Is it okay to find fulfillment in business? Amazingly, that’s still a big question for a lot of moms out there. Because mom guilt is REAL my friends.
Here’s what I wish more of us talked about, though: you don’t have to choose between motherhood and work. It’s possible to have and enjoy both.
Molly Richards is on the How to Sell Online podcast to talk about this very topic. If you’ve ever struggled trying to figure out how to be a great parent (that includes you too, dads!) while also pursuing a passion, you’ll love what she has to share.
You Can Find Fulfillment in Many Places
Molly and her husband Kevin have kids that are in their 20s, but it wasn’t always that way. Long before the couple became empty nesters, Molly was a stay-at-home mom. She loved her babies, she felt blessed to get to be with them, but she began to lose a bit of who SHE was.
Sound familiar? It sure does to me!
The first step Molly took was going to the gym—a kickboxing gym (how awesome is that?!) She did the hanging out in back part for a while, waiting until she felt a little more confident before moving further up.
And man! She moved up. She actually began teaching turbo kickboxing, making friends, connecting with other moms, and building a community.
Finding Fulfillment in Work and Business Can Lead to Fulfillment Elsewhere
One of the things that Molly said during her podcast interview hit me so hard because I’ve seen it happen so many times with students!
Although at first she struggled with mom guilt and those feelings of “does me being happy mean I don’t love my kids?” she realized something else. Once she was doing what she was excited about, she became MORE present with her kids. They were happier. She and her husband were happier, too.
Molly encourages parents to step into doing what you love, let it fuel you, and begin to find fulfillment in multiple aspects of your life.
That willingness to say, “let’s go!” has allowed Molly to do a lot of things over the last 20 years. But every step wasn’t easy. And her path wasn’t straight from where she started to where she is today.
What to Do When You’re Looking for Greater Fulfillment
At one point, Molly felt like maybe she was ready to retire (despite the fact she’s crazy young!) She wasn’t feeling the same way as she once had. When listening to a speaker, she realized she was experiencing a “waiting season.”
She began to journal, identifying what she loved and what she might want to do. She wrote down details about what she wanted to do and be. That’s when a door opened for her to focus on making the impact she wants to.
There are so many great things to learn in this episode, and I really encourage you to listen to it now.
Top 10 Takeaways:
- When it comes to motherhood or working, it’s not one or the other. We can do both.
- Instead of asking “What’s going on in your week?” ask “What are you excited about this week?”
- Say yes to opportunities.
- Recognize fear for what it is, push it aside and continue forward.
- Lean into fear, lean into it and say “why NOT try?”
- Stop worrying about what others are thinking—they’re distracted with their own lives. Just move forward.
- Don’t build a to-do list. Start a to-be list.
- “I was not born to do nothing.”
- If you don’t know the direction you want to go, journal things that make you happy and start looking for patterns.
- As you journal, also include what you want your life to be like. That way you can move towards it.
Additional Resources
Follow Molly Richards:
- On Instagram: @MollyTRichards
Connect with Alison:
- On Facebook: @alisonjprince
- On Instagram: @alisonjprince
- Learn about the 0-$100K System and how you can launch and grow your own online business here.
- Join the Print Sprint here.
