Beyonce of course is a prime example of a relentless career powerhouse and mother. Whilst many women take a step back when they hit motherhood, she if anything stepped it up. Of course celebrity women have access to full time help, but they also deal with the demands of an international schedule in multiple timezones, as well as having their personal and professional life after scrutiny. It is a balance and a challenge that all mothers, celebrity or not must face.Work life balance is so important . In this faced paced life, personal and family needs often get over looked for the greater career good.
I remember in 2006 when then, 32 year old designer of Chloe, chose to swap her fashion life to focus on the family. Of course, many were shocked by her decision, and many more asked "why on earth would some one quit when the going was so good?". I suppose these were valid questions, after all she had the life that thousands of designers (including her at one point earlier in her career no doubt) would envy.
Whilst many said she 'quit' I preferred to put a positive spin on it, and say she chose to fight for her own life. Yes, her career was at an amazing (maybe once in a lifetime high) but so was her family. She will never be able to get these years back with her children, and I have to say respected her decision.
It is common to focus so much on what we want to do in our careers that we fail to consider who we want to be in our lives. When building that picture of the ideal job and the material trappings that come along with it, we often, fail to visualise the things that actually impact on our happiness, such as family and relationship ties.
Rather these take a back seat, and I say wrongly so. On your death bed it is not the promotions you didn't take that will haunt you, rather the relationships you didn't nurture.
Now I am not suggesting that we all quit to be full time family members, but I am suggesting that when building that perfect life, we calve out space for the things that matter before it becomes an overwhelming either or. A modern woman and a feminist, I certainly believe women can have both, and so I wish Blake, Beyonce, and Kelly Roland, Phoebe and of course any mothers out there reading this, all the best in finding that perfect balance. And if you decide to take a break, don't feel guilty- just do what feels right for your life. No regrets.
And on that note, enjoy Kelly's new beautiful pregnancy pics.
