As I was moppiing my kitchen just now, having first cleaned the bathroom, I was thinking about success, what is it to me, what is it in our society. (It was related to mopping, really!)
The topic began in my mind because I was feeling so good about myself for having cleaned the parts of the house on the day of the week I've assigned to myself. I don't do very well with that as a general rule. I keep my house very clean, for the most part, but consistency is a struggle and there are certain areas that suffer more frequently than others.
I have been challenging myself to look at my home duties as my job. Like a "real" job. What I was thinking about today was, "why don't I"?
The times in my life that I have had a "real" job, I was always striving to be a good employee. That meant things like being on time, staying busy, challenging myself to learn the system and be the best I could be at my job.
If I approach my job as a housewife and mother with the attitude of striving for success, what would change? Because I don't have an employer, someone paying my salary, it is a lot easier for me to become complacent and yes, even lazy at times.
So what is success? Some would say having a career. A degree. I realize I feel insecure in my position at times because I "only" have an associate degree and never ended up having a job in my field. Because we live in a small, university town, with another university only a few miles away, I am surrounded by very educated people, and I doubt myself sometimes.
In my heart, however, I feel successful. God has granted me my "dream job", and as I was thinking about all of this today, I realized there is a lot of room for me to grow, to in essence, receive a higher education.
It is my desire to push myself towards new levels of knowledge, proficiency, and creativity. As spring begins, so will my next step, a new semester of learning to be a better woman, wife and mother.
The topic began in my mind because I was feeling so good about myself for having cleaned the parts of the house on the day of the week I've assigned to myself. I don't do very well with that as a general rule. I keep my house very clean, for the most part, but consistency is a struggle and there are certain areas that suffer more frequently than others.
I have been challenging myself to look at my home duties as my job. Like a "real" job. What I was thinking about today was, "why don't I"?
The times in my life that I have had a "real" job, I was always striving to be a good employee. That meant things like being on time, staying busy, challenging myself to learn the system and be the best I could be at my job.
If I approach my job as a housewife and mother with the attitude of striving for success, what would change? Because I don't have an employer, someone paying my salary, it is a lot easier for me to become complacent and yes, even lazy at times.
So what is success? Some would say having a career. A degree. I realize I feel insecure in my position at times because I "only" have an associate degree and never ended up having a job in my field. Because we live in a small, university town, with another university only a few miles away, I am surrounded by very educated people, and I doubt myself sometimes.
In my heart, however, I feel successful. God has granted me my "dream job", and as I was thinking about all of this today, I realized there is a lot of room for me to grow, to in essence, receive a higher education.
It is my desire to push myself towards new levels of knowledge, proficiency, and creativity. As spring begins, so will my next step, a new semester of learning to be a better woman, wife and mother.
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts Anna! They are so challenging and uplifting! So often it seems, as wives and mamas, that we are not successful ... or smart... knowledgeable... cool... wanted, etc. But that certainly isn't true! =)
ReplyDeleteOur "jobs" are important, needful, and just as much successful as if we had doctorates or even bachelor degrees and working full time out of the home! AND... we can do them with the same work ethic and enthusiasm!!! What freedom!
You've brightened my weary heart a bit tonight!!!