Be Your Own Superhero!
As a mom of two busy boys, a business owner and a globally travelling educator for OPI, I am often asked, “how do you do it?!”
And honestly, I’ve never really had a good answer! Some days, I feel like it’s all too much and I should give up on one my kids JOBS- I mean jobs! And then other days, I feel like Superwoman! Ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound! I think the key is to remember the superhero days on the days when I feel like I’m failing. And that the villains (my bad days) never really win. If you are a wife, a mother, a nail tech and/or an educator, or even all of the above- or if you’re thinking of adding any of those former titles to your resume and you’re not sure if you can do it, I’m here to tell you, YES YOU CAN, and offer you a tiny bit of advice based on my own experiences.
Find your people!
First, it goes without saying that I don’t do it all without a little help. Okay, a LOT of help! It’s kind of like the Avengers. Listen to all of these superhero references. Have I mentioned that I have two boys? Sure, I am strong by myself, but the hardest battles are won with many allies. I have an amazing support system that starts with my husband Brian, who works from home so that he can watch the kids on the days I’m flying across the world to teach. It continues with my extremely understanding clients who respect what I’m trying to achieve as a mother and a businesswoman and working for a company who has never failed to offer whatever support they can so that we can all meet our goals. And it’s completed with friends, colleagues and even other nail technicians online, who continue to offer support and encouragement to a fellow tech/mother/educator. Surround yourself with people who understand and respect your goals, and don’t forget to support them in theirs too.
Don’t get on that guilt train!
Secondly, and really, it’s just the opposite of the first point- DON’T hang out with people who don’t “get it.” And DON’T give into the guilt and/or the mom shaming! Don’t guilt yourself for following your dreams and striving for your goals and don’t let others guilt you, because believe me- they will. Sometimes, they do it on purpose, but mostly they just don’t realize what they’re saying sounds like. Off-handed comments like, “You work so much- when do you see your family?” and “But what does your husband think about you traveling?” or “It must upset your kids when you’re gone,” could all be well intentioned, but they plant little guilt seeds that have the capability to grow rapidly if you let them. I travelled for work after my second son was born. He was three months old and I was away for ten days. I can’t count how many “well meaning” comments I got about leaving him with my husband for that long when he was that young. But, they both survived and got in lots of daddy/baby bonding, I lead my first team training as a global educator, I got to check visiting New Orleans off of my bucket list and when I cam home, I snuggled him right away and didn’t put him down for 24 hours after. Now, he is three and a half years old, is very well adjusted to my traveling and is a sweet little momma’s boy through and through! Remember, kids are resilient, and they already believe you’re like a superhero. So, why not show them that it’s true?!
Work on your balancing act!
Lastly, but not least by any means, is TIME MANAGEMENT, aka work/life balance. I have a home salon, so let me tell you that even with the best intentions, I have found myself feeling guilty for spending too much time in my studio and not enough time with my family. Or too much time with the family and then not enough time in the studio. With an in-home salon, it’s so easy to fudge hours. If I finish my clients early, I can run upstairs and help my husband put the boys to bed, leaving my salon a disaster. On the flip side, while working on special projects for OPI or for my social media, I’ll promise my family that I’ll only be an hour, but when I finally surface from the acrylic dust cloud, I realise it’s been four! To stop that guilt train yet again and even out both parts of my life, I implemented specific salon hours for my clients and certain hours for extra nail projects. No more fudging! This way, my family knows when to expect me and I also have enough time to clean up and organize my clients as well as work on or finish up a special project. Now... in a perfect world, I would tell you this works 100% of the time. BUT, as I’m writing this, “special project,” I have my three and a half year old colouring beside me, causing me to break from writing this article every ten minutes because we are in the middle of some very serious potty training. Set yourself some parameters, but remember that doing what you need to do to achieve a goal is OK! You may wobble a bit to one side sometimes, but just focus back on your direction and you’ll find you center again.
After everything’s said and done, above all, believe in yourself and go after your dreams and goals- whatever they may be!
