Superwoman-ish

If you’re anything like me, you get overwhelmingly inspired by the strong and impactful women in today’s society. You love their platform and their missions so much, and you wonder so often, “How can I be a part of something like that? How can I be like them?” We live in the era of Glennon Doyle and Rachel Hollis, Sophia Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Michelle Obama and Beyonce. Okay, I just threw Beyonce in there because there is never a wrong time to bring Queen B into the mix. ANYWAY.

Insert reality here. The majority of us have careers we’ve got to show up for, children that need caring for, or bills that need to be paid. And last time I checked, sending in a hand written letter to your mortgage company, explaining that you had to rush to the border to help reunite helpless families because it was on your heart, does not actually suffice as payment for said mortgage. So now, you’re behind on your house payment, and have even more anxiety than you did before about not being the kind of woman who saves children at the entrance to America. COOL. My point here; not all of us can be life saving, world changing humans. What an unpopular thing to say, I know. There are so many days that I wake up hoping that today is the day that I move mountains for the good of humanity. And then its 9AM and I realize that I’ve got a call I have to be on in 30 minutes, an appointment at 1:00, and Eddie’s got to be picked up at the groomer by 5:00. BUT WAIT, I WANTED TO CHANGE THE WORLD TODAY! I’m here for the real news, and the reality is that most days, we have to wake up, work hard, cook dinner (probably something healthy because damn our slowing metabolism), maybe watch an episode or two of the latest show about yet another murder mystery, then sleep. But why does today’s society shame us for having such a schedule? Why do we sometimes feel like we lack dreams or we lack passion because we lead a life that looks a heck of a lot like the above? So my the point I’m trying to make, the one that I really want people to hear and the one I want to scream really loudly, is this:

YOU CAN LIVE WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA MAY DEEM A ‘NORMAL’ LIFE AND STILL LEAD AN INSPIRED JOURNEY.

I may just be yelling at myself here. In that case, great, because writing about it is therapeutic. But If you’ve ever felt this way, I hope you’ll keep reading. This notion, this pressure, this inspiration that you must quit your job, write a book, start your own business, follow your big, scary dreams and save babies while doing it? Well to that I say, guess what? I like my corporate career. Dare I say it; I like having good insurance and a 401K and that eye exam coverage that I have never once used in my 8 years as a young professional. Do you love working at your accounting firm? Do you love working as a recruiter? Are you so happy to be leading a team that sells paper to printing companies? AMAZING! Good for you! I think this society and culture we live in has a tendency to make people, women specifically, feel irrelevant for having a career that doesn’t necessarily change lives. Can’t you just hear some of the people you follow on social media, “Aren’t you tired of spending day in and day out at that life-sucking Corporate America job?” or “Don’t you want time freedom, and to make a DIFFERENCE?” Well excuse me, Linda, but maybe working hard for my family and working with people I really enjoy does bring me joy! You never hear any of these incredibly inspiring women saying things like “Is your big, scary dream to move up from sales rep to manager this year?” or “Is your goal to stay under your T&E for the first time since being in your current role?” For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should ever feel guilty, or unworthy, or less-than for enjoying a career that doesn’t necessarily inspire the world or gain you a sea of instagram followers. Be proud and feel empowered that you have a career or a job that fulfills you in whatever way works for you; even if that fulfillment looks much different than the influencers on your social media feed. Your dreams and goals don’t have to be finally opening that art studio, or starting that fitness business, or becoming the director of a non-profit. If your hopes and aspirations lie within the four walls of your 9 to 5, that is just as inspiring as any other dream on the block.

I want to be clear, I am not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination that we settle. No no, sis, do not hear me wrong. If you hate your job and you consistently feel uninspired or stuck — please, please find a new one. Stat. Life is flying by. What I am saying is that the culture that we live in has us dreaming really big, and feeling guilty if our dreams don’t look as creative as our social media superwomen. It has us thinking about running the freaking marathon before we are even able to crawl. What I am saying is that I think all of us need to stop and remind ourselves of the things that we are doing every single day that make us inspiring women, even if in comparison to Ellen’s ability to change one family’s life in three seconds, it seems super small. We are glued to our phones and we are addicted to staying in the know. Which means that these powerful women and these inspiring stories are not only accessible to us at all times, but plastered almost everywhere we look. Our big, yearning hearts can be truly fulfilled in such small ways, but we will never recognize these moments of inspiration if we keep our eyes and hearts fixated on what is so big.

So, maybe you didn’t make 10,000 women feel inspired today. Maybe you didn’t change the course of someone’s life because they read your number one selling book. That does not make you, or your career, or your life’s purpose, less-than. That makes you someone who, of course, wants to end world hunger and create world peace, but also someone who enjoys leading their marketing team in the same way you enjoy staying home to watch the latest episode of American Idol because this season is like, really good. And guess what? You can be both. You can totally be superwoman- ish.

You should be full of pride for the superwoman-ish inside you. I myself am working on appreciating it every day. Let’s definitely not give up the dream of world peace, and let’s certainly not give up on saving all the babies. But let’s also NEVER allow ourselves to let doubt or shame creep in for loving our career that some may call uninspired. It may not shape people’s lives, but if it makes you feel strong, makes you feel successful, and makes you a better woman, then GIRL: pour yourself a glass. This toast’s for you.