Following your dreams while raising a family.

There is nothing to say that once you have kids and build a family that you cannot follow your dreams.

• Be realistic as it is hard to look after your family and follow your dreams. You may want to write a book, do a course or proceed with your career in a positive way. It will never be easy as family life is busy but accepting the challenges ahead and setting yourself goals is a good starting point.
• Plan and schedule your days and invest in a family planner as well as a diary while writing down everything you hope to do each day. Go as far as to plan every hour of the day and try to stick to it. It may not always go to plan but it will keep you on track, accept someday it will work better than others and roll with the madness!
• Surround yourself with like-minded people who are ambitious, driven and motivated. Having people around you who share the same values will ensure you continue to push yourself. Ask family and friends for help while you sort out things if you are doing a course or need some extra hours in work. Look for support in your partner and let him know how much you want to do this for a certain amount of time.
• Ask the kids for some co-operation and even if they are younger they can still understand if their mammy / daddy wants to study or work towards their dreams. Be honest and tell your kids the days ahead may be hard but you will make most of the time you have on the days you are free. Take advantage of your free time and spend it with them having fun!
• Be resilient and patient as achieving your dreams or chasing them is a hard business. There will be days when you feel tired, emotional and drained. You may find it hard to bounce back if you get knocked down but having kiddies will get you through as they give you a great reason to bounce back even though it is difficult at times
• Never give up and let yourself dream that one day you will be exactly where you want to be in your professional life. Take inspiration from business people and motivational speakers who are amazing at teaching you self-motivating techniques.
• Don’t feel guilty for wanting more from life and never let anyone tell you that being a mother / father should be enough. Everyone is different, some parents love being with the kids and revel in it but for others they want to live their own life a little away from their kids. No way is wrong but if you have a dream and one that you stay awake at night thinking about you owe it to yourself to go chase it, get it and live it!