The Importance of NOT Always Keeping Your Priorities Straight and How to Know When to Check Yourself
(Especially as a working mom).
Sometimes, setting your priorities awry a little can be a good thing, so long as you hold yourself accountable. It’s why we let loose, how we de-stress, and can ultimately act as a form of self-care. Hear me out: It’s Thursday night, and you’ve got a very important report due Friday morning. Your friends invite you to karaoke last minute. You curl your hair, whiten your teeth, and search your closet for less-than-safe-for-work dress. You go to karaoke, crush a margarita or three, have the BEST time…and regret it for the first hour or so when you’re up early on Friday finishing your report. But ultimately, it’s one of the best nights you’ve had in a LONG time.
This may or may not be based on a true story…
Did this hypothetical bad-ass chic have her priorities in check on Thursday night? Of course not. But she doesn’t regret a single moment.
It’s perfectly human to crave a little lack of responsibility sometimes; especially if you’re someone like me, whose life is rigorously structured.
On a serious note though…I’ve been feeling like I need to check my priorities a little more after the last couple of weeks. No, I don’t mean the impulsive karaoke vs. report writing type of prioritizing, I mean the bigger things.
Working Moms especially…I’m sure you’ve felt this way. I’m going to do a whole post on #MomGuilt soon if you like this, so stay tuned!
If you’ve seen my recent Instagram post, you’ll know I’m DESPERATE for Christmas gift ideas. I know, I know, it’s still November. But as a woman who prides herself on coming prepared and staying ahead-of-the-game, realizing I haven’t even begun planning gifts for my family was a bit of a wake-up call. I ALWAYS have this done early…and it didn’t cross my mind until TODAY. To my kids (especially the younger two), Christmas is a time to bounce off the walls with excitement. It’s a time for family, food, and love. It’s a time of magic.
OH WOW, I sound like a cringe-y Hallmark movie.
Maybe I should write one? A Farmhouse Christmas, where the hot-shot lawyer from New York gets stuck in a snowstorm and seeks shelter in an old farmhouse, learns the true meaning of Christmas, and falls in love. But then his love interest realizes his law firm represents the corporation trying to buy the farm and they have to win the Candy Cane Decathlon to raise money to save the far-…I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself.
Back to the point:
Anyway, this all made me recognize that I’ve been mentally prioritizing my job, my long crazy days on set, and endless design meetings more than I should be. I’m allowing those thoughts to take up more real estate in my brain than they should. I know everyone has experienced this to a certain degree. Of COURSE my family is always my number one priority. I’ll always do my best to be there to cook for them, support them, and prevent them from falling out of trees, or off of the counter, or off of whatever else they see fit to climb up on. But recognizing that I hadn’t even begun to think about Christmas yet made me a little sad. While an ambitious feat, I want putting a smile on my family’s face to be my number one priority at all times.
That’s part of the reason I asked you all for help on Instagram today. Thank you all so much for your DMs saying you’re in the same position. It truly made me smile on my lunch break today, and made me feel less alone.
UGH that was a serious one! I promise a little more lightness next week ;)
Maybe I’ll just drop a script for A Farmhouse Christmas.
Alright, well, I’m going to go NOT prioritize work for the night, crack a Guinness, and go watch a Christmas movie on the couch with my kids.
’Til next time!
