Many working mothers accept the idea that career success comes at a cost, and that cost is the deterioration of her private life. In order to thrive in the corporate setting, she is forced to make choices that sacrifice her personal needs and that of her family. Yet, this is not always an accurate reflection of reality.
In researching and interviewing working mothers over the last three years, I've seen some working mothers have both a thriving professional career and an enriching private life, while others struggle to achieve success in either their professional or personal lives. What sets these women apart?
The working mothers who lead very successful professional careers and have meaningful private lives effectively manage the emotional leftovers of work. An "emotional leftover" is the negative feelings of work that overflow into your private life. Working mothers who constantly battle the work+life dilemma have not found a way to minimize the emotional leftovers their work creates.
Why do emotional leftovers have such a negative impact on your private life? Work-related worry, tension, stress or fear is difficult to shake at the end of the day, leaving you psychologically "checked out" of your private life.
Working mothers who suffer from the impacts of emotional leftovers often cite they feel trapped. I found three main reasons why these women stick with jobs that don't fit:
How do you minimize the emotional leftovers of work? Here are a few ideas:
It's tough to deny the powerful affect work has on your private lives and for many it's a necessary part of living. Instead of being in a constant war with your work, learn ways to make it a more appealing experience, then the emotional leftovers will positive rather than negative.
Michele Dortch is the founder of The Integrated Mother, a company that guides and supports working mothers world-wide through an array of virtual products and services, including private coaching, seminars, and community membership -- all focused on helping working mothers creatively design a work+life that fulfills her personal and career aspirations. She holds a master's in organization development and have over a decade of corporate experience helping companies and individuals link business strategy to the people performance.