I stared at the email I received a week ago. Todayโ€™s the last day to make my decision but I might have missed the deadline. I wasnโ€™t too sure – should the cut off time be based on US time while Iโ€™m here on the other side of the world? I could have checked, but…

Anyway, that didn’t matter. The fact was, at that very last-minute, I was still feeling unsure about my decision.

So, as I often do in such situations, I said a silent prayer.

Then I clicked on the link and waitedโ€ฆ A new window opened.

I looked at the screen;ย  peace descended upon me. The screen is still there. I knew right then what I needed to do.

*******

Three days ago, I renewed my membership with the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI).

You see, Iโ€™m trained as an image consultant but itโ€™s something that I never really told many people about. When I first decided to get trained, I thought I would set up an image business. Then I got pregnant and decided to shelf the plan until after I gave birth. Never did I anticipate how busy being a mom would be, especially a first-time mom, and juggling my writing projects as a freelance writer (something that I have been doing way before I became mom).

But soon, โ€˜busyย  mommyโ€™ became a facade I hid behind. While I did make some feeble attempts to build a business, the truth is, somehow, somewhere along the way, Iโ€™ve lost the zeal and worse, the confidence.

Yet as I watch my son grow, I find myself thinking more and more often about the kind of person I hope he will become: I want him to have the freedom to discover and develop his strengths and talents. I want him not to be afraid to try and know that itโ€™s alright to fail, because failures can make him stronger and wiser. I want him to have the courage to pursue his dreams and passions and to live life to the fullest.

To enable him to achieve all of this, I felt that I first need to lead the way and be the role model for him.

So this year, I resolve to stop putting off my dreams and instead to take steps of faith in achieving them. I will get out of my comfort zone, learn to conquer my fears and stop worrying so much. Even if at the end of the day I donโ€™t succeed, itโ€™s alright. What matters is that I have the courage to try, enjoy the process and learn from the experience.

For a start, I hope to get something going with the image consulting. Honestly, I have no firm plans but there are things I could start, such as helping some friends revamp their wardrobe, blog about style and image or perhaps find opportunities to write for womenโ€™s magazines and websites on related topics.

More importantly, as a woman, I want to reconnect with my dreams and passion and pursue goals that are not entirely child-related. I’ve learned that, unless Iโ€™m fulfilled as an individual, I will never be truly happy as a mom.

I pray that someday when my boy is all grown up, he will tell me that Iโ€™ve set a good example for him in living life passionately. That, I believe, will be one of my greatest achievements as a mom.

Have you held back on going after your dreams because you’re a mom? Or do you feel that becoming a mom gives you greater motivation to pursue your dreams?ย 

This is an original post to World Moms Blog from our writer, rising-image-consultant and mother of one in Singapore, Ruth Wong.

The image used in this post is attributed to Naypong from Free Digital Photos.

Ruth

Ruth lives in Singapore, a tiny island 137 kilometres north of the equator. After graduating from university, she worked as a medical social worker for a few years before making a switch to HR and worked in various industries such as retail, banking and manufacturing. In spite of the invaluable skills and experiences she had gained during those years, she never felt truly happy or satisfied. It was only when she embarked on a journey to rediscover her strengths and passion that this part of her life was transformed. Today, Ruth is living her dreams as a writer. Ironically, she loves what she does so much that at one point, she even thought that becoming a mom would hinder her career. Thanks to her husbandโ€™s gentle persuasions, she now realises what joy she would have missed out had she not changed her mind. She is now a happy WAHM. Ruth launched MomME Circle, a resource site to support and inspire moms to create a life and business they love. She has a personal blog Mommy Cafรฉ where she writes about her son's growing up and shares her interests such as food and photography.

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