Moms In Biz – Make Room For Halloween!

As a mompreneur in business, sometimes we forget to make time for the small, but important customs and fun times like Halloween! It may not ‘feel’ very important to you in the throes of your work-scurry, but it sure is important to your kids…

To provide a little back story, I’m creating this post as a way of making amends for that dreaded Halloween I ‘missed’ because I was so tied to my computer – working my fingers to the bone to ‘build’ my business.  SO much so, that I was losing sight of the entire reason I went into business to begin with!

It went down something like this:  The sun was setting… my kids had just come home from school, and so excited to get downtown (we live in the country so we often go downtown to trick-or-treat – it’s so much more convenient..)  In the hustle of getting them in costume and ready to go, I was still ‘not finished’ with the task that was on my desk. I decided that I’d send them ahead with my hubby – and ‘meet them’ when I finished my work.  I had convinced myself that it would be fine – with the idea that even if I was late, it would be “better late than never”…

Then, I went back to work… and lost track of time.

About an hour later.. it was dark outside – and the phone rang. It was one of my best friends…

“Where Are You?  I’m down here with YOUR kids, trick-or-treating.  I thought you went into business so you could have TIME for things like this – and not be stuck at work!”

Ugh…. Right. To. The. Heart.

She was right. I was caught up in the busy-ness of my business AGAIN – and had set my priorities aside under the guise of “getting it all done”. (By the way… this IS the title of the Chapter I wrote in the book The Unstoppable Woman’s Guide To Emotional Well-Being)

How did I know I was caught?

I got angry – REALLY angry… – (that’s usually the tell-tale sign of when I’m ignoring or unconscious of something vulnerable and true for me at my core.)

Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever been ‘caught’ in the act of using your business as an excuse for living out of alignment with what you value most?

Key Learnings and Paying It Forward

So, in a way, today’s post is my attempt to make amends for that dreaded ‘wake up call’ experience several Halloween’s ago.  I hope these posts from fellow colleagues will help you get the most out of your Halloween festivities.

• Stacey Agin Murray from OrganizedArtistry.com gives some great Halloween organizing ideas (including mine!)
• Cindy Key, an executive career coach and owner of AccelerateYourSearchNow.com can help you with personal branding) wants to wish you a Happy Halloween!
• Kathleen Watson at Stepping Into Big.com can help you avoid “bad” habits 
• And here’s a link to a prior post from me – just for fun to help you “Get Outside Organized For Autumn!”

[Tweet “Have you ever had that dreaded ‘wake up call’ experience as a #mompreneur? #selfcare”]

Share Your Story

Are you a mompreneur or solopreneur who’s had a priority snafu like mine above? How have you handled it? I’d love you to share your biggest ‘whoops’ when you put work over family time below!