Something New

So up until this point I've really just been giving you a chronological history of the creation of Bot Tots. I must admit that this became more of a task then a joy as I was probably as bored writing it as you were reading it. It's not that the logistics of creating a business aren't interesting (they're certainly a roller coaster ride when you're managing them), but there is a TON of information out there to help new business owners or those who dream of owning a business start-up. I think from now on I'm just going to let you know what it feels like to be not only a business owner, but a momprenuer, SAHM (stay at home mom), WAHM (work at home mom), child care provider (very humbling to say), wife, etc. etc. etc. I've been reading several blogs for many different reasons. A common reaction of mine is "wow these people really expose themselves to their readers!" I just couldn't believe how personal people got! They spoke of marriage trouble, kid trouble and just anything you can imagine. I still believe in being a little discrete when it comes to the honor and integrity of your family and friends. However, I do believe in letting all those momprenuers, SAHM's, WAHM's and others out there who are trying the same thing I am know that they are not alone!

I recently read a great article by, Lisa Druxman, founder and CEO Stroller Strides, titled "Moms Can Have It All - They Just Can't Do It All." This article couldn't have been written at a more perfect time for me. For those of you who know me well, I strive to be perfect all the time...and surprise surprise I fail!! It is so hard for me to not only accept but be OK with the fact that I am not perfect and never will be perfect. I'm not going to be the skinniest, prettiest, richest, kindest of anything. I just want to learn that lesson soon!

I want to let you in on a little secret. During my undergraduate education I gained a ton of weight and I attribute this to the fact that I lived a very unbalanced life. My focus was school. I took 18 credit hours a semester while working full time at a hospital on the night shift, 7pm to 7am. Classes started as early at 10am. Why did I do it? I think I felt pressure to accomplish something big in my life. I wanted to impress my family, my friends...you know all the usual reasons people like myself find motivation! I was successful...graduated Magna Cum Laude...but had an extra 40lbs to show for it. I had eight months before I started law school and I was commited to losing weight. So for eight months I worked out twice a day eight less than 1500 calories a day and widdled down to my lowest weight EVER! I felt good...but as I'm sure you might have guessed...life started again and I gained some weight back. I was at a healthy size though because my previous work out routine was too much and unbalanced. I finally reached a balance and began to work out once a day, ate what I wanted on the weekends and maintained my weight for about four years. This whole experience really taught me that we need to live a balanced life. Everyone needs to feed their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual being!...I would ad your id as well ;) If you don't take care of them all...you risk being unbalanced and may suffer the consequences... whatever they may be.

Ok...so why am I telling you all this? Because I stepped on the scale recently and five pounds crept back. It was a shocker since I really had been able to manage my weight (despite two moves, grad school, working as a case manager, and the birth of my daughter) for such a long time. Needless to say I decided to through myself mini pity-party!! I couldn't believe that I lost control again. My weight is so much more than a number for me it is an indicator of how well I manage chaos and stress in my life. The higher the number the poorer I've managed my life and the more unbalanced I've become.

So once again I am reminded that I am not perfect and will never be able to ALWAYS be in balance. The only thing that pulled me out of my recent pity-party besides some amazing conversations with some pretty amazing friends was Ms. Druxman's article. She is so RIGHT! We can have it all, but we surely can't do it all. Things will slip through the cracks even when you are performing at 110%!! I try daily to be the best mom, best wife, best friend, best business owner, best...best...best, but in the end it really is the effort that counts. We need to take time out of each day to organize our thoughts and prioritize our tasks. The think Druxman, makes an amazing suggestion to first list our life's priorities and second, list and prioritize tasks under each priority. This really helps us accomplish tasks in each priority rather than risk the possibility of focusing on big tasks which fall under only one priority and forgetting about the others. Druxman's strategy helps us achieve the balance in which I so strongly believe!

The only thing I would add to Druxman's article is that the only way we can "have" everything is to take note of and be thankful for everything we already"have." There is so much sitting before us that we never notice because we are too busy prioritizing and managing out daily lives...we are all blessed with people, places, things, thoughts, feelings, smells...we are all lucky in our own special way!