“You can have it all,” or so we are told. While I am all about living the dream, I am also a realist and will tell you that it’s simply not true. The good news is that you can have everything you want. Your job is to figure out exactly what that is. I challenge you to make a list of your priorities. What is it that matters most? Think about this for a moment. First, put your life into compartments- family, career, health, finances, charitable causes, and so on. Second, list them in order of priority. While this may not be easy to do it is necessary if you want to have a real life breakthrough and reclaim your passion for living. Third, reflect on your list and see where you are out of balance. If family is your number one priority, including your spouse, yet work consumes your day, night and weekends and you haven’t been on a date in six months or sat down on the floor and played with your kids in a week, you are out of balance. The result is anxiety, guilt, fear, and constant mental chaos. This is no way to live.
My hope is that you will enter a new state of living where you feel empowered, excited about life, and proud of your choices. In looking at your priorities, what small or big changes can you make that will reflect what matters most in your life? I made the decision nine years ago, when Paris was born, to reduce my schedule from full to part time. On Monday, Wednesday and the weekend, I am mom and wife, 100%. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, I am Entrepreneur rock star- meaning I give 1000%. This schedule allows me to compartmentalize my life and put focus where it needs to be, on the priorities that matter most. When I first did this I didn’t know if my business would decline or grow. What I did know is that my family was my priority and I refused to be a stressed out, anxious, guilty mother. What I now know and believe with all my heart is that when you put your priorities in order and live by them at all cost, you are blessed beyond measure. There is some magic in making the tough calls that others are afraid to make or that go against the grain. My business doubled every year after I changed my schedule. It had never doubled in size annually before…coincidence? I went from two to over twenty team members and expanded my reach in everything I did. What about you? While you may not want or be able to do this, what surprises might come your way upon taking control of your life? Would the release of guilt, anxiety and stress be worth standing up to your boss and leaving the office at 5 instead of 7?
Look, you can have everything you want but you have to decide. For me, it’s a solid family unit that is tightly bonded and lives a life of adventure. After that it’s having a business that changes the world. Yet to do this, it comes as a second priority to the first, make sense? What can you do this week to put increased focus on your number one priority? What might happen as a result? How would you feel upon making this choice? Is it worth a try? As Nike says, then “Just do it!” Go- Get Your Girl Back!