It wasn’t until she left her stressful corporate job, and began following her true passion, that Jennifer Maher noticed the beautiful view that had been on her doorstep for so long. Here, she shares her story, and explains why pursuing your true passion is so important.
Wake up and see the view
This is the view from my home here in Co.Wicklow.
This view has not changed in the thirteen years I have lived in our family home. However, I’m sad to say that for ten of these years I did not even notice this magnificent scene. Obviously it was always there but I was too caught up in my own head to really notice it.
I know, I know… Another former-corporate-female-turned-wellness-coach talking about nature and admiring views.
But seriously?! How did I not see THIS view until three years ago when I departed the corporate world.???
Of course the children, like the view, weren’t always in the frame.
A juggling act
My second child arrived, adding another ball to my ‘mammy juggling act’. With a growing workload and a hefty commute, something had to give. (That being said, had the deaths of my brother in law Sean and my great work friend Louise Delaney not occured that year, I may have just continued to push on… Like us women are GREAT at doing).
This view is a representation of me slowing down. It reminds me of how caught up in my head I was, when I was in the height of all of that corporate madness. That hectic life with heavy corporate responsibility was, in hindsight, not worth me missing that view.
For the record, I had a great job and many fulfilling roles in my corporate lifetime. But when I got a snap shot of “there is more to life”, it hit me that at that point of my life it just wasn’t a great job for me any longer.
Do what you love
Knowing what I know now, my previous corporate role didn’t bring the fulfilment or joy I now get from my work. Doing something centred in your value system, that lights your soul up and is aligned to your purpose, will actually never feel like ‘just work’. It’s bigger than that.
Lessons from lockdown
I believe so many women’s view has been revealed to them during the last few months. The realisation of how much effort, time and energy was spent on the commute, the childcare drops, the bag packing, the lunches…
And thats before you even sit your bum down at your desk with your coffee!
For what? An organisation that hasn’t perhaps communicated with you during these unprecedented times? Or showed how much they care for your wellbeing?
A job you have grown out of love with?
I am not tarnishing all corporate cultures with the same brush, friends in many industries report their employers have been nothing short of amazing in terms of flexibility and “leaning in” to support them to find balance in these unprecedented times… But sadly, that can not be said for the majority.
You are much more than just a mammy
I give kudos to full time stay at home mothers. I continue to be one, as I build a business around my children. I know the struggle of the endless howls for “Maaaaaammmmmmyyyy”, the requests for snacks, games, spillages and toilet wipes… (when you know, you know!).
The words of Dee Dee Myers come to mind:
“I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn’t”
I meet so many women who contemplate packing in the corporate 9-5 to “just be a mammy” but then the sheer thought of that also frightens the life of them, as many have experienced in the recent months of Covid times trying to double down on it all, some still licking the homeschool wounds and adjusting to this weird ‘back to school’. This has taught them that deep down, there is discontentment and if really honest it’s been there in their careers for a while now, it just took a global pandemic to surface it.
All to often, women stay in “safe sideward roles” because they believe that “having it all” is actually not really possible and don’t go for that leadership role or pursue something that really lights them up.
Uncertainty is not always scary
The uncertainty of recent months has allowed us to pause and be more present. To reflect on what we want to do, as opposed to what we “should” do.
So much may feel out of your hands; meaning, in some ways, you have to ‘surrender’ and clear the path. When your path is clear, it creates an opening or an opportunity… And with opportunity, brings growth.
That is when I believe our view comes into our line of sight.
Distilled down, we know we have gifts and potential that the world needs right now.
2020 and divine female energy
If you’re spiritually inclined, you may know that 2020 is the year of the divine feminine, where Uranus rules the age of Aquarius and was thought to bring many disruptions to our current reality (nine months in, you’re probably saying ‘you can sing that!’)
At the heart of the changes is the rise of feminine sacred presence and the return of the higher wisdom to guide us into a new era. This is not about women ruling the world (men and women have both male and female energy)… More so, the feminine energy within us; surfacing, serving and leading in a better, more equal way.
Traits like compassion, wisdom, beauty, gentleness, patience, accepting, forgiving, nurturing and kindness (to name a few) are all feminine associated energies present in both genders! And hopefully these traits are now surfacing more, and challenging cultural norms.
Burn the boats, not the bras!
So with feminine energy hopefully rising, I don’t think it’s a time to go back burning the bras. But there is a saying I learnt when becoming a coach, and that is “burning the boats”.
This one, I like.
Thought to have derived from Cortes, the Spanish Conquerer who instructed his army on arriving in Veracruz to ‘burn their boats’, meaning they weren’t going back!
In simple terms, the boats symbolise behaviours, beliefs and out of date systems that we have to now let go of.
The way we work, how we work, when we work and most importantly why we work simply has to change. Why can’t that change be to the benefit of all?
Already buying the 2021 diary hoping it will be your year instead?
There are still four whole months left of 2020.
Don’t allow events and circumstances externally derail you, or delay you inching toward the Holy Grail role you crave.
Deciding to be happy and doing something you enjoy starts today! Why waste another day staying stuck? The world needs your gifts and your talents, and you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to find that freedom and enjoy that view.
I’ll close with one of my favourite Chinese Proverbs :
“When sleeping Women wake, mountains will move”
Jennifer Maher is an Accredited Life & Executive Coach originally from Dublin and based in Co.Wicklow. A thought leader, qualified trainer and facilitator, Jennifer has a former corporate background which forms a rich tapestry of navigating change and transformation both professionally and personally.
With a passion for nurturing and empowering others, Jennifer’s business BeGeal Training & Coaching was founded in her journey to support the growth and learning of women to enrich their lives. She works with women who have been out of the workplace for some time or are looking to leave unhealthy corporate roles. “Women come to me looking to improve their confidence, have more meaning or balance in the work that they do and be happier”.
Jennifer believes that everyone has a different meaning of success, identifying it and taking action towards that is when we get buzzed up! Geal is the Irish word for bright, which is the ethos Jennifer brings when working with her clients to help them find their own buzz!
