When I talk to the mothers I coach many of them are worried about making the ‘right choice’ for themselves and their families when it comes to their careers. Concerned about making a wrong decision, they can experience decision paralysis – afraid to make a move back to a career for fear of it not working. Mothers are trying to weigh up several important factors: a fulfilling job, alignment to their interests and passions (to warrant the time away from family), enough income (to justify nursery costs), flexibility around hours or location. Juggling and manoeuvring around competing demands, they search in vain for the perfect solution and nothing fits the bill.
Instead of searching for perfection, I encourage women to think about both their long-term career dreams and what fits their present life best. The role of today may not be your dream in all senses, but it may provide enough of what is important to you right now. Like any good novel, there will be twist and turns, ebbs and flows to the story. The chapter you are currently in is not the end of the book. Perhaps in this chapter, flexibility is the primary concern. As time passes and the demands of motherhood change, future chapters may be different. You can make choices about your career now that are different to the choices you will make in the future.
Don’t say no to the job that could work for your right now, because it doesn’t quite fit the ultimate vision for your career. Your career story continues!
If you are weighing up your options and struggling to define what is important to you for right now vs the long term, try this quick exercise: download a worksheet.
This article was written by Cat Tarbuck. Cat is a Business Psychologist and Executive Coach, part time business owner and full-time mummy. You can get in touch with Cat at https://www.careeringintomotherhood.com/coach/cat-tarbuck/.
July 30, 2023
