Being a woman alone isn’t always easy in any professional field; now add being a mother to that. I want to share my personal journey of becoming a mother as a REALTOR®. Perhaps this will inspire other women to pursue their dreams and never lose sight of their ultimate goal, especially if you are self-employed!
The Famous Work-Life Balance
We often hear that, but with reasons. That reason is that it is so true. You need a balance, and you need to know when to put the effort in the right place. Obviously, you cannot stop being a parent, but you can choose when to wear your work hat. My career can be somewhat hectic, but it also comes with flexibility, which makes it a little bit easier than an 8-to-4 job. Boundaries and schedules became essential (because I did not have as many before having kids, I can guarantee) I know when I am busier and when I am not, so instead of trying to make myself even busier in slow months, I really sink into my role as a mother.
Another must is taking vacations. Working the least evenings and weekends as possible is not something I will ever regret. It’s not easy, but it allows me to be with my family more. Work will always be around, but my babies won’t always be this small.
Adjusting to The New Routine
It takes time to adjust to this new Mama-lifestyle, especially when you get no maternity leave (no paternity leave either, since my husband and I have the same career and he is my boss). I guess I have to say that I am pretty lucky to have my mother-in-law so close to us because she would take the kids anytime we ask her to, but obviously, we try not to always rely on her.
How did we make it work? Simple. We planned it all. Brandon and I still sit down to this day and go through our schedule, book off our own appointments, and choose dedicated work days. When an appointment comes up last minute, if we can’t fit it on the day we are working, we either bring a kiddo to the appointment (depending on what it is and if they are clients we are more comfortable with) or we make a switch.
A Stronger Purpose
Less Time = More Efficient
Becoming a mother gave me a stronger sense of responsibility and time management. Am I saying that becoming a mother made me a better REALTOR®? HECK YEAH it did. From the moment my first son was born (and even before that), I had to make changes to the way I worked and plan around a different, more strict schedule. I became a huge fan of systems, which also helped my business thrive.
Do I still work on weekends? When I absolutely have to, yes.
Do I still work evenings? Absolutely. Just more rarely.
Do I work less than before and still pay the bills? I sure do.
Changing The Way I Did Business
Finally, the best of all is that motherhood changed the way I view my career. Nobody has noticed, but my husband and I, but my business took a huge turn when I became pregnant. I am pretty open to the fact that my first year was a tough one. I didn’t meet my goals, business went down, and so did my mental health. As soon as Jackson started daycare, I rushed to the office and started working on my business. Yes, I sat in front of my computer for hours nonstop and poured my heart into this website and social media exposure (thank god it worked).
A lot of my previous business came from door-knocking and prospecting, but as a new mom, there was no way I would take the risk to knock on a door and wake up a baby. My mind had completely shifted. But seriously, I also did not have the time to door-knock past 5 o’clock because I wanted to spend that time with my family.
When you have a baby at home to care for, you become a different person, both personally and professionally. You are not taking failure as an option because you want what’s best for your family, and you MUST put food on the table. My career took a shift when I realized that all I achieve is beneficial to my family. Basically, if I don’t sell your home, I can’t send my kids to daycare and feed them; it’s as simple as that. Talk about a way to motivate yourself.
In the end, if you think that becoming a mother makes you less of a great professional, you should probably think again. This career for me — Being a REALTOR® — is all I ever wanted since I started my first year of University. I was taking it very seriously, but I took it to a whole new level of dedication and perseverance since becoming a mom.
We now have two beautiful boys, and my husband owns his own real estate brokerage here in Riverview, New Brunswick. Safe to say that becoming a mother did not stop me from achieving my goals and serving my clients: it changed everything for the better.
