If you saw a book or an article promising you “5 steps to fast success as a working mom,” would you pick it up, would you click on it to read it? There’s no right or wrong answer here, but if most of us are being honest with ourselves, we’d probably dive deep into that content promising that instant gratification we crave daily. At Modern Mommy Doc, we’re not about those kinds of mommy manuals, which is why Dr. Whitney’s new book coming out tomorrow takes an entirely different trajectory.
The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself
doesn’t subscribe to the idea that “doing it all” is really possible, nor should it be the goal that working moms strive for. But rather,
The Working Mom Blueprint
offers practical help for simplifying life as we know it and creating a foundation that allows us to succeed. As Dr. Whitney shares in the book,
“It won’t make you a superhero, able to do anything and everything in your 24-hour day.”
And the most important message that she sends throughout is:
You can’t do everything if you want to do anything well.
Success, after all, can be defined in so many ways—and too many of us waste our time trying to figure out what that should look like in our own lives. Of course, scrolling through our social media feeds can fog up our lenses and make us feel as though we’re lightyears behind where we should be when, in reality, this is so far from true. How we view success is very personal and success metrics vary greatly depending on you and your children's life stage because priorities change. It's not static, but ever evolving. Tuning out all the noise isn’t easy, but it’s a first step in the right direction towards defining success as a working mother.
When asked what success in the workplace and at home look like, Dr. Whitney shared this powerful statement—one that certainly rings true for so many of us moms:
"Success in the workplace and at home means that we are centered. We have a clear vision for our lives and our life goals. We make decisions that align with those priorities. We’re not bound by the pressures of societal gender bias, mom guilt, and outside agendas. We have a framework for spending the majority of our time and energy on the things that matter most to us, and for addressing the rest of the tasks and commitments in our lives that threaten to steal away from those precious resources.”
If success is something you strive for in all areas of your life, that’s wonderful. It means you’ve chosen to give your all; to do your very best. But remember, success for you will always look different from success for your friend, your neighbor, or that influencer you follow on Instagram. Your life is unique to you, as is how success is expressed and embodied.
Try this helpful exercise:
Write down what success means to you personally—not what society is telling you it should mean. Include all areas of your life—being a mom, being a spouse, being an employee, being a boss, being a friend, being a daughter, etc. For each of the areas in your life that you strive to succeed in, write down what success means to you, how you can achieve it in tactful and actionable steps. The goal here is to make sure that you are spending your time and energy in each of these areas on achieving goals that are important to you and that enrich your life.
How do you measure success as a person, as a mom, as a professional?
Blog Response - American Moms + Support
Written by Jenn Sinrich
Jenn Sinrich is a freelance editor, writer and content strategist located in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her BA in journalism from Northeastern University and has a decade worth of experience working for a myriad of female-focused publications including SELF, Parents, Women's Health, BRIDES, Martha Stewart Weddings and more. When she's not putting pen to paper (or, really, fingers to keyboard), she's enjoying the most precious moments in life with her husband and daughter.
I know first-hand that working mom life is hard, but I also know it doesn’t have to be impossible.
Trust me. The best way to get unstuck isn’t to work harder. It’s to use a framework that gets real results, no matter what area you need to tackle first.