How to Balance Motherhood and Ambition:

• Start with prayer

It always comes down to this doesn’t it?  The amount of time spent in devotion and prayer, in reading the Bible and developing a close personal walk with God is directly correlated with making better choices.  In my own life I have found that whenever I start thinking I can do things on my own is exactly when I get myself into trouble and things start to go horribly wrong.

If you’re truly not sure where to go, try to spend more time simply listening and less time talking.  We often ask God to tell us what to do, but then forget to wait for an answer.  The gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit comes in a whisper during those quiet moments, often when we least expect it.

•  Listen to your husband

Your husband is the only one who will be totally honest—at times brutally so—about whether or not you are on the right path.  For the sake of your marriage and your family, you owe it to him to listen.

• Redeem your time

Because pursuing a dream may mean more time away from your family than you’d like it is that much more important to make sure that your time together counts.  Give your husband and children the gift of fully engaging when you are together.  Turn off your phone or computer or whatever other distraction has captured your focus and give them all of you.  Be intentional about setting aside time that is just for them.

On the other hand, be wary of giving into the “mom guilt” that sometimes tempts us to want to be overly permissive, or to give our kids a bunch of stuff they don’t need to make up for the times we’re not there.  More stuff doesn’t make up for less time, and trying to be our child’s friend instead of their parent won’t work either.

• Don’t compare.

It is easy to look at our friends and think their life is somehow better or more worthwhile.  We watch our career-minded friends rushing off to work each day, looking all stylish and put together in their tailored suits and high heels.  While they move right on up the corporate ladder we’re still wearing yesterday’s cheerio-encrusted yoga pants.  They, on the other hand, would do anything to be able to stay at home with their little ones and worry constantly that they are missing out on the most important things in life.

Comparing your situation to someone elses’ situation serves no purpose except to make you crazy with self doubt, so just don’t do it.  Your path is your path and no one elses.

• Own your choices.

Every action has it’s own set of consequences, and every time we select one thing it means we are not choosing something else.  So own it.  If in your heart of hearts you believe that you have been called to a certain path, don’t waste time on regretting the things you can’t do.  Understand that when you make a choice to pursue a dream, you are also making the decision to leave something else behind.

And that’s okay.

Because none of us can do it all, but we can make peace with the choices that we’ve made.  And in the end, I think that’s good enough for me.

Blessings....