I’m proud to be me

On Monday I celebrate the 4th anniversary of my business so it seems to make good sense to review my business year and see if I’m proud to be me. And what an incredible year it’s been.

The key areas to review: what worked well and what do I want to do better next year.

What worked well

Over the past 12 months, I have become very firmly entrenched The Confident Mother which is all about celebrating and loving life as a woman and as a mother. I do what I do because I want all children to have happy memories of family life. And the easiest way for me to do that, is by helping mums to feel confident. Everything I do and run, it’s about helping you to create a feeling of confidence. I want equality for working mums … but actually equality is not enough to describe what I want for women. What I really want is for women to feel powerful. To feel so powerful that they do have the clarity and confidence they need to make the decisions that are right for them. Heaven knows, there are enough barriers and obstacles in our way.

I continue to do some work for law firm clients which is where my business started; I really enjoy those opportunities to dip my toes back into the corporate world.

However what gives me the most passion, the most buzz, the most warm-fuzzy-feeling-in-the-tummy-and-goosebumps-on-the-arms is when I work with mums who want to get back to work. And what I’ve realised over the past couple of months is that although I love my one-to-one client work and want to do even more of it, the energy I get from working with groups is something else. That could be leading a workshop, facilitating a mastermind or hosting an online conference.

Time and time again, I’m blown away by the power of women working together – collaborating, encouraging and supporting each other.

Achievements in the past 12 months

It has been an amazing 12 months – a bit of a rollercoaster at times but there have been SO many highs. My new website (this one) went live in April; I was one of the NCT President candidates in August; I wrote a book which was published to great reviews in September (and had an absolute blast at the launch party); I joined the team of writers at Birds on the Blog; my book was the subject of an article in The Green Parent; I ran a successful online conference interviewing more than 20 inspirational speakers … but MORE than anything, my greatest success has been me.

My greatest success story … it’s all about me

Yes. The greatest success story (and I’ve worked with some incredible clients) is all about me. I have given myself permission to be me. Perhaps the greatest gift of all. To be me. Or for you to be you.

I have given myself permission to get things wrong. To make mistakes. To change my mind. To work in the way that I enjoy most. To wear what I want. To not have to ‘fit in’. To not comply. In my daughter’s words “you’re a weird mum” and that’s ok. It’s not just ok, it’s bloody brilliant.

I feel so comfortable, so strong, so at home with what I do and the way that I do it. I have realised that just because a particular product or services doesn’t sell too well, that’s not about me. It’s not personal. It could be the wrong product, wrong time. Or the wrong marketing. Or more likely – me trying to be somebody else and not just be me.

I am proud to be me. I have had some incredible feedback – often unsolicited over the past year. Feedback that brings tears to my eyes; makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up; gives me goosebumps. And every time, I feel so privileged to be able to do what I do. To love what I do.

I value the honesty and vulnerability that women show to me. I respect the space that I am able to hold that allows other women to develop the confidence to be who they really are. I know it’s a gift. And it’s a beautiful gift. One I will always cherish and never take for granted.

What do I want to do better next year?

I want to work with more women; I want to do more group work; I want to better understand what holds women back, especially working mothers; I want to identify what they need and how I can provide it. I want to love and be loved. I want to inspire and be inspired. I want to nurture and be nurtured. I want to feel powerful and I want YOU to feel powerful too.

In answer to my first question, YES I am proud to be me.

If you like this, leave a comment and let me know what I could do to help you create that feeling of confidence in you.

p.s. I have a very special birthday gift for all my regular newsletter subscribers. If you want to know what it is, you’d better sign up before Monday morning. You can do that <<here >>.