questioned, how I manage to do it all work a 9 to 5, run businesses, being an author? The curiosity about when I sleep, the time I spend with my children, my relationship with them, and much more have become part of my life but I guess for so many women too. Like any parent, I love my kids to death, everything I do is for them but I know that things won't always be rosy. We get on each other’s last nerve but so does every family but I wouldn’t change it for anything else. That being said, the issue of balancing mom life and chasing ambitions of building a brand has put a lot of things in perspective for me.

To chase a fulfilling career and still be a great mom for my babies I found some key lessons to help me through this juggling act. For example, I never knew I had mom guilt until a friend of mine pointed it out. Being divorced, it often felt like I was being judged for abandoning my kids while working full time. Far from it, every woman has a choice of staying at home or going back to full-time work but whichever the reason for any should not be vilified. Focusing on the positive things instead of the deficiencies helps in building the confidence to go for the bigger things.

Separating work and home activities came through big time. While at work, focusing on work activities and not allowing an overlap of their significance has allowed me to chase brand building without compromising g family life. This is one of those things that are easier said than done but setting boundaries and committing to honor them works a treat. While there are times when these roles will overlap, enforcing it gives the discipline to follow through with it and soon other people start to fit their plans to align with your windows for each plan—this is how you know you’ve nailed.

The one thing I have never been ashamed of is my work life. On the few times that I have had to work within family time, I have always worked diligently to get it done fast enough or compensate for it later. The side effect to this has been the children have also picked up working alongside mom. Somehow how I work inspires them to also pick up their work and finish it. Now I involve them in the day t day running of their business, not only as a way to keep them where I can watch over them but to also nurture their business skills. Make no mistakes, I do not wish to dictate the future for my children but the future will look much brighter with some basic skills ingrained in them. So, whether it’s about telling them to be steadfast in their beliefs, brand forming, or arranging fliers, I have found it helpful I helping them appreciate my work, teach them skills but most importantly find the sweet spot between working and being a mom.