YOLO

"YOLO" You only live once. What does that mean?

To me, it meant that it was time to take a risk. Why follow the "happy path" or the "normal path" or what was expected if it no longer made me happy? I have been reminded too many times this year that life is short and we only have one.  If I only get to do this once, I am going to have fun and live this life to the fullest.

This rang true for me after my son, Aedan, was born this past May. WOW - a baby can change your perspective in the blink of an eye. Priorities completely shift. Time with him was worth more than any job title, vacation or designer clothing item.

I headed back to work after four months of maternity leave and I immediately realized that I could not have it all. Leaving him 10 hours a day and coming home and still having to worry about work email or projects instead of playing on the ground, teaching him to roll or reading to him did not work for me.

Now, I know that many women are able to make this balance work and do it well. That is awesome! I just discovered, that for me, it did not work.

I am lucky, I had options and a very supportive husband. I would not advise jumping immediately either. I took three months at my company to really see if I could make it work or if there were options or other roles to give me more flexibility or balance. It did not pan out, so I am happy to say I took a leap of faith and last Friday was my last day of corporate work after more than seven years with a company I love.

This blog is about my journey from frazzled working mom trying to do it all to stay-at-home mom still trying to do it all, but hopefully with a bit more balance. Over the next six months, I will share my honest experiences and learnings cutting costs and getting healthy as I lean out of the workforce.