After the Crossroads

As women there are many sides to our identities, and if you're progressive you'll keep adding and discovering new sides of who you are.

For me 2014 - 2016 has been the most transformational period of my 27 years! I'm a wife, a mother, and crucially I am finally embarking on a brand new career, venturing into the scary but rewarding world of business! Yay me!

Like most of my friends, my career shaped the trajectory of my lifestyle for the longest time. I was consumed by it from the age of, let's say 13. Then 10 years later, my family was torn apart. I lost my stability, the earth crumbled beneath me and I was shaken to the core! These events coupled with my dwindling passion for the industry forced me to reconsider what is really important to me. It occurred to me that I might not actually WANT the life that I was so vigorously pursuing! I fought this idea fiercely, after all I have been chasing this for as long as I can remember! Until one day I was speaking to my mentor in the industry, and a light bulb went off!

This woman that I admire - let’s call her Ms X - is very well known and respected. She’s achieved so much in/ for the industry, and I was following in her footsteps. It hit me that she's 20 years ahead of me and she doesn't have the life I want! I look at her success and realise that she either didn’t want the life I want, or she’s sacrificed those things for her professional success. As I speak to her, I realise: When looking at those you admire, consider their sacrifices as well as their success before emulating them. My decision was cemented.

So what is it that I want? The life I WANT is almost taboo amongst forward thinking young women in my generation: I want a family. I want to be a mama and a wife and I want a home for my family. And I want all of that before I hit 30. I knew I couldn’t be committed to the type of career I was chasing and still have the type of family life I wanted... not at the same time. As I have learnt, the key to success is commitment and focus. So? Well time for a reconsideration of what's important to me, prioritise and commit.

It took me a while because truthfully, I didn't know how to live in my own truth. I was too eager to please others; I was too scared to be seen as someone who "didn't go for it" or (God forbid) old fashioned!

Isn't life funny? When you work against the current of your heart, things are just so hard! But as soon as you decide to "go with the flow" it all just falls into place!

So here I am, going with the flow. And it's not easy, but the peace I have within let's me know that I'm living in my own truth.

If you want to join me on my journey, please follow, like and share. I promise to me unapologetically ME 😊