How to Maintain Your Professional Career, and Be an Amazing Parent at The Same Time…It’s Totally Possible.

Let’s face it, being an adult is hard. Think back to how many times as a child you thought about how much fun it would be to grow up. Or maybe how many times an adult told you to just enjoy being a kid. I’m pretty sure if I had a dollar each time I complained to my parents about wanting to grow up, I could take a really great vacation.  

You’ve worked hard for success in your career, and now you find yourself stressed and pulled in many different directions. How did your parents do it? Or even a single parent, or super parent, as I like to think? Talk about feelings of stress and anxiety! Perhaps, you feel like this too. You are thriving in a career you love, but you feel like you aren’t able to do the same with your relationship with your child. This can be totally normal. Kids require a ton of attention, and as a high-achieving professional in your career, you want to have the same success as a parent that you do in your career. So, what can you do to be successful in both?

Find your “why”.

Think back to when you were choosing your career path. What were your interests and goals, and what drew your attention to the field? You had to find your “why” when you picked your career and being a successful parent is the same. Why do you want to be an amazing parent? If you can answer this question finding the path to success will be easier. Maybe you didn’t grow up in a great home environment and now want to break that cycle with your kids. Or, you grew up with great parents and now you want to continue that for your family. Either way, finding out your “why” is the first step to being a successful parent.  

Set small family goals.

When you were building success in your career you had to set goals. Raising a family is the same way. Choosing goals together as a family can point to priorities that are most important to you and what your family values the most. Small, short-term goals will be the most achievable. A simple goal like eating dinner together, technology free, twice this week may be manageable for you. It sounds doable to me! Your goal may even be a meal, one time together. No matter your goals, your family is unique, so do what makes you happy.

Have fun.

No matter your stress level or the amount of time you spend working, it is imperative to have fun. Ideas that might work for your family are building a fort in your living room or playing in your yard, maybe going to the park, or taking an overnight trip. Simply spending time together can build the relationship with your kids that you crave and can reduce your stress level at the same time.  

It’s possible…to be successful both in your career and as a parent. You are the only one measuring that success. If you and your family are happy, that’s all that matters. 

Now, go out and have some fun!

*As always, this blog post isn’t intended as professional counseling or clinical advice. If you need support, please consider speaking to a professional to be evaluated. You are also welcome to contact me to see if I might be able to support you as you move forward.