I'm in my third week as a stay-at-home mom, and the thing I'm having the most trouble shaking is the constant tendency to check my progress. The trouble is, feeding this need can lead me down lots of time-wasting or insignificant paths. It's easy to list your accomplishments when your days are full of running errands and 'getting things done'. But I didn't leave my job to be queen of Costco or to get my junk drawer cleaned out (although, that would be nice!). When I was working at Coca-Cola, our division president always emphasized the need for us to know the 'core score' for our business. He defined our core score as the one metric that determined our success. It's a simple idea and one that should apply to personal life as well.
So if my objective is to increase the overall happiness and fulfillment of our family, what is my core score? Until I figure that out, I'm going to take it easy on myself and remember that I haven't slept more than 4 consecutive hours in months! I'd welcome any thoughts...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Why the scenic route?
I've gradually been taking myself out of the proverbial 'fast lane' for years. It didn't start deliberately. Each year, I've just found myself more passionate about travel planning, making gifts for babies being born, and nurturing fledgling family traditions.
Several years ago, when I was pregnant with Evan, some of my closest girlfriends from Kellogg came to visit me in Atlanta for a baby shower weekend. We were up late one night talking when one of my friends asked the group if we felt that our Kellogg experience was worth the investment. For me, that was an easy question. Business school was a steep investment in time, money and opportunity cost; however, I'd met Charlie there, and I was carrying our first child, so it was well spent!
What I didn't realize during that conversation was that I'd also picked up a valuable intangible at Kellogg, one that is helping me transition to stay-at-homedom. Ironically, in a hive swarming with type-A's, I learned that achievement wasn't the only, or even best, path to fulfillment. I spent a good portion of my time making social connections (some call it partying) and seeking new experiences, and I have absolutely no regret over earning my first C in my last quarter there!
So today, in my first week on Charlie's payroll, I'm reminding myself of the reasons I've decided to step out of corporate life.
Several years ago, when I was pregnant with Evan, some of my closest girlfriends from Kellogg came to visit me in Atlanta for a baby shower weekend. We were up late one night talking when one of my friends asked the group if we felt that our Kellogg experience was worth the investment. For me, that was an easy question. Business school was a steep investment in time, money and opportunity cost; however, I'd met Charlie there, and I was carrying our first child, so it was well spent!
What I didn't realize during that conversation was that I'd also picked up a valuable intangible at Kellogg, one that is helping me transition to stay-at-homedom. Ironically, in a hive swarming with type-A's, I learned that achievement wasn't the only, or even best, path to fulfillment. I spent a good portion of my time making social connections (some call it partying) and seeking new experiences, and I have absolutely no regret over earning my first C in my last quarter there!
So today, in my first week on Charlie's payroll, I'm reminding myself of the reasons I've decided to step out of corporate life.
- I want my family to be more connected to our community and to have time to spend making it a better place.
- I want to ensure that my children's behavior meets my expectations as they begin to assert more and more independence.
- I want our days to have a strolling, not a sprinting, pace.
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