You do You.
This was advice given to me by a speaker I recently listened to at a leadership breakfast I went to for my job. She was talking about her career path and current position at a prestigious local company. At one point, she mentioned her two children and their ages. A quick bit of math brought the realization she had built her career while her children were very young. After the breakfast, I went up to introduce myself as we had a mutual friend and ask her advice.
Being a working mom is tough. Being a working mom in a world where most people assume eventually you will wake up and realize your lifelong dream is to be a stay at home mom is even tougher. I have nothing against either camp. But I know where I solidly fit. In the land of working moms. I asked how she did it and if she had any advice to pass along. She had some solid advice and was super encouraging, but one phrase hasn’t left my mind. You do you. She said, you have to do you and that is when you will be the best mom and wife and employee. As I left and continued to mull over what she said, I could see how so very true it was in my own life.
When I am being me-the best me I know how to be, I am a good mom, wife, and employee/volunteer/friend etc. But when I try to act like someone else or fit into some other mold, I am tired, cranky, and generally a not-fun version of myself. In so many ways, in this season of my life, I feel called to stay at my job. I love my son and enjoy every minute with him, but I know this is who I am. I am a working mom. And you know what, when I embrace that, when I live in that space, I am everything else better. I am not spending my days waiting for God to change my heart and make me magically into a stay-at-home mom. I am spending my days doing what I am best at and loving God, my family, and my life well through it.
So friend, you do you. Whatever you looks like, be the best you. And if we all do this, we will become the best supporters of each other. I can cheer you on and you can cheer me on and we can run our races together, however different they may look.
