This month I had a business trip for 2 weeks. The business part was only 1 week and a half to the UK, but I add 4 days to make a stop in Portugal to visit my family and friends.
The first thing I had to work on, it was to convince myself it was ok to be away from home for 2 weeks. My husband and my children will be ok… It was hard, but I convinced myself that I would take advantage of that time, as ME time, and I would enjoy so much.
Well, I convinced myself that I was going to have a good time, but still calling home to see if my husband was on time with the children schedule, looking up to the app Life 360 to check where they were, and calling to the baby sitter if everything was ok… Until my husband was telling me to stop worry and focus in my trip…
Then there were a few unexpected events that happened while I was in Portugal like my mom had to go to the hospital, and once I was there, I spent every day going to the hospital to see her. It was a controlled situation, but the be in the hospital is not the plans I had in mind.
First I was mad, with this feeling of fatality, all the plans, as being a free girl in Lisbon turned down. When I say free girl, means the freedom of not having children, without schedules to follow and completely free to hang out with friends late night and sleep long hours!
Hahaha!!! I forgot my friends are also parents at this stage of their lives, have their own jobs and their own tight schedules! Well to have a casual meetup with them needed as much planning as me leaving home for 2 weeks!
Then, there is a little bit of logistics, as I didn’t have a car, to move between places was also an added challenge. So I decided to play with priorities! And be happy with that!
I could not be the “free girl” in Lisbon, as actually it is not my status anymore, I am here to take care of my family and create memories with them, be with my best friends and have this type of fruitful and honest conversations with no BS at all. Then using the principle of an entrepreneur, look after the people who can help you with your projects…and I did it! I had two great meetings which I could present my idea of coaching, and get honest feedback and learn so much about the trend in Portugal.
Well, the message here is that we grow, and we are not the same in the different stages of our lives, neither our peers, friends, and family. And it is ok!
Also, it is ok to make some ME prioritization, like work out! I went for a run every morning, and it felt so good! Also, I said “Good Morning!” to the people I was meeting in the street while I was running… hahaha! It Is not a habit in my country, it is taken as intrusive, but I did it,…it felt so good, as the response was so positive! 🙂
Evolve who you are, living the best present and owning your past!
There was no place I was passing without some kind of memory, and it was beautiful!
Thank you
AnnaJo
