Daily Dose of Sugar Mama

This is the third in the series “Women Living Their Dream Jobs”. To check out other inspiring stories click here and here.

Heather, better known as Theta Mom, is sharing today about her dream job. She is inspiring to me and offers a huge support system for other women bloggers. Her blog is FULL of information for women bloggers; living your authentic self, networking, social media, and tons of advice and help for writing your blog and keeping up with life as a mom. After you read her inspiring story head on over to her blog and be prepared to stay a while.

 

Tell me about your job:

I had a steadfast career before I gave birth to my first child and the moment he was born, the Earth shifted. Using my Master’s degree and industry experience I was able to make a big transition and work from home. I became an Adjunct Professor for a University and later landed a job as an Instructional Designer for a private college. Telecommuting allowed me the freedom to earn a decent income while raising my children at home all the while utilizing my hard earned education. In addition to the absolutely crazy schedule I kept up, there was still something missing; perhaps it was my passion for writing and perhaps it was the sheer to desire to connect with other women because I felt very isolated and alone as a WAHM. I missed the daily lunch with my colleagues and swapping more than just spit-up stories. I wanted my voice to be heard. So, I started a blog. At first, it was my outlet – a way to convey the stories I saw unraveling daily as well as an opportunity to really write. But come to find out, it became so much more than that. I found my true passion in addition to my voice and in the midst of it all I also started my own company.

 

What is the most difficult part of your job?

The hardest part about my job is balancing the work and motherhood. Just when I was an Adjunct Professor and had to meet deadlines (such as grading papers over Sunday dinner or emailing students from the doctor’s office with my sick kid), I had to constantly strike a balance since the lines of when to work and how much to work were blurred. The same holds true for running my blog and my business.

 

And the best parts?

I love the fact that I am living the dream of being a published author. I may not have a best selling book at Barnes and Noble, but I have a blog to which *I* am the author. I also love that I am connecting with other women who are experiencing the same exact things that I am going through. I am honored to know other women and other mothers consider me an inspiration. Just to know that a post, tweet or email could lift a mother’s spirit is empowering and I love that I have a platform for my voice to be heard.

 

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with your job? What happened? And how did you pull through it?

There are often times I feel overwhelmed wondering how I will get it all done or how to balance it all. At the end of the day, I don’t want my children to remember their mother buried behind the computer but at the same time, I want them to know that their mother was working hard to chase a dream, turning her vision into a reality. When I feel stressed out or when I think something might not be working as well as it could, I take a step back and re-evaluate since there is always room for growth. Sometimes I have to make some tough choices and implement some necessary changes to move forward. I have learned that just like in ‘real’ life, you will not please everyone in the online world. At the end of the day, I have to look at myself in the mirror and if I am proud of the reflection staring back at me, then that’s all that matters.

 

How long did it take for you to reach “that” point… the point where you knew you had made it and it was officially your career?

I certainly can’t say that ‘I made it’ or that this is ‘officially my career’ because I am still very deep in the trenches, learning as I go through this process. I think I am very much on my way but I know I have many more mountains ahead to climb and I look forward to the journey.

 

How have you measured your success?

I measure my success by the response I get from my blog. I’m not talking about the number of comments or subscribers, but the engaging dialogue that takes place. This could be in an email with a specific reader, a Twitter conversation or the ideas expressed directly on my blog. I credit much of my blog’s success to the tools I learned as an Adjunct Professor. Teaching online is very similar to running a blog – when I was teaching, I had to know my students, be highly motivating and engage them to make them want to come back to class. I had to be thought-provoking and push them to think about concepts that went beyond the syllabus. I had to be exciting and passionate about the subject matter because otherwise, I would lose them. I had to demonstrate an excellent online presence with effective classroom management, keeping the students on task throughout the course…The same holds true for running a successful blog. In short, I need to know my audience, create compelling subject matter, engage readers at every turn, effectively manage the dialogue and make my audience want to come back for more.

 

For all of the mothers out there that are dreaming of making their passion a job, what would you like to say to them?

Stay passionate and dream big. Never give up on yourself or the belief that you CAN make it happen. Work hard every single day at reaching your goals and continue to do whatever it takes to get yourself there. Keep that vision clear in your mind as you move along your destined path because there may be many hurdles along the way – but instead of making them hinder you, jump over them and don’t stop until you are exactly where you want to be.