Do you balance early work meetings with evening football practice for your children, aim for career advancement while at the same time improving your lasagna making, or search for the perfect formula to manage time between your job and personal life? Well, you’re not alone, what if there was a method to keep both in harmony without losing your sanity?
Most discussions about managing careers and parenting start with an exhausting sigh and end somewhere between wishful thinking and a settled compromise. But let's cut through that gloom. What if I told you that we've gotten it all wrong? What if being a parent and loving your job aren't two epic titans clashing but can be a harmonious synch of admiration? In Sheryl Sandberg's popular book, "Lean In," she shares the inspiring story of Caroline O'Connor, a mum who refused to settle for the status quo. Instead of resigning herself to the tired old notion of work-life balance, Caroline approached her career and parenting as a design problem. She coined the term "career-loving parent," flipping the script on the outdated idea that you have to choose between climbing the corporate ladder and being a present parent.
Many conversations on balancing work life and taking care of children begin with a heavy sigh, concluding in a mix between hopeful desires and accepting less-than-ideal situations. Let's cut through this negativity. What if I say to you that we got this wrong all along? What if being a parent and having love for your work are not like two great giants fighting, but instead they can be in peaceful harmony with respect? In the well-known book "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg, there is a motivating story about Caroline O'Connor, a mother who did not accept things as they were. Rather than giving in to the old idea of balancing work and life, Caroline treated her job and raising children like an issue that needed designing. She coined the phrase "career-loving parent," reversing the old-fashioned thought that one (especially women) must pick between climbing the corporate ladder or being an ever-present parent.
Every minute spent editing that presentation on the kitchen table feels like a minute stolen from family time. That's the first guest to kick out of your life party. The traditional view shrouds work as a survival act, painting dreary stokes of people clocking in hours only to come home and be 'real' in the presence of their children. But let’s switch gears. It's time to see passion-driven careers and enriching family lives not as rivals but as complementing elements of a full, vibrant life.
You can have your cake and eat it too! Instead of slicing your life into career and parenting segments, why not mould it into a well-baked whole? Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach to work. With remote work, freelancing, and flexible working, becoming more mainstream especially post-pandemic, there are more options than ever before. Maybe a traditional 9-to-5 doesn't align with your goals, perhaps your family would benefit if you became a freelance or working fully remote. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.
Embrace being a career-loving parent. This doesn’t involve cloning yourself or finding a magical 25th hour. It's about adjusting the sails of perception.
Approach life like a curious scientist, experiment with various approaches, change your routine, and discover which combination provides you with the greatest happiness and productivity. The aim shouldn't be to achieve perfection initially but a constant progression.
If all this conversation has made you excited for a life where you enjoy your job progress and also the routine of telling bedtime stories, then welcome. And if you still have doubts, that is fine as well. Take a peep, make some small adjustments and maybe over time you will also be able to see the distant edge where the sky meets land.
Transforming from a parent who simply works to one who loves their career does not happen with ignorance. It recognises the hard work while refusing to feel guilty. It is an invitation to increase the strength of happiness in your private and work life, without sacrificing one for the sake of the other.
So, are you ready to kick the guilt to the curb, challenge the status quo, and accept that you love your career and being a parent? The payoff to this is to lead a richer, fuller, and more balanced life. Remember, that in the big game of life, to love your job and to love being a parent do not conflict with each other; instead, they are like colours that go well together on the wide canvas of life.
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