Today, in between making breakfast for my son (who isn’t feeling well) and trying to rearrange a work meeting, I was messaging with a dear friend and rising life coach, Melissa, when she asked me a question I hear a lot these days: “How do you do it all?”
I stopped to think about what she meant by all, but her next message quickly answered my question. Actually, her words were “And how the hell do you juggle a job, a business, a husband, and two babies?” I smiled and sent her a Bitmoji of Superwoman on my phone. That’s how I do it. I don my cape and declare myself Superwoman. :)
But then I took a moment to think about how I actually do it all. I started going through a list in my mind of all the “roles” I take on: mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee, business owner, student, mentor, accountant, cook, cleaner, laundress, and on and on. Sometimes, it astounds me at how much I have on my plate. I don’t usually stop to think about it because, frankly, I’d probably scare myself!
It’s important for me to remember that I didn’t become all of these things all at once. It’s not like I gave birth twice, got married, bought a house, started a job and a business, and did the laundry all in the same moment. It’s been an evolution; one step at a time. And that is the first answer to how I do it all.
Some days, I’m all mom. Some days, I’m 100% mom 25% of the time, 100% employee 50% of the time, and 100% business owner the other 25% of the time. See what I’m getting at? I couldn’t possibly (mentally or physically) be all these things all the time and be good at any one thing. But, I can be all of these things at different times and be really good at all of them.
The second answer to how I do it all is support. This has also been an evolution for me. I’m more of an “I can do it all myself” type of person and receiving support has been a huge growth opportunity for me. Learning how to receive support really started after my son (my second baby) was born. My mother-in-law was helping me after my mom left and she would tell me to go take a nap and she would watch the baby and help out with other tasks. I would fight her because I wanted to be the one to do it all. She gently insisted and when my exhaustion won, I conceded and went to bed. Her support helped me be a better mom. I rested, the baby was well cared for, and dinner was on the table when I woke up. It’s amazing what support can do.
So there you have it. My answer to the how I do it all question. This moment of reflection has been very rewarding for me because I never take the time to acknowledge everything that I actually do. It’s like an evaluation at a job, but with much kinder results. Taking time to reflect on all the experiences we have and all the experiences we create is such a blessing. It reflects back to us how incredibly strong and capable we are and how we have the ability to create anything we want. Anything. We. Want. That’s so powerful.
I’d love to hear how you do it all. Here is my personal invitation to have you share with me! Send me an e-mail, I’d love to know.