Balance

I just had lunch with a coworker of mine and we were talking about balance.  We come from different perspectives and circumstances when it comes to balance...but it was interesting to both of us that we both essentially have the same basic struggles.  He's a Dad with two little girls under 5, with a wife that has a very successful business that she runs from home.  I'm a working mom with a 3 year little boy and a husband that works full time in a sales capacity as well.  But, we still struggle with pretty much the same things.

He was telling me that I should write a book about working moms and how to balance everything.  As I recovered from choking on my water...I let him know that I had pretty much nothing figured out and that my pie of balance was a in a sad sad state.  While it was a lovely compliment that he thought I had it all figured out...it got me thinking...how do I decide where I spend my focus?

Do you struggle with balance?  If you don't...how?  How do you manage it?

Here's the thing.  We all wear so many hats.  And, we want to excel in each hat that we wear.  Here are my hats...

Mom

This is probably my favorite hat EVER!  I love being a mom.  Jaxson has stolen my heart and I can't remember why much of anything was important before he came into my life.  The other mom's out there likely know exactly what I mean....I just don't know how to put it into words.  It is so important to me that we raise him with a kind heart that seeks out others and is filled with God's plan for him.  There's no failing allowed at this role!

Wife

I love being married and I love my hubby, but being a wife comes with a TON of responsibility.  He does more than most husbands that I know do, and I am so grateful for that.  But, there are also expectations that we carry in our marriage that I need to uphold.  I am his ultimate support system and cheerleader.  That's a really important hat to wear (or pom pom to carry!), especially when my job is just as difficult and I need that cheering too.  Sometimes it hard to give it all, especially during a bad month or sales cycle.  I'm also in charge or the general upkeep of our home, all the shopping, the food supply, and the finances.  Not to mention, he's my best friend.  It's critical that I nuture our relationship and friendship and make it a priority.  

Account Executive

At work, I'm in a high pressure sales job that I love, but that requires a ton of my time and thought.  But I love it (97% of the time if I'm honest).  It's not a 9-5 go through your daily task list and go home kind of job.  It's a creative, exciting, rewarding, purely performance based career.  If you're good at it, and you produce results, you get to stay and continue performing.  If you don't...well, you get a little time to answer for it, and then you don't get to continue any longer.  It's difficult to explain to someone that isn't in a sales / account executive role.

Daughter of Christ

Gosh, this is likely the most important one on this list!  As I've started to devote more time to my walk with Jesus, other things have suffered.  Quiet time means reading in bed at night, or getting up earlier in the morning which means hubby is woken up early.  Or, spending the time I normally would with him in the evenings having my time.  It's a difficult balance.  But, I can't operate fully and successfully without it.  And, I'm a firm believer that God will create the time that I need to spend with him and everyone else as I continue to be faithful in my commitments to him.  I am aching to know what his plan and his purpose are for me.  I see other people doing amazing things in other countries, in our church and in our neighborhood, and I can't help but feel like I'm wasting the opportunities he's given me.  So, I'm learning to spend more time with him and faithfully asking for his plan to unfold.

Me

This is the selfish part that we probably aren't supposed to talk about, but this is what started the entire conversation at lunch today.  We were talking about me trying to read the entire bible and how long it has taken me.  And, that taking time to do things like that can feel very selfish.  Just like missing my last two hair appointments or working out 5 times in the past 3 years.  I love being fit and healthy...but I can't justify taking time from any of the above roles to selfishly do that for myself.  Blogging is the same thing.  I've loved it for the past 6 years, and the past two I've really let it fall off of the radar.  Why?  It's not a priority.  Spending time with my precious friends is the same thing.  It's hard to take time from all of the other areas of my life and allocate it to fun on a regular basis.

I know that I'm not alone in this.  Many of you have got to be facing the same "hat parade" that I am.  I am eternally grateful that God has blessed me with so many hats to wear.  I feel beyond blessed...but I want to make sure that I am making the most of and focusing on the right things.  How do you find balance and peace?  How do you know that you are doing the right things?  I'm so curious to hear the experiences of other women.  Thank you for sharing!!