Stress LessThe Truth About “Having It All”
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By Laurie Gerber, Handel Group
For as long as I can remember, I never believed I could have it all. But my perception has shifted.
I believed that anyone who said they could “have it all”—a happy husband, kids, AND a big career—was either a liar, a faker, or a skipper of sleep. And, since I was never going to lie, fake it, skip sleep, or sacrifice my family’s needs, I believed I was never going to be able to have a huge, successful career AND a great home life.
And guess what happened? I busied myself proving this theory true. How, you ask?
Well, whenever a big opportunity came up at work, suddenly, quite out of the blue, I’d start feeling overly guilty and emotional about being a bad mother. I’d get really scared that I was going to ruin my kids if I chose my career over spending the weekend with them. Once, I even cried to my boss at the time, begging her not send me on an important business trip because I thought my kids needed me. She even almost let me cancel the trip. And brace yourself, if, God forbid, a TV opportunity came my way, I’d question it and preemptive worry that I’d never be able to do a TV show and be there for my family.
Now, keep in mind, my husband was home a lot, we didn’t need a nanny, and he was happy to be with the kids. As a matter of fact, he encouraged me to follow my dream. And, were my kids upset that I was away sometimes? Well, I never actually asked myself that question. All I knew was that I believed I couldn’t have it all.
Then, one day, I called my coach and explained everything. I told her that I thought I was having a time management problem and didn’t know how to juggle career and family. My coach had a different take on it. Apparently, I was busy proving my theory that I couldn’t have it all, when in actuality, there was no real evidence to back my belief. My career, after all, wasn’t ruining my children. They were happy and great.
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Perhaps, my theory was masking something else.
I was using my kids as an excuse to stay small at work. I was sabotaging opportunities in the name of my children. When I got to the root of it all, my coach helped me see that, in fact, I was hiding from my big dreams.
I was a chicken.
I was way more interested in proving my theory that “I can’t have it all,” than facing the truth that I was scared. Obviously, everyone gets scared sometimes, but this is the part of the pattern—my part in it—that I kept failing to see.
Staying small and being scared didn’t make me happy in my career, proud of myself, or a great parent! It was actually making a mess of everything.
Here are the following steps I took to put my chicken back in its coop and to start having it all.
1. Create a Vision
I wrote an inspiring vision for my career and family life. It was about having an effortless flow between my home life, family, work, and travel. I was my best in both arenas and made sure they fed each other. The more I articulated how I wanted to feel and show up, the more powerful it felt to live into this dream.
2. Invent a New Theory
I set out to prove a new theory: the braver I am in my career, the happier my kids and homelife will be. It didn’t take long before I heard one of my kids say to me, “I’m so proud of you” and the other, bragged to all her friends that her mom was on the cover of a magazine. My kids understood, and more importantly, felt that when I am expanding at work, I shine, radiate good vibes, and show up better for them. I also found that the more I worked on my parenting and marriage, the more confident I was with clients and collaborators. Having kids was actually helping my career!
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3. Make Promises
Clearly, my work-life imbalances weren’t all in my head!Some things, I actually had to change regarding how I was running my life. I needed to design promises that would help me stay present, loving, and bold, if I wanted to succeed in both my career and homelife.
Turns out, kids, spouses, moms, clients, and co-workers, like predictability as much as they like attention. Chickens (and inner brats), not so much. What if one of the reasons I couldn’t have it all, was because I didn’t put “ it all” into real time? So, here are some of my promises:
- 6:30 p.m. family dinner, no matter what, no screens or distractions
- If I am traveling, special evening cuddle sessions with each kid prior to travel
- One bold action per day in my career that scared me
- 10:00 p.m. nightly bedtime with my husband for cuddle time (by phone when traveling)
- No being away 2 weekends in a row. No being out more than 3 nights/week
- I take kids to all doctor appointments and attend all performances
4. Impose Consequences
The structure of promises changed everything. But, in order to make sure that I kept my promises, I designed some self-imposed consequences for myself. For example, I pay my kids $20 if I am late to dinner. This worked wonders. Suddenly, seemingly overnight, I became extremely punctual to dinner! Funny how that works. And, If I’m late to bedtime, it’s 100 pushups the next day. At the very least, my inner brat will have strong arms!
5. Get Accountable
What also locks a new theory into place is going public with it and being held accountable by all involved. In this case, my family, friends, co-workers, and coach. Telling everyone my vision and my promises allowed them to support me when my pesky mind would tell me I should shy away from a work opportunity.
Truly, it’s amazing how much articulating my dreams, debunking my bad theories, and sticking to a simple action plan changed everything. Not only could I “have it all”, I could quit the suffering and enjoy the kid-friendly ride.
This piece was written by Handel Group EVP and head coach Laurie Gerber and was originally published on HG Life. HG Life coaches individuals to design and live an inspired life. By developing Personal Integrity® and aligning your heart, mind, and actions with your dreams, we deal head on with your current challenges in the most critical areas of your life, such as health, love, family, career, and money. Visit Handelgroup.com to find out more about private and group programs that provide the tools and support needed to awaken your dreams and cause lasting change.
The Nutritious Life Editors are a team of healthy lifestyle enthusiasts who not only subscribe to — and live! — the 8 Pillars of a Nutritious Life, but also have access to some of the savviest thought leaders in the health and wellness space — including our founder and resident dietitian, Keri Glassman. From the hottest trends in wellness to the latest medical science, we stay on top of it all in order to deliver the info YOU need to live your most nutritious life.
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