Nancy Pelosi is a well known political figure due to her time as Speaker of the House among other things. What I didn’t know about her is that she is a Mother to five kids. All of whom she raised before running for any kind of office.
We SSM came across an article by the Huffington Post about a visit from Nancy to their offices. She spoke to her experience as a politician and as a mother and there were some valuable insights that can help us all, three in particular that were important points for any mother/career woman:
1.) Be Your Authentic Self
Nancy Pelosi was quoted as saying, “Don’t model yourself after anyone else, you are the authentic you.” which is a really important statement because the nature of women is that we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We are consistently looking around to see if we measure up. The best gift we can give ourselves is acceptance of who we are and what we have to bring to the table. We all have our own unique gifts to offer the world and it’s ok not to conform to what is deemed to the way things “should be done”.
2.) The Best You Can Is Good Enough
Mothers and Women in general are very self-critical and we often attempt to do it all. Especially now when we have the world at our feet in away the women before us did not. But, it’s important to remember that there are different chapters and phases to each person’s life. Right now, your chapter may consist of toddlers driving you mad while you attempt to finish at least one cup of coffee. Five years from now, your life will likely be in a different phase and chapter. So if you’re working on entrepreneurial/professional goals as many of us at-home blogging types are, know that good enough is ok right now.
It’s good enough to chip away at your goals. It’s good enough to only get half the laundry completed today so you can play with your kids instead. It’s good enough to send an email instead of making it to the post office with a card. Because that’s the nature of life right now and that’s ok.
Can you relate?
Then know that it’s ok. Good enough, is OK.
3.) You Don’t Have to Have a Plan
“One day at a time” is a valuable saying when it comes to parenting and life in general. When you are knee deep in children or a demanding career, it sometimes can seem impossible to have a plan for how you will accomplish your family and personal goals. Nancy Pelosi shared that she simply did the best she could raising the five children she had in five years time. She acknowledged she wasn’t always at her best and the best laid plans didn’t always go as planned. She shared a saying that “LOVE is Let Other Versions Exist” – meaning, let there be room for movement in your plans. Flexibility will alleviate your stress and allow you to enjoy the spontaneity in life that is having young children.
Life as a parent in conjunction with other goals can be a tough task to tackle, especially if you are doing it alone. Do your best to balance them both with the understanding that balance can truly be elusive on most days so take heart, keep moving forward and follow Nancy’s advice – it’s good stuff.
Which of these points speaks to you the most?
Post Contributed by Nicole from Moments that Define Life. Nicole is a Freelance writer, blogger and mother to three lovely ladies. She has a shoe and coffee obsession that she can’t seem to kick. Is there a group for that?
Comments
‘The best you can is good enough’. I think this will become my new favourite quote.Our children need us to be our true authentic selves, from there we will find our own wisdom and our soul truth, the only skills we really need in raising the next generation of young people who will eventually be in charge of running our planet! Great article Nicole,thank you for sharing Nancy’s wisdom