The Style Network is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels to watch... late at night, while I move my tush on the eliptical, as I work on blog posts or finish work after Liam is sleeping in the evenings. I have it on a lot. I've long been a fan of Giuliana & Bill, and in my younger days a HUGE fan of Sister, Sister - so I'm really excited to finally get on board for the 3rd season on Tia & Tamera! The season premier airs Sunday, July 14th at 8/7c on Style.
I haven't watch season 1 or 2, though I'm thinking I'll want to catch up on those for fun, but I'm really excited for this season because of where these ladies are at in their lives. Each with a young child, balancing being mothers, wives and having a career, a situation so many of us can relate with. Tia & Tamera will be juggling how they strive to have it all as they deal with a lot of the same types of things we do - but they'll be doing it on camera for us all to watch!
I know I personally struggle with work/life balance. I would rather, more than anything, spend time with my family, but driven to get work, home chores, errands and obligations done can leave me stressed out. With another baby on the way and this pregnancy being unlike my last (so much more tiring), I've been forced to reexamine and actualize my priorities. A few things I'm trying out....
1. Learning to say no. This is THE challenge for me. I'm a hard worker and want to do it all! I thrive on doing good work because it makes me feel like I'm constantly learning, accomplishing and contributing to this world. Not just in my daily job, but outside projects and with this blog. I love having opportunities to take on a new project and I fear if I start turning things down, the opportunities will slow. So when I receive a request, I try to to quickly understand if this is truly an opportunity that will benefit me somehow or just something that will potentially take up time. I also try to be candid, open and honest with people when I turn them down so they understand why and where I'm coming from. If it might be something that could be a fit in the future - I make sure they know that and I keep in touch. Overall, I've been turning things down more and slowly the anxiety over that is getting better.
2. Enjoying the downtime. There may not be a lot of it, but usually I'm someone who packs every minute of the day with something and always has to be busy. I don't know what to do with myself if I have time to myself. Relaxing doesn't come naturally to me. I work well under pressure, handle multiple projects at a time and while stress is never healthy, usually can swim through it pretty successfully. So, as I've been eliminating projects (saying no to things), I've found a bit more time to learn how to relax. After the little guy goes to sleep, I am able to sometimes stay off my computer and spend time with my husband. I even read a book this summer!
3. Taking in the now. Having a child really has helped me with this. Seeing him change, learn and grow so fast in his only-19 months has helped me realize even more so how fast life really goes. Way too fast. I don't want to look back on my life and see it as a blur. I don't want to put things off until tomorrow (this reminds me of Garth Brooks' song The River...). I want to get out and explore life with my family. I want all this, I just need to do more of it.
How do you balance work/obligations and family life?
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Thank you so much to the Style Network for sponsoring today's post! I work with Linqia to bring relevant pieces of info to you all - things that I am excited about and hope you are, too! So while this post is sponsored, all thoughts and opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting our sponsors!
