{Feature Friday l Balancing Work and Family Life}

All right, all right, so it’s a challenge of mine…..balancing my work and family/personal life- and it always has been.  I started working before I was in high school.  My first “real” job was actually when I was 13.  My parents owned a printing and office supply store in Dillon, Montana.  The front office/store manager was a lady named Mary and my parents deemed her my “boss” so I’d know what it was really like to work for someone who wasn’t my related to me, namely my own parents.  What was my goal with my job you may ask?  Well, in Montana, at that time, the legal driving age was 14….not sure what it is now as I haven’t been back since I graduated.  I wanted my own car so badly I could taste it, and I was going to do anything and everything I could to get it.  I’d be free to go wherever I wanted….at least wherever I wanted in a town of about 3,000.  I did whatever I could that summer before my freshman year in high school to save up for that car.  I missed cheerleading camp because I wanted a car, I took on a 2nd job at my best friends family furniture store (dusting the floors and floors of furniture), and you know what?  I got that 1987 Plymouth Horizon with red interior and a stick shift and I was FREE!

Same thing happened when I graduated from high school and met Nathan.  I wanted to work in retail, but not just work in retail, I wanted to be a manager.  I didn’t care if it was department manager at ZCMI (now Macy’s) in Provo, UT, or store manager at a specialty retail shop like The Limited or Victoria’s Secret, I wanted to be a manager.  I worked my booty off at ZCMI and became a sales lead and when Nathan and I got married at the ripe old age of 19, we moved to Texas and I marched into the Dallas Galleria Limited and told them I was looking for a management job, and I got it!  I got an assistant manager job, worked very hard again and at the age of 20 was managing my first store- MINE, I was in charge, and it felt good.  I bounced around at a few other companies managing stores as I was offered bigger and better stores and then I started having kids.  My first child was born when I was almost 24.  I felt like everything was going great, I was on top of the world!- and then I held that little baby in my arms and started to panic.  I didn’t want to leave him at daycare, but I still wanted to be successful in my jobs…..what was I to do?  And here is where so many people find an inbalance in their lives.  When I want something to work, I work at it 100%….ahem….100% focused on THAT particular thing at the moment.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  I mean, when I’m focused on my work I’m TOTALLY focused, when I’m focused on, let’s say, folding clothes and cleaning, then that’s my obsession.  Needless to say I’ve been really focused on my business for the past year and a half and it’s paying off.  I’m doing things I couldn’t have imagined when I first started, and who knows what another year will bring.  But I’m still feeling that pull…..work, personal, work, personal……

Yesterday, I joined my weekly ritual of “Study Hall” at the [b]school.  I treat it like an online class that I attend every week when I can.  Sometimes I just listen to [b]ecker talk about whatever the weekely topic is, sometimes I join in and ask questions.  Yesterday there was a guest speaker on, Joe Photo.  What a cool guy!  My question for him was with his kids and personal life, what were tips that he had for balancing his work and family life.  His answers didn’t surprise me and many of the things he suggested I already do.  I happen to have 3 small children- all boys, but other’s of you may have another full time job, more kids than I have, or other obligations.  What did Joe Photo suggest to do?

1.  Wake up earlier to get stuff done before the kids get up

2.  Stay up later when they go to bed to have quiet time to get things done- This one I DO……have you noticed the 2:30am posts, tweets, etc?

3.  Set Goals that are attainable

The truth is, if you really want to make something successful, it doesn’t matter what it is, you have to live, breath, and eat it, but I truly believe that I can still be successful in my business and still have plenty of time for my family, the cleaning, and of course my own personal time (that is the one that gets neglected the most!)  We all have priorities and choices to make in our lives.  WE determine what we will each be and become in this life.  My definition of success may not be yours, but we each should step back, and take time to enjoy our lives too.  So thank you Joe Photo and [b]ecker for solidifying that, yes, it’s hard to build up your business and be successful and sometimes there are things that are sacrificed, but I’m so glad for a supportive family and for my Nathan who is my cheerleader….most of the time Love you baby!

Here’s some snapshots of what I’ve been doing the last few months to enjoy the little moments….a local baseball game with the family on one of the hottest days of the year, and some pics from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge.  Now THAT was a hit with the kids AND the adults…indoor water park, Kid Kamp Suite and a game in the hotel?  MagiQuest was tons of fun! (and please excuse the red eyes!)

Lastly here’s a SP of Bill and Amber’s wedding in Dallas!  I can’t wait to blog it!