The Courage to Become | Carrie Maddux
Becoming A Mom
I always wanted to be a mom. I have often said that I felt my calling in life was to be a mom. I did not know how else to explain it.
In 2012, we welcomed our first baby girl. Although words couldn't describe my happiness, I was also plagued with postpartum blues, exhaustion, and adjusting to our new normal. Seriously, where are the parenting classes that teach you real life scenarios?
Once I settled into my new role as a stay at home mom, I realized it can be a bit isolating. There I was with everything I could possibly want. It was perfect on paper. Stay at home mom, loving husband, a healthy & beautiful newborn, but I felt alone on most days. So, I began to search for ways to get involved and have adult interaction.
Becoming an Austin Moms Blog Contributor
I quickly became a huge fan of Austin Moms Blog and followed their blogs from day one. I admired those women for being raw and sharing their real life mom moments. I noticed an open contributor call on Facebook one day and decided to apply for it. I always found writing to be very cathartic and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do something for myself. Fortunately, they invited me to be a contributor and I had no clue how it would impact my life. Writing gave me a purpose and I quickly gained a new “village” of women to call my friends.We welcomed our second baby girl in 2014 and I did not experience any of the postpartum blues or isolation like I did the first time. Having a purpose and a village truly makes a difference!
Becoming My Stronger Self
In early 2016, my husband went through a transition with his job and it pushed us close to rock bottom. I can say with every ounce of my being that our love for one another is unbreakable after going through that obstacle together. We both admitted that going through a tough transition and losing your main source of income can create a lot of stress on a marriage and your family unit. Money doesn’t make you happy, but it definitely makes life easier. We learned to lean on each other and our faith.
Even when times get tough, you still have to show up and be a parent. You still have to pretend like everything is okay because my two and four year old need me. Life lessons have a way of knocking you to your knees and allowing you to stand up stronger than ever before. I did not let many people know about our situation. I am the usual smile and say everything is good type person; however, I remained sane thanks to my village.
See the common theme here?
My friends will tell you that I kept begging for a sign. I needed God to plant that sign in my front yard in big bold letters. “Let Go and Let God” was my motto. In June 2016, we relocated to Oklahoma for a job opportunity. I cried many nights about losing my village and starting over again. It wasn't just my husband and myself starting over. We now had two young girls that were going through this with us, however; it was the “sign” and fresh start we prayed over. We survived a big move with two toddlers and settled into our new home.
Like I mentioned above, I always said my calling had something to do with being a mom, but I did not know why. I began searching for a local blog similar to Austin Moms Blog, but could not find anything.
I so desperately wanted to find a resource in our new city, but kept coming up short. That is when I decided to purchase and start Tulsa Moms Blog. I have been known to be impulsive at times, but this was taking a huge leap out of my comfort zone. Writing behind a computer is one thing, but owning my OWN business? It was exhilarating and nerve racking at the same time.
Starting Tulsa Moms Blog allowed me to connect moms on and offline in our community and provide a positive resource for moms in all stages of life. I was getting ready to launch the blog and we got some bad news about my husband’s new job. Yes, we relocated our entire family for this job. I’ll spare you all of the details, but Tulsa turned into one big disaster. We lost our main source of income AGAIN, we made an investment into my new venture, and barely moved into our new home. We decided we had nothing to lose at this point and my husband applied for his dream job in Waco, TX.
Waco has always been near and dear to our hearts, so it wasn’t as spontaneous as it might come across. After a month, we decided to write it off and focus our attention to more local jobs. Then, on a random Thursday afternoon he got the call. They wanted him to come in and apply for the position. We finally had a glimmer of hope and words cannot express our happiness when they hired him!
I put Tulsa Moms Blog on hold and we relocated to Waco last month.
Since moving to Waco, God has clearly planted all of the signs here. That large sign in big bold letter that I was praying for is planted here. I have never been tested this much to rely on the cliche phrase “God will always provide”, but he does indeed.
Mamas let me tell you, having your spouse or partner truly HAPPY with his career is life changing in itself.
While Tulsa Moms Blog did not ever come to fruition, be on the lookout for Waco Moms Blog.
I am proud to be a part of City Moms Blog Network and passionate about connecting local moms together.
At the end of the day, you cannot teach adaptability and my girls showed me tremendous grace this past year. They pushed me to be a stronger version of myself and accept challenges head on. I look back on my younger self who once felt like an isolated new mom and cannot help but laugh. Although that is how I felt at the time, I had no idea the wild ride I would be on years later. Everything truly happens for a reason.
Cheers to 2017!
Essay by: Carrie Maddux
You can connect with Carrie on Instagram , Facebook and at Waco Moms Blog
I'm Catia, a woman, wife, mama, sister, sister friend, you know -- I wear a million hats just like you.
One of my biggest whys is that I want people to feel good about ALL of who they are. Including you.
The threads running through all my work (I’m an author - The Courage to Become, I’m a motivational speaker - TEDx, Choose Joy or Die , I am a private coach ) are hope, joy and empowerment.
If I could choose ten words that best describe me I would say: honest, welcoming, giving, curious, loving, earnest, empathetic, spiritual, playful, and sassy. Let's add: adventurous. That's 11.
Nice to meet you!
Want to start feeling really good but not sure where to start? Jump on into our virtual classroom (complimentary of course!) and get a weekly guide on how to walk with confidence and joy! You are divine. You are magic. I look forward to serving you!
Confidence + Joy Weekly Guide
The Courage to Become | Dani Adams-Barry
I was lost. I mean, "Oh no, I missed my exit three states ago" lost. I fumbled through the archives of my brain seeking the moment I had misplaced the road map in an attempt to pick back up where I left off. However, this was not to be. I found myself crammed in the middle of a traffic jam on the highway of life.
I have always had the drive to accomplish my most intimidating goals. Even as a mother, I still embody this trait. However, I had not foreseen how my goals would shift once my babies arrived. As I frantically fought my way down the highway of life with every other individual jammed in the traffic to success, I did not see that my exit was coming up.
You may wonder what on earth I was doing. As an individual who wanted to have a family, I could hardly bare the anticipation of starting one. However, I ignored the reality that once your children are born, your priorities change. I believe all parents get a taste of this when a baby arrives. It's no longer about us. Your children are your world.
I had these beautiful babies that I could not bear to leave in a daycare all day. They are my children. I wanted to experience every milestone, every laugh, cry and booger. So, I turned all my life goals upside down to be with them. I ditched medical school as it required me to be in a hospital more than I would see my children and instead, I found an adequate job that allowed me to stay at home with them.
I never missed a moment and it was glorious! However, seeing that I had given up a career I truly enjoyed for one less invigorating became a struggle. As the years went by, I would scroll the pages of my old University wondering whether I should return part time and complete what I started.
Envisioning my medical career was easy. The process and TIME needed to complete it was a different story. Had I continued my education, the time I would have for children would be next to none. This was not a position I wanted to be in. True - the money for that career path would be substantially rewarding. But no amount of money can make up for the time with my children. Those are moments I will never get back and are priceless.
So I made the decision to let it go. I let go of my aspirations to complete my medical career so that I had time to spend with my beautiful babies. This decision was bitter sweet. As I abandoned the career path I once truly longed for I continued to seek a way to be successful doing something I love. Prospects dwindled as my work experience reflected a medical background and I became despondent.
What did I want to do with my life?!
Then, one day. An Ah-ha moment slapped me across the face. What do I love more than anything? What did I want to do for the rest of my life that would fulfill my need for success? It was so simple.
I was a mom, I love being a mom -- and what better way than to truly feed my passion and enliven my life than spread mom love? Sharing knowledge based on this wild ride we call Motherhood is a passion of mine. It was then that I had the courage to become a Mompreneur.
There is such a stigma when the term entrepreneur arises in casual conversation. I won't lie. I was one of those individuals who believed this term was representative of a devious salesman or a freeloader. I had not seen that this idea of branching out and taking the leap into a world of unknown was truly for the determined, driven and tenacious.
If you are going to make it as an entrepreneur, you must have the skills, confidence and will to succeed. Without these components, it's all for not. Coming to this conclusion was intimidating. You're putting yourself out there in hopes to make it or break it.
The more research I did, the more empowered I felt that this was the right decision for me. I had the courage to become a successful Mompreneur among the community of other strong, unyielding Mom Entrepreneurs of the world. I ignored the concerned sighs, disapproving glances and dissuading opinions of those around me and went for it.
Starting my web site was a huge leap - it was terrifying, and exhilarating. Although I had no idea what I was doing, I accepted the risk and just dove in. Seizing the moment and finally having the courage to take on this adventure and become a Mompreneur. In a career path that encompasses topics that I am eager to dive into, I find myself only longing for more knowledge to further develop my business.
My motto is, "Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward." With that in mind, I see every mistake and mishap as a lesson. We are parents, not perfectionists. There are days when I realize I have not brushed my teeth all day, for I have been immersed in the métier of motherhood. You know what? I'm totally OK with that.
I have high hopes for what lies ahead. I am ecstatic to have had the opportunity to meet such inspiring mothers and individuals in this line of work and look forward to acquainting others.
For those of you parenting pioneers that have a light inside you want to shine through, my advice is this. Don’t hold back. If you discover something you are truly passionate about, seize it. Do everything in your power to make your light shine. Continuously seek knowledge and insight. There is so much to learn every day.
It's crazy hard work. But, I love every bit of it and you will too.
Essay by: Dani Adams-Barry
You can connect with Dani on Facebook, Instagram or at Dani Adams Barry Photography
Hi friend!
I'm Catia, a woman, wife, mama, sister, sister friend, you know -- I wear a million hats just like you.
One of my biggest whys is that I want people to feel good about ALL of who they are. Including you.
The threads running through all my work (I’m an author - The Courage to Become, I’m a motivational speaker - TEDx, Choose Joy or Die , I am a private coach ) are hope, joy and empowerment.
If I could choose ten words that best describe me I would say: honest, welcoming, giving, curious, loving, earnest, empathetic, spiritual, playful, and sassy. Let's add: adventurous. That's 11.
Nice to meet you!
Want to start feeling really good but not sure where to start? Jump on into our virtual classroom (complimentary of course!) and get a weekly guide on how to walk with confidence and joy! You are divine. You are magic. I look forward to serving you!
Confidence + Joy Weekly Guide