Prioritizing :: Career vs. Family

Last year, I was routinely going through my photos, transferring them onto a disc for storage and began to realize how many pictures were from work functions versus my own little family. Fundraising events, summer camps, mingles – they nearly matched the number of pictures I had of my son and I won’t even tell you the ratio of work pictures to photos of me and my husband. Let’s just say it’s a good thing he doesn’t base my affection for him on the number of times we snap a selfie!

This got me really thinking – do I love my career as much as my family and what does that say about me?

Rewind Three Years

I was just beginning a new-found career with a national non-profit organization and quickly fell in love with the industry. I couldn’t have gone out and created a more perfect job that combined my skill set with my passion. I LOVE helping people. As time passed, I met families and learned their stories. They inspired me. I had a mission to help. For the next 2 1/2 years that I served as the Director, I spent countless hours – nights, weekends, business trips – consumed in all things work and secretly couldn’t get enough of it.

My son was 2 when I started, and he quickly became my sidekick at events. We took water to firefighters on the weekends during fill the boot, we helped sell chuck-a-pucks at hockey games, he sat in my office and colored pictures while we hosted camp counselor info sessions. I loved having him alongside me. Even though it was chaotic and he interrupted the meetings at least half a dozen times, people were understanding and I felt like I was being a role model for him. My work family quickly became OUR family. Some of my best memories with my son as a toddler include those people.

Fire Truck Visits

{Fire stations visits – he looks so small here}

Selling Raffle Tickets

{My son helping sell raffle tickets at an event}

As time went on, I quickly found it harder to say no to ‘more.’ I was driven by the success our team was having in fundraising efforts, I loved spending time with the families and supporters, and I felt like I was making a difference. While my family seemed to be supportive of me and enjoyed attending work events – my job, my career, my PASSION – was cutting into my time with my them. I had to tell my son goodnight via FaceTime more than I liked, I missed school events and often felt like I was always trying to find someone to ‘just help me out for a few hours’ if my husband wasn’t home. I knew I was off balance and something had to change.

Challenge Games  Muscle Walk

{Stopping by the Challenge Games}               {Fire station dinner with X-Treme Team}

The Here & Now

I’ve been truly fortunate to experience a career that doesn’t feel like work and not many people get to say that.  I’ve since re-prioritized my life and moved on from my former position to a slower paced non-profit foundation that allows me the flexibility I need to be involved in my family life but can tell you that my time at MDA was three of the best years of my life. Being passionate about your work and being successful as a working mom is nothing to feel guilty or ashamed about. In my case, I knew we were only having one child, and I knew my situation was not going to allow me to be at all of the school and sporting events that I wanted to be a part of.

As working moms, I think we have to do our best to find a balance. I want to be successful and inspired by the work I do but I also need to be able to be there for my family.

Shamrocks

{Shamrocks visits at Lowe’s}

How do you find balance as a working mom between career and home?

Lacey Mills
Lacey is mom to her one and only kiddo, an ornery, adorable 5 year old named Easton and has been married for 10 years to her husband, Justin. Originally from Hutchinson, she moved to Wichita to finish her bachelor's degree in marketing from Wichita State University. Her husband's job took them to Maine for a few years until they settled down just north of Wichita for a quiet, small town life. Lacey works full-time as the Director for a non-profit foundation and balances career with family, friends and all things craft-related. She loves to scrapbook, quilt (yes, she said quilt), craft, throw parties, drink wine and spend a conceivably, unhealthy amount of time on Pinterest.