The day that I became a mom I remember my whole world literally stood still. It was a surreal moment hearing my first born cry for the first time. To see her take her first breaths and to hold her against my chest to provide her the comfort she desired after the shock of entering this world.

Six years and two additional babies later, the joy of motherhood has yet to wear off.

Like so many mom’s out there I am constantly amazed at the “newness” that continues to happen on a daily basis when raising little ones.

From first smiles, to first full night’s of sleep (praise the Lord!), to first foods, to first steps to the first day of school, the first lost tooth… there are SO many firsts and each one with each child is different. It’s different because each of them are unique little beings that see the world through their own unique view, which makes every experience, even if not my first, it’s still beautiful and different.

I believe that being a mom is the biggest blessing and biggest challenge that a woman will ever face.

Being a mom causes you to question literally everything in your life.

Am I doing this right?

Did I say that too harshly?

Is my kid further behind than his or her peers?

Am I feeding them the right foods?

Are they involved in enough extracurriculars?

Are they involved in too many extracurriculars?

Did I love them enough today?

There is one thing that I have never once questioned and it goes back to the day my first daughter was born. When I looked at her sweet face, I knew one thing was certain.

I was going to show her that her dreams are possible.

I was going to show her that while being a mom is the greatest blessing I’ve ever received, but that I’d never stop fighting for the life I wanted for myself and my family.

For me, in that moment, I made a commitment that for that sweet blue-eyed baby I was going to be more than a mom… I was going to be a mom who chased her dreams and pursued what set her soul on fire so that her babies would have the courage to do the same.

For me, pursuing what set my soul on fire meant venturing on the journey of entrepreneurship. Of building a business that helps others to achieve their greatest dreams, all while raising a family and not feeling that I needed to compromise one for the other.

You may have a similar vision for your future.

One that is filled with dreams of building something so much bigger than yourself. A life that consists of freedom of both time and money. One that is filled with abundance that by definition is in creating possibility for yourself and for others.

We live in a world that is filled with possibility.

Even when you take into consideration all that is occurring in the world today, there is still more opportunity than our parents, grandparents and past generations ever experienced.

We are in a time that communication boundaries have been removed because of advances in technology.

We are living in a time where entrepreneurs have the greatest opportunity that they’ve ever had when it comes to making an impact on the world.

We are living in a world where we as women are able to be, do and have anything that we want in this life as long as we are willing to define our values and focus on what is most important.

For some of you that feel the pull to build a business or even enhance the one you already have, all while trying to simultaneously raise a family, it can feel extremely overwhelming.

I’ve encountered incredibly driven, intelligent and talented women over the years who have felt that they cannot have the best of both worlds. They have felt that trying to run a business all while raising a family is too great a burden to bear. They have felt that in order for their business to thrive that their family must take a back seat. And on the flip side they’ve felt that in order for their family to get the love and attention they deserve that their business must suffer.

The good news is that none of this is true.

See, we are limited by one thing and one thing only — and that is the space between our ears.

To preface what I’m about to say I want to point out that none of this is fluff. It is not the “woo-woo” feel good stuff that looks better on paper than it does in action. And I am not saying that there will be no challenges on the quest to be, do and have it all.

What I am saying is that if you make the decision that you are going to pursue what sets your soul on fire, all while raising your kids to be amazing little humans who grow up to not only contribute to society but to make a positive impact in all that they do… that you absolutely CAN do it.

Simply put — your mindset controls your destiny.

Your mindset determines the level of success that you will reach.

The biggest mistake that I see made time and time again is really two fold…

1. You have not defined what your true definition of succes”s is.
2. You have not clearly defined your unique value system.

Once you have added definition to the two points above, it makes all of your decisions in life much simpler.

As Roy Disney said, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

My question for you is, what does it mean to you to be more than a mom?

What do you feel called to do in this life that you haven’t made the conscious decision to pursue because of some innate fear holding you back?

Maybe you fear that you aren’t enough?

Maybe you fear that you can’t manage your “juggle struggle?”

Maybe you fear what others will think of you pursuing a career while raising a family?

Maybe you fear missing out on key milestones in your kids’ lives?

Maybe your greatest fear is actually that you ARE capable of so much more?

Whatever it is that’s holding you back, it is important to honor those feelings, but to also realize that we as women tend to be our greatest enemy. Our fears are often unfounded and it is important to know that at any given time you are fully capable of changing the trajectory of your life.

My challenge to you is to decide what it is that you want most out of this life, and to relentlessly go after it.

While our babies fill a part of our hearts that is simply indescribable, we were women before we were moms. We had goals and hopes and dreams and visions for our future.

For some, being a mom is all they’ve ever dreamed of and spending their time at home raising their babies is what creates their greatest sense of fulfillment.

For others, they have a calling both in and out of their home. Their cup is filled by what they contribute to their sweet babies and what they contribute through their careers or businesses.

Neither one of these callings are right or wrong, they are just examples of what creating your own definition of success looks like.

Make the decision today to decide what is it that you want most out of this beautiful life you have been given because as the saying goes, you only get one stab at it.

Decide what your dream life looks like and make the commitment, just like I did when my first sweet baby was born, to be the mom that never settles for less than she deserves and who will never compromise her values in the pursuit of her biggest dreams.

You owe it to yourself to decide what it really means to you to be more than a mom.

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Featured photo courtesy of Lovely Little Life Photography