Wife. Mom. Entrepreneur. In That Order.

In the past six years, I have been blessed to become a wife, a mom and an entrepreneur.  And for the past six years, these have been the most important jobs that I have ever had.  They pretty much consume my life.  At this very moment, I'm bathing my four-year-old, consoling a cranky newborn all while trying to finish this blog entry before midnight (my self-imposed deadline).  I promised myself that once I started this blogging thing, I would be consistent. And to up the ante, I joined a blogging challenge (NaBloPoMo- National Blogging Posting Month).  And this is how I get myself into trouble.

See, I often find myself in sticky situations because I put self-imposed timelines/deadlines/pressure on myself.  I'm not the girl who tries to compete with everyone else; I'm the girl who is constantly competing with herself.   I HAVE to be my very best.

I was the new wife cooking and cleaning every day before the hubby got home.  After my first son was born, I was the lady with fresh baked goods on her dining table just in case we had visitors. When people would ask how I was handling being a new mom, I would gush "I just love being a wife and mom."  Guys, I had become addicted to being the best wife and mother. I even quit my job because I felt like I wasn't investing enough time into my two-year-old's education.  So there I was being super mom- reading books, practicing "Your Baby Can Read", buying puzzles, and googling activities.  After all, I was raising the next genius.

Then, I upped the ante yet again and went all in on the baking business I had started a year before that.  I attended business workshops, watched business-related webinars, designed a website, developed a marketing plan and looked for ways to beef up my design and baking skills.  Don't forget I still had housework and "wifely duties" to get done.  (See what I meant by "sticky situations"?) All because I strive to beat myself at my own game.  I often find myself setting and then changing the standard I have for myself.  I sometimes look around and think that I'm a  "Jack of All Trades, Master of None."

Have you ever felt that way? Comment below so I know I'm not the only neurotic person out there.

Road to nowhere: Minor snowstorm brings Atlanta to standstill

Now I can empathize with those stranded on the highway.  In 2005, I found myself stranded on Highway 290 in an evacuation stampede from Hurricane Rita.  I remember watching the gas needle descend.  I remember finally getting to an exit, and driving past countless gas stations with signs that either read "CLOSED" or "NO GAS".  And yes, I remember peeing in a cup.  I remember nightfall and being so tired and so low on gas, that I HAD to pull over and sleep.  That 3-hour-drive took over 20.  So I empathize with those Atlanta and Alabama folks who found themselves stranded on the road, or in Home Depot or in the school gym or job.  I know that feeling of desperation and wanting nothing but to be home safe.

What upsets me most is that most people were stranded because they were a part of a similar mass exodus orchestrated by city and public officials.  These people deemed it necessary that EVERYONE go to work and school that dreadful day and so, off they went because they had families to feed and needed the money or had a job to keep because they would have lost it had they not shown up to work that day or both.

It sickens me that people were forced to put their lives in danger just to stay employed.  This, my friends, is the world we live in.  A world that tells us when to eat, when to sleep, and when to stay warm.  A world that tells us our job is more important than our lives.  A world that constantly teaches us the importance and value of MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME.  Because at the end of the day, no one in his or her right mind would risk his or her life or the lives of their children for a job if they didn't need the money-- NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY LOVED IT OR HOW MUCH IT PAID.  This is how desperate and dependent people have become on jobs.

Go to work or lose your job?

If you or your spouse were faced with this same predicament, would you be able to say "I'm ok with losing my job today."  If not, you need a Plan B.  You need another source of income that DOES NOT require you to put your life in danger.  Something that DOES NOT tell you how much your life is worth with a pathetic paycheck.

 If you are ready to abandon your desperation and dependency on a 9 to 5, I invite you to connect with us on Facebook.  "Like" the Facebook page and interact with it to start building your plan B.  You can also connect with me on Facebook here