The Struggle to Juggle

As women business owners, we juggle many responsibilities. In my opinion, we have at least two full-time jobs – being a business owner or career woman, and taking care of our loved ones and managing our household.

I don’t know about you all, but even in my mid-50’s, I still struggle to juggle! As the Founder of SHE – Supporting Heart & Enterprise®, I hear about other women’s struggle to juggle. When life happens, we can become overwhelmed. I can attest to this, as since the first of the year, I have had to have oral surgery for dental implants, lost my nearly 14-year old Husky, had to make a last-minute trip to Illinois to see my dear aunt (who is like a mom) near the end of life, take care of my mother-in-law who had back surgery recently, and deal with the emotions of my son graduating from high school and making plans to leave to go to college.

I am sure many of you lovely ladies can relate to similar personal circumstances, which is the “Heart” in SHE. Some women may be more private than others, worried they might be judged if they show their vulnerability. My hope is that SHE members know that life happens and when a member shares, it is because they need the support of a kind, non-judgmental, listening ear.

When these things happen to us, we may not be on our best game, every day. I recently had a bad day and tried to hide it and ended up being a little short (maybe even rude) to someone. After the fact, I was mortified and apologized. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. So, showing someone kindness and grace might be just what they need. But we should also know that having a bad day, doesn't give us a license to be rude.

My husband’s words of wisdom that have been going through my head ever since he said them to me at least a year ago are, “Assume good intent”. When someone does a random act that might be off-putting to us, assume good intent. We may never know what the other person is going through. Lately, I’ve seen this meme come up on my social media feed, “You never know what someone else is going through. Be kind. Always.” I remind myself of this every day.

Here's the takeaway, SHE members are special women who understand this. We have integrity and always want to do the right thing. We are there to support our fellow members who feel comfortable confiding in us, and if someone is having an off day who misses an appointment, or unintentionally says or does something off-putting, we remember to have grace as we never know what they might be going through. Thank you all for embracing the culture of SHE – Supporting Heart & Enterprise ®!