I was lucky enough to be invited as a keynote speaker a few weeks ago, to talk about the plurality of women’s roles. I know what you’re going to say: yet another evening dedicated to women… So? Why not?
The theme for the evening was: Are we superheroines? So, are we or not? Yes, no, maybe… I don’t really know. All I know is that we sometimes face a huge amount of pressure! As wives, as mothers or not, as career women, as neighbours, as sisters and so forth, we will always have expectations regarding our diverse and multiple roles.
The purpose of this evening was to share experiences and identify our roles: the ones we like, the ones that cause us stress, the ones we identify with and the ones we wish we could stop playing. Which of these roles bring us the most fulfilment and how much time do we dedicate to them?
But let’s get back to the central question I want to address in this column: do I see myself as a superheroine? On the one hand, there is image. On the other hand, life. Like many of you, I lead two lives: a private life and a professional life. I decided to become an entrepreneur 10 years ago, after returning from the Middle East with my sons. At the time, the eldest was 3 years old and the youngest barely 10 months old. I didn’t ask myself many questions, but I dove in and I started swimming. Every day and every year brings a new challenge and I continue to juggle various roles. Just like you, I am constantly questioning myself. There is always a part of me that will lack confidence and that will look for something more, or something else.
And there are days when I feel like nothing is working the way it should. But why, and most of all, for whom, do I spend my time seeking perfection? During the course of the evening, I realised that these wonderful women were all experiencing situations that were different from mine, while also being very similar. They were grandmothers, employees, women, single mothers… They each had a role that took up more time than others. They all had one thing in common: too little time. They didn’t think to carve out time for self-care. And I think there must be something we can do about that.
Why not give yourself a day off now and then, to step back and take stock? You could take this opportunity to make a list of the various roles you take on daily: how many there are, how they affect your mood and your energy. Ask yourself the right questions: which roles bring me satisfaction? Which ones are a weight on my shoulders? What would happen if I stopped volunteering for an organisation or hosting the Christmas party every year?
Realising that some roles aren’t mandatory and putting them to one side isn’t that big of a deal. It enables you to lower the pressure, to step away from the race towards perfection and to consider a more humble and much more personally and professionally fulfilling superheroine status.
After all, aren’t these questions part of what makes us human? Truly, dear readers, have you ever asked yourselves these questions? Have you ever felt any of these doubts? Have you never given them any thought? Honestly, dear superheroes…
