The Business of Motherhood

Today is Mother’s Day. I’m not a mother, at least not in the traditional sense.

It’s my calling in life to hold space for those who are in the business of serving others. This includes real estate agents, coaches, agents of change, and moms.

Yes, even moms who don’t have a “business.”

More Than “Just a Mom”

Last year, someone close to me dismissed her value by saying she was “just a mom.” We were talking about a perosonal development seminar and she used that as a reason why it didn’t make sense for her to attend. Her implication was that because she didn’t have a business, it would be wasteful for her to go.

When I see someone undercharging or dismissing the value of what they do, I feel anger rise up within me. My inner advocate wants to seek justice for the person.

Justice for Moms Everywhere

This desire for justice is one of my driving forces. It’s what compelled me to go to law school. It’s what drove me to become a real estate broker and a coach. I hate seeing people taken advantage of — whether by unprofessional “professionals” or by undervaluing their own work.

I didn’t push it at the time, but this person’s words sat with me. It stirred that fighter within me, the advocate who desires justice.

When I think about this I feel the swell within me rise. That’s the passion that drives me to help others stand in the value of their work.

Today, on Mother’s Day, feels like the right time to address this.

Here’s a newsflash. Being a mom is a business.

You may not think you run a business, but you do.

Maybe it will help you to look at your role through a different lens.

It starts with asking this question: what business are you really in?

The Business of Motherhood

You are the CEO of a family. You are the planner-in-chief. You create the rules, you enforce the rules. You are a coach, a therapist, a confidant, a champion, a cheerleader, an educator, and so much more.

You bring life into this world and you sustain that life. You wake up in the middle of the night with the sick child. You dry tears, you calm nerves, you hold space. And you often take a lot of abuse in the process.

You create and cultivate the leaders of the future. That’s important work.

Just because you don’t get a salary for what you do doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. The most valuable things in life transcend monetary value.

You are an original Agent of Change.

And you are in the hardest business. You cannot be replaced as CEO and you cannot fire your “employees.”

Owning Your Value

Those of us who are driven to serve others often put our own needs last. We allow the drive to serve to come first. I see this often with moms.

I have learned the hard way that the most effective way we can serve others is by honoring and serving ourselves first.

Ultimately, your best work is YOU. Who you are. How you show up. How you lead. How you serve.

When you can honor yourself, you show the people around you that you are worth honoring. When you stand in your value, others respect your value.

Self-care is not selfish. It is a sign of self-respect.

As you fill and nourish yourself, you have more to give to others. You cannot give to others what you don’t have.

This applies to any person who is driven to the service professions. And that includes moms.

There’s a common refrain that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

To that, I say:

You can’t always measure what matters.

What you do has value that cannot be measured in numbers.

I see you. I honor you. I value you.

It is my deepest desire that you will stand in your own value and honor yourself.

You are more than “just a mom.”

Happy Mother’s Day.

Spread the love. Please share this with the moms in your life.