Yes, I’m that mom that will tell you that her child is her world. And, you know what? He is. I detect no lies. Cannon is my absolute world and life has just begun.
But, I didn’t always feel this way and I’m sure there are many other people out there that can relate.
When I found out I was pregnant, I felt lost and confused. To sum it up, I had no idea what the next steps were going to be. Life was shifting in a way where I had to step up and take charge of things. A baby was not a part of my plan at the time — getting married, buying a house, then having a child was how I had planned things in my mind.
Obviously, life doesn’t always work out how we’ve planned it in our heads (thankfully).
Honestly, I was stuck before Cannon. Stuck in a position where I wasn’t excelling. Above all, I was too comfortable with everything in life. From my career to my relationship, I was comfortable in roles that weren’t challenging me. And, that wasn’t acceptable for me.
I was the person that kept thinking there would be an opportunity for career growth, but there wasn’t. And, that’s okay because change is always welcomed. Those are the moments when you realize you have to leave to grow.
Life is about growth and change. Without a doubt, a new life is a lot of growth and change.
Cannon encouraged that growth and change in me. Having a baby made me realize that there needed to be some changes in many things that I did.
Ultimately, he changed my career goals. He made me realize that I want to be a very involved mom that didn’t have work guilt or mom guilt. And, I had a lot of work guilt and mom guilt the first six months of Cannon’s life.
If I had to leave work early because Cannon was sick, I felt awful. When I was on-call on the weekends, I felt terrible because it took from my time with Cannon. There was just so much going on that wasn’t adding up to a positive for me.
So, I made a change.
How I make motherhood and my career coexist:
Let me be the first to say that motherhood and my career coexist because I make sure that they do. You don’t have to believe that they do, but I do.
Created a structure
Honestly, I have always had a schedule and plan for life. I would say that my schedule was easier to follow as my weekdays composed of my 9-5 corporate job and evenings that involved dinner + Netflix. Then, you can throw in my weekends that were usually filled with errand day Saturday and chill day Sunday.
But, that structure wasn’t all aligned. There were days when I was late to work and weekend days where I overslept when I had plans. Things were not in place for me to succeed. Becoming a mother has helped me with that. Sure, there are still days where I’m late to work but I’m in a position where I’ve created a routine for our family. Somehow, it works.
And in the future, I know that this structure will work where I can go into work early to get off early to make it in time for any school events or extracurricular activities. High-fives to all companies that are aligned to family priorities!
Furthermore, having structure has helped me create a routine and get in the bed by 10 pm — that’s a mom win.
Figured out my work-life balance
Listen, I used to work all the time. I’m talking after 5 pm and on the weekends. As someone that is in the social media field, I was always busy as social is considered “always-on”. To clarify, there really weren’t any days off when it came to the brands I was on and my weekends usually consisted of me carrying an iPad around to check Instagram for work-related engagements.
Where’s the work-life balance? Where is the break? Why was I checking emails while on vacation in Mexico, the previous year? Obviously, the last question isn’t important but it shows how too involved with my work, I was.
Having a baby teaches you that you don’t have seven arms to do everything. And, that’s okay. There will be moments when you have to take PTO because your child is sick. Or, there will be moments when daycare calls because of a fever and you have to leave. Overall, those all consist of balance whether it’s going offline for a few hours and getting back online after bed-time. You find a way to do it especially to spend time with that cute face.
Set Boundaries
Admittedly, I set the boundaries before Cannon came. I had rules when it came to visiting especially during the first six months. As a mom, it’s my job to protect the person that can’t speak. It’s my job to say yes or no when it concerns my child. Let me tell you, there will always be push back but that’s okay. If a person truly cares, they’re going to abide by your rules. They’re going to meet you where you need to be met when they truly care.
The boundaries didn’t come with just my child. I found boundaries at work. From being in a role where people spoke over me when I was talking or repeating the things that I had just said, I found a way to just make it known that if you wanted something from me or needed to learn something then you had to ask. I refuse to raise my voice to make someone realize my point. And, I don’t need to interrupt to get a point across.
My work boundaries are what helped me realize that I needed a career move. More so, a move where I could grow and could excel with strategy. But at the same time, a role that wasn’t always on when it came to the weekends and holidays because those are Cannon’s days now.
Gave me purpose
I knew I wanted to be a mom someday but I never knew when. When I had Cannon, I feel like a fire was lit. In fact, I felt like he gave me a purpose. He turned around a life that I was just dragging along and inspired me to be better. How rad is that? It’s wild what a child can do for you.
Everything I do is for my son. I feel like people are always wondering what’s better when you have a full-time role with healthcare but there is better out there. Being in a room where your voice is heard outweighs a lot. And, feeling like your work is appreciated adds value. I left a role where I cherished the people for a role where I received an incredible pay raise and a company that believes in the markets I wanted to learn and be a part of.
It might not be a move everyone agrees with but it’s a move that gives me more free time with my son.
Cannon gave me an idea of what I would accept within a role. I’m not saying he’s my boss or anything but the little man definitely encourages a lot of the moves (especially money moves) that I make.
Motivation
Every single day, I wake up for Cannon and myself. I wake up with an idea that I need to excel and do amazing things to be happy with myself and for Cannon to be happy. That might seem like a lot to have someone’s happiness depend on you but it’s not. This little person gave me the motivation that I needed to interview for new roles and to take on a new career path.
Not only did he do that but he helped me realize that I need to be somewhere that keeps me motivated. Like, I want to be excited to go into work and I want to stay busy. Being bored is awful.
I say this from experience. Give me a role that keeps me busy because I need to be busy — I like to work especially in the influencer marketing and social media world. Truthfully, I enjoy it so keep me busy.
Cannon has motivated a lot of changes in me — from my career to how I do things on the weekend to how I plan things with friends to my attitude. He (and his dad) has brought a lot to my attention that has given me the motivation to work on myself.
Like I stated above, growth and change are important.
I am a different person compared to the person in early 2018. Part of me found my voice in 2018 and early 2019. I finished off 2019 with knowledge of what I’m capable of doing.
Not only that but I know what I want to do and how I want to succeed.
And, I know I will be successful. I know I will be great at all opportunities that present themself. And, I have Cannon to thank for that. He’s been a light that has lit the path. Totally mushy but he’s made me a better person in everything that I do.
At the end of the day, I’m going to be the PTO mom and the snack mom. That’s what success looks like to me. I don’t need to be a CEO if that takes away from my son. And, you don’t have to pass up on that role if that’s truly what you want to do. As moms, we know what’s best for our families.
Are you a mom? If so, how has motherhood changed your career or life?
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