Wake up, drop kids off, clock-in, go to lunch, clock-out, pick kids up, and then make sure that everyone is fed, in bed, the house is cleaned, and all the day’s loose ends are tied.
For some of you, this list is longer. For some, it’s shorter. Either way, our plates are full. Seemingly, you are Superwoman. Seemingly, you are an Energizer with endless battery life. The keywords here are “seemingly” and Merriam-Webster defines “seemingly” as: external appearance as distinguished from true character.
Superwoman is not your true character and believe it or not, you are not an Energizer with endless battery life. Your cape will wither and tear and your battery will die. You cannot continuously try to be everything to every-damn-body all the damn time.
Become best friends with the word “no.” For some of you, this may be a little too curt. If so, get a little creative with it, but the bottom line should still be “no.” “Girl, I wish I could and I surely hate that I will miss out, but…NO.”
No, I can’t listen to you vent right now. No, I can’t loan you a hundred dollars until next week. No son, I’m not picking your friends up and dropping them all back off at home afterwards. No, I can’t work overtime today. No!
We don’t necessarily have to do away with the Superwoman title. I kind of like it myself. Instead of trashing it, let’s redefine it. The current Superwoman has a few issues.
See, in theory, she’s a role model to us all. This chick can do it all, has it all, and looks damn good doing it. The keyword here is “in theory,” which means that it is an abstract thought which means that it cannot be seen or touched.
Superwoman is a figure our imaginations.
The opposite of a theory is a fact. It is something that actually exists and can be proven.
It is a fact that if you continue to try to be Superwoman then you will fail. You will crash and burn, and your emotional and physical well-being will suffer. Your business will suffer. You will end up a cussing, fussing fool with high blood pressure. And that’s if you’re lucky.
Another issue with Superwoman is that she’s so busy trying to rescue everything (including her business) and everybody (including her family) that she can’t even see that her cape could use a little mending.
She’s tired and she’s not the need-a-nap kind of tired. She needs a vacation from it all. She needs to not have to worry about the kids, her spouse, the laundry, the dishes, dinner, work, school, or anything else…just herself and to do something that she enjoys minus the guilt.
What that means is that if you can’t afford a $200 day at the spa then don’t go. Get a $25 massage at the mall, get a free makeover at a makeup counter, eat a $6 plate of sushi, and go to bed early. Do what you can afford to do, but most importantly…keep up with it.
You can’t expect to exercise today and be good to go for the rest of the year. It works the same way. You have to keep it up. It’s important in a 911-emergency kind of way to take care of you first.
Plus, you deserve it.