So I have to confess I have been very conflicted all day over a few issues. Of course, today is the inauguration of our 44th president, Barak Obama. I was a bit surprised at feeling so conflicted. While I did not vote for him, I had committed after the election to be open to his presidency because I believe in our process and our constitution. Yet, when I got up this morning, I felt sad and frustrated when I didn't want to be. I am glad we can look beyond a person's skin color and elect them into office, yet his policies and stance on many issues unnerve me. I will continue to pray for him and all our elected officials, but I'm also going to speak up when I think they're wrong.
The next issue I was conflicted over was actually going to work today. I knew I had to leave and would be gone overnight because I'm doing an all-day training session with a client tomorrow and I didn't want to drive for 2+ hours early in the morning. What caught me off guard was another potential client calling me yesterday to set-up a 1pm meeting today. I should be glad, this is another opportunity of business and a Fortune 500 company which is great for my marketing efforts. the downside is this company is 3 hours from my home in good weather and of course it's snowing today. I didn't really want to leave early, I wanted to hang out with my kids and watch the movie Cars with them (for the 80th time). But since I couldn't risk being late, I left almost four hours before my meeting. It was a good thing, I saw three cars off the road on my way up.
Now, I'm in my room preparing for tomorrow's training. I've talked to Ed who briefly filled me on the day. He said they were tired this evening and he got them bathed and in bed by 7pm. but since he was on his cell phone from work, he couldn't really talk to me for long, so I don't even know what they had for dinner. I miss being home with them, playing, and putting them to bed. On the other hand, I actually got to soak in the tub tonight - which is a rarity for me. So I'm ending my day the same way I began it - conflicted. I enjoy the work I do and am thankful for the opportunity to run my own business and yet, I feel the guilt of being gone - especially overnight.
What I have learned so far, is I'm not going to get it right every time, but I keep trying. (That's becoming a theme on this blog). Fortunately, I get it right more times than I get it wrong. So for now, I'll enjoy the quite time I have and look forward to getting home tomorrow night to the noise and the chaos.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Timing Is Everything
So I thought I would share with you an incident that happened over the holidays. As I've mentioned before in this blog, balancing my roles as Mom and CEO can be quite a challenge. Some days I do well, some days not so well. Of course, having Naomi here makes a huge difference for me to get it right. However, over the holidays we all took "vacation." That doesn't necessarily mean I didn't work - it just wasn't formally planned. Here's my case in point...
The week before Christmas I had gotten an e-mail inquiry from a potential client about one of my training courses. I replied to his e-mail with some additional information. He then wrote back that he would like to set -up a phone call to discuss the training in more depth with himself and a couple others at his plant. Well, since I didn't have Naomi here I would have to schedule it for 12:15 pm when my husband, Ed, is home for lunch. I also picked the day I had to take my daughter to the doctor's for her 15 month check-up. While that might sound strange, you'll see why in a bit. The potential client e-mailed back that he could do the day and time I had suggested. Here's where my balance part comes in...
At 8:05 am the morning of the call, the prospect calls my cell phone. Well, both kids are up and I'm trying to get them breakfast so there's no way I can answer the phone. It goes to voice mail and I check it while making the kids scrambled eggs and toast. He's calling to confirm our call. My voice mail states I return all calls within two hours. Well, my daughter's doctor's appointment is at 10 am, so I plan to return his call while I'm in the car on the way to the doctors. The kids are usually quite in the car and I use my bluetooth earpiece. At 8:45 am I start getting both kids dressed, teeth brushed, and on the potty/diaper changed. My son then has a fit - he does not want to take his sister to the doctor's because he doesn't want her to get a shot and cry. Finally, at 9:40 am we are heading downstairs to get into the car. Since my son is still quite upset about taking his little sister to the doctor's I can't make the call in the car. While we're in the doctor's office, the prospect calls again. After the appointment, while we're still in the parking lot, I listen to the message - he is just confirming the call and the attendees. I leave the doctor's office and we stop by the train tracks so my son can watch for trains. I take the opportunity to return my prospect's call. We confirm the time and number.
As I pull into our garage at home, my daughter is asleep. I put her in bed and take my son down to my office. It's 12:05 pm. I get everything ready for my call. Ed pulls in at 12:13 pm and takes our son upstairs for lunch. I get on my call at exactly 12:15 pm. The call goes well and we wrap up by 12:40 pm. I head upstairs to the kitchen to see Ed before he goes back to work and finish lunch with my son. Perfect timing. Now, I can spend the rest of the afternoon racing trucks and reading stories with my kiddos. Life is good!
The week before Christmas I had gotten an e-mail inquiry from a potential client about one of my training courses. I replied to his e-mail with some additional information. He then wrote back that he would like to set -up a phone call to discuss the training in more depth with himself and a couple others at his plant. Well, since I didn't have Naomi here I would have to schedule it for 12:15 pm when my husband, Ed, is home for lunch. I also picked the day I had to take my daughter to the doctor's for her 15 month check-up. While that might sound strange, you'll see why in a bit. The potential client e-mailed back that he could do the day and time I had suggested. Here's where my balance part comes in...
At 8:05 am the morning of the call, the prospect calls my cell phone. Well, both kids are up and I'm trying to get them breakfast so there's no way I can answer the phone. It goes to voice mail and I check it while making the kids scrambled eggs and toast. He's calling to confirm our call. My voice mail states I return all calls within two hours. Well, my daughter's doctor's appointment is at 10 am, so I plan to return his call while I'm in the car on the way to the doctors. The kids are usually quite in the car and I use my bluetooth earpiece. At 8:45 am I start getting both kids dressed, teeth brushed, and on the potty/diaper changed. My son then has a fit - he does not want to take his sister to the doctor's because he doesn't want her to get a shot and cry. Finally, at 9:40 am we are heading downstairs to get into the car. Since my son is still quite upset about taking his little sister to the doctor's I can't make the call in the car. While we're in the doctor's office, the prospect calls again. After the appointment, while we're still in the parking lot, I listen to the message - he is just confirming the call and the attendees. I leave the doctor's office and we stop by the train tracks so my son can watch for trains. I take the opportunity to return my prospect's call. We confirm the time and number.
As I pull into our garage at home, my daughter is asleep. I put her in bed and take my son down to my office. It's 12:05 pm. I get everything ready for my call. Ed pulls in at 12:13 pm and takes our son upstairs for lunch. I get on my call at exactly 12:15 pm. The call goes well and we wrap up by 12:40 pm. I head upstairs to the kitchen to see Ed before he goes back to work and finish lunch with my son. Perfect timing. Now, I can spend the rest of the afternoon racing trucks and reading stories with my kiddos. Life is good!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I have to say, I took off three weeks for the Christmas holiday and it was great! Working for yourself definitely has its advantages. It was so nice just hanging out with my kids and playing. We baked cookies, played games, watched movies, and read books. I can now recite verbatim The Belly Button Book, Dr. Seuss' What Wast I Scared Of, and Veggie Tales - Larry Boy and the Fib from Outer Space. Yet, while I love building tents and forts with couch cushions and blankets I also love the work I do, so here I am back in my office, my first day back to work.
For those of you who may consider starting a company or working out of your home, let me warn you, it is very difficult. I've always thought it was much easier to either be a full-time stay-at-home mom or work in an office full-time. When you work out of your home, it can be difficult to have a phone conference while you can hear your children banging around above you. (My office is in our soon-to-be finished basement.) This is especially true when you hear one of them crash (falling off the couch?, tackled by her older brother?) and start crying. There is always the guilt in the back of your mind that you should be there to pick them up and kiss the boo-boos. Luckily, we found an amazing person to watch our children while I work. Naomi loves my kids and does a great job taking care of them and helping me around the house. Plus, the kids love her. I've finally come to the realization that by working, I'm fresher with my children, I have more patience, and we do need a break from each other.
So as for now, I need to go make some phone calls and hopefully the noise my kids are making by running their cars, trucks, and planes back and forth over the floor vent directly above my desk won't be heard by my clients. Here's to the new year!
For those of you who may consider starting a company or working out of your home, let me warn you, it is very difficult. I've always thought it was much easier to either be a full-time stay-at-home mom or work in an office full-time. When you work out of your home, it can be difficult to have a phone conference while you can hear your children banging around above you. (My office is in our soon-to-be finished basement.) This is especially true when you hear one of them crash (falling off the couch?, tackled by her older brother?) and start crying. There is always the guilt in the back of your mind that you should be there to pick them up and kiss the boo-boos. Luckily, we found an amazing person to watch our children while I work. Naomi loves my kids and does a great job taking care of them and helping me around the house. Plus, the kids love her. I've finally come to the realization that by working, I'm fresher with my children, I have more patience, and we do need a break from each other.
So as for now, I need to go make some phone calls and hopefully the noise my kids are making by running their cars, trucks, and planes back and forth over the floor vent directly above my desk won't be heard by my clients. Here's to the new year!
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