How To Measure The Success Of A Mom

A little over a year and half ago, I was living my dream job in the corporate world. As a Sales Manager at the most beautiful hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, I found my happiness.

I had goals to reach, people to impress, and clients to influence. I had to dress to impress, wine and dine, and had my blackberry on me at all times. My assistant was helpful, the bonuses were unreal and the pay raises were what I strived for.

In this world of business… it was easy to measure my success. If I hit my goal, I knew I did something right. When I received my bonus paycheck, it was a big pat on my back. And when  the pay raises would come, I would feel successful.

According to Dictionary.com the definition of SUCCESS is: the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.

Photography by our talented photographer, Canico Studios

Once I became a mom, I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving my baby all day. I was in TEARS months before I was supposed to start work again. I couldn’t do it – that was when I decided to become a stay-at-home mom.

When I took on this new career, MOTHERHOOD, I didn’t know what to expect. I read articles,  heard stories and had friends that held this job – but it was one of those things I just didn’t understand until I was in the position.

I thought it would be the job of a lifetime! Dirty diapers, piles of laundry, books to read, songs to sing and toys to play with…all day, every day? Not a problem!

But then it hit me.

Day after day, I was feeling exhausted. I was tired and had pretty much ZERO energy. We got into our daily routine and schedule and this new career of mine was harder than I expected. What goal was I supposed to reach? What clients am I trying to impress? Where is my bonus check? And where in the world is my assistant?

I was officially out of the corporate world… and was now in the mommy world.

Throughout the past year and a half, I have learned how to measure the success of a mom. As a 20-something year old girl, who is use to the hustle and bustle in the corporate office, with a computer in my face and contracts to send out – I have come to understand that we {as hard working, self-motivated, sometimes crazy, but super fun} moms, CAN measure our success. We CAN know that we are doing a good job.

So, how do we do it? How do we measure our success as a mom? We don’t have goals or people to impress. We don’t have clients to influence and we definitely don’t dress to impress. We don’t wine and dine or have assistants. And we definitely don’t receive bonuses or pay raises.

Oh wait… but do we?

MOMS DO HAVE GOALS: The goal of keeping the children alive and the house still standing. Not everyone may be happy all the time and you may go days without seeing the carpet underneath the toys – but you do have goals and you are doing a pretty good job achieving them.

MOMS DO HAVE PEOPLE TO IMPRESS: They are called our children. Every morning we wake up and entertain all day long. As moms we come up with fun things to do, set up playdates, drive them around town, make fun crafts and sometimes read the same book over and over again. Impressing these little ones doesn’t come easy!

MOMS DO HAVE CLIENTS TO INFLUENCE: Julie B. Beck said, “There is eternal influence and power in motherhood.” I love the word ETERNAL. In the corporate world, we may work with businesses for a short time and have an influence on their meetings or products. But in the home, our clients {our children} are being impacted by us in an eternal perspective. Eternal… FOREVER!

MOMS DO DRESS TO IMPRESS: I will be the first to tell you that right at this moment my hair is up in a bun on top of my head and I am wearing a big baggy tee that looks like a dress on me. Us moms have to dress comfortably! Playing on the floor, picking up, putting down, up and down the stairs, cleaning up boxes of toys all day, every day – we better be comfortable! And by the way… don’t men like the “natural” look anyway?! 🙂

MOMS DO WINE AND DINE: “To entertain someone expensively” is what wining and dining means here. Being a mom is NOT cheap… entertaining kids all day can be super pricey! These babies these days know what they want!

MOMS NEED ASSISTANTS: We may not always have an assistant, but every mom deserves a helping hand. Just as in the corporate world, when I needed help with something, I would ask my fabulous assistant… in the mom world, when we need help with something, we definitely can ask for assistance without hesitation. A husband, a mom, a friend, a neighbor – EVERY mom needs and deserves a break.

MOMS DO RECEIVE BONUSES: Bonuses may not be direct deposited into our bank accounts. They may not be handed on a tangible check. But they come in all different forms, shapes and sizes. A bonus in the mom world is that extra hug. A bonus in the mom world is the first time you hear the words “ma-ma.” A bonus in the mom world is the first time your baby sleeps through the night! A bonus in the mom world is a kiss goodnight, a little giggle around the corner, a piggy-back ride around the house and the words “I love you, Mom.”

MOMS DO RECEIVE PAY RAISES: Pay raises in the mom world doesn’t happen annually… pay raises in the mom world happens daily. The love you have for your children will grow EVERY single day. Even when you don’t think you can love them anymore than you do today… your heart just keeps growing tomorrow. And the happiness you feel as a mom is better than any pay raise the business world could ever offer you.

The success of a mom is measured by love. We can’t rely on outside sources to boost our self-esteem about how well we are doing. We can’t rely on how well our kids behave, or how many tears are shed.

A successful mom has good days and bad days. A successful mom has  lots of smiles and countless tears. A successful mom listens and ignores. A successful mom plays and works. A successful mom has energy and is exhausted. A successful mom is YOU.

How do you measure your success as a mom? Share with us what you define success as in the comments below or share this article with a friend!

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

October 8, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 3 Comments