I’m stoked to be a part of The Mama Bliss Is Blog Tour hosted by Kathy Stowell of Bliss Beyond Naptime. The Mama Bliss Is Blog Tour is helping to spread the word on the importance of mothers to tend to their self-care and creative practices first and foremost while contending with overwhelm in healthy and creative ways.
When Kathy invited me to be a part of the Mama Bliss Is Tour, I thought a lot about how this fits with my focus on communications, storytelling and messaging. But then it became clear. Being a mama is part of my story. It’s not one that I talk about a ton, but I’m definitely not hiding it either, so here we go.
For me, Mama Bliss Is….Freedom. My journey as a mother and an entrepreneur are inextricably tied. Becoming a mom is what gave me the push to go out on my own. To leave the golden handcuffs in search of a life with more freedom as an entrepreneur because I knew the “usual” way of doing things wasn’t going to work for me or my family.
For some reason, quitting my fancy title, big pay check position didn’t seem like a risk. The bigger risk was that I’d not have the time, space and freedom to explore the world of work and life as a new mom in my own way.
I felt so convicted to do this that there simply was no question.
Until recently, it never occurred to me how gutsy making this big of a move towards freedom truly is, especially when you are a mama. Ditching security when you have no clients and diapers to buy (even with a husband with a solid pay check) is not what we are supposed to do. This is straight up b-a-n-a-n-a-s. (You need to sing bananas like Gwen Stefani sings it in Holla Back Girl for maximum effect.)
[Tweet “New Blog Post: Gutsy moves on the way to freedom with @magspatterson”]
But more than 9 years later, here I am. Free.
Why Freedom Can’t Wait
Freedom comes in many forms. For this mama, the ultimate freedom is being able to make my own schedule, work with clients that I actually enjoy working with and being able to say yes to what works best for my family. To be able to define my life, my goals and be an example to my now 10-year old son. To decide to take Fridays off all Summer and go camping many, many weekends where there’s no WiFi or 3G to be found.
If your bliss is freedom, whether you are a mama or not, it cannot wait.
Freedom is not optional.
That little voice in your ears calling you to be free will get louder and louder until it turns into a really irritating yelling voice. You need to listen to the little voice, tap into your self and not listen to all the people telling you what you should do.
Shoulds are what will hold you back from your freedom. Find a way to make your freedom happen. It may be bit by bit, little by little, or it may be a big grand gesture, but it is possible.
Maybe it’s specific training you need to make your freedom happen, or to simply put a date on the calendar that you’ll resign from your current job by. Whatever it is, you need a plan, and to work with your little voice to find your own path.
Freedom or whatever your bliss maybe be, can happen, it’s up to you. It may not always be glitzy, but it will be so worth it in the end.
[Tweet “Freedom is not optional. @magspatterson talks about how shoulds hold you back”]
