Dear mothers everywhere,
What you really want, no-one can give you.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” squeal my two youngest children as they stride into the bedroom. Groggily I open my eyes and see that it is 5am. My two adorable children are walking towards me holding plates of “breakfast”. As my eyes focus, I suddenly bolt upright when I realise that the “breakfast” is a raw egg swirling about on a plate with a piece of bread. Disaster waiting to happen!
I jump out of bed with a smile on my face and cheerily say “Thank you! Let’s take this downstairs so we don’t wake Daddy.”
And so Mother’s Day begins….
As mothers, we are given many things on Mother’s Day – some we can’t stomach like raw egg on bread! We are given cards, posters, “best mum ever” mugs. massages and facials. But is it what we really want deep down? I have gift certificates for massages and facials in my top drawer that have expired because I never used them. Why is that? I love massages!
But it is not what I really want. What I really, really want is …
Someone (anyone!) to tell me:
- Take a break
- Look after yourself
- You are doing a great job
As I thought more and imagined this happening, I realised that I was already making the excuses and discounting my efforts in my mind. I was mentally putting those “gifts” in the drawer to be forgotten about and expire like my spa certificates.
Then I realised that what I really wanted didn’t come in boxes, or breakfasts or bags. It didn’t come with platitudes or gags. Most importantly, it didn’t come from anyone else.
It comes from me.
If you are like me – the super sacrificing mother, then you need to give yourself a precious present first.
I needed to give myself permission – permission to receive.
Give yourself permission to take a break and look after yourself. Self-care is crucial to our wellbeing as mothers and thus the wellbeing of our families.
When we give ourselves permission and honour ourselves, everything changes. That is the what I really want for every mother on Mother’s Day.
Take care,
Shannon
About Shannon
Shannon coaches working mothers to bring more of their authentic self and align with their purpose to uplevel their performance so they can smash their results and then switch off at home to be present for their loved ones – happy in the knowledge that they are fulfilling their potential at work and at home.
What this means for organisations is that they don’t lose those driven, intelligent and ambitious women previously identified as “talent” to the mommy track or other businesses including self-employed after investing so much time, effort and money into their succession planning. Women do want to work and have a career with purpose yet more than 70% go back to work only for the paycheck (according to EY research) so organisations must reconnect and re-engage these women to thrive in their organisations to gain a positive ROI.
What this means for the individual is that they re-engage with their passion that drives them at home and at work. They learn to balance the two and intertwine them with a particular set of skills to be successful in both arenas. They rediscover themselves, their goals and their passion to have it all with a clear conscience.
With working mothers achieving more and being more balanced, we can improve the lives of children – future generations, everywhere. Discover more about Shannon’s business here.
FlexCareers offers a FREE 30-minute introductory meeting with our FlexCoaches, to help you establish if coaching is right for you. You can contact Shannon through FlexCareers here.
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