By Emily Reynolds Bergh | Contributor
As a mom of five children ages 2 to 13, a wife, and a successful business owner of RPR Firm, a lifestyle public relations agency, you might say I have it all. And, yes, I am definitely living my dream, but I say it’s keeping it all that’s the real trick. More specifically, how do you keep the balance while being pulled in all different directions without losing yourself? Here are some tricks I’ve learned along the way to help you live your true life.
About Me
I’ve garnered more than fourteen years of marketing and public relations experience through owning my own business and through previous experiences as a food writer and freelance journalist, as well as a published author, I have always sought to inspire through communication.
Helping businesses and brands flourish is my passion — with degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and a Master’s in Social Work — empowering my clients and my employees are what drives me. I can proudly say that each client we sign at RPR Firm is one I admire and know is helping the world become a better place. That passion and drive are only matched by my priority in life – enjoying time with my husband Colter and our five children.
My Wake-Up Call
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re going through life focusing on your career goals, your mom goals, and your life goals but you’re drowning in the daily grind. You’re moving forward, kicking a** and taking names, but are you as fulfilled as you thought, as happy as you thought, and, most importantly, do you really want to sustain this pace? Or, do you just feel like you should?
Spoiler alert: This story involves the birth of my fifth child and an RV.
I was there and here’s what happened. Spoiler alert: This story involves the birth of my fifth child and an RV. In December of 2019, we gave birth to our baby Opal. Shortly after came 2020 and my husband literally lost his business in a tornado and our world, along with the rest of the world, came crashing to a halt. We did what any sane person would do, and packed up and hit the road—we ventured across the country in a 1997 RV with NO A/C in the middle of the summer. We took the time to evaluate life, our priorities, and our business ventures, and for me, I solidified the love of my profession and decided to only accept remote work. It has changed my outlook and life dramatically. As I write this I am on a mountainside.
Finding My Balance
To me, living your true life means living authentically, being real; making mistakes, growing from them, being an example, and following your dreams even though it’s scary. But also, in understanding that “having it all” doesn’t mean “doing it all.” The reality is you can’t be everything to everybody every day so it’s a matter of prioritizing and being flexible. For example, some days you have to be 75% work, 20% family, and 5% self-care. For others, you have to be 90% family, 5% work, and 5% self-care. It’s a moving target I balance by:
- Avoiding the trap of trying to please everyone. It’s an ongoing battle that I know we as women struggle with the most.
- Focus on doing what you do best and do it best. This applies to your career and family. Don’t try to manage the finances in your business if you’re not a numbers person. Don’t be the “homework parent” if you don’t have the patience. Know your lane!
- Invest in the tools for success. Again, this applies to your career and work. If there’s software, a platform, whatever, that will help you to be more efficient in business, the money spent will cost less than the time lost, trust me. At home, if you don’t have the time to manage all your kids’ devices, for example, checking texts, social media, etc. to make sure they’re safe then invest in technology to help do it for you.
- Make your own path. Yes, ask what you want to learn from others who’ve been there, but don’t feel like you always have to follow the crowd. If something works for you and your family and/or your business, do it! And know that it’s ok to try and try again.
Helping Other Entrepreneurs
I’m so passionate about helping others become successful entrepreneurs while having some semblance of a life outside the office that I’ve launched a course to help. All of RPR is designed for small businesses. We seek the small and mighty and we have curated what we call The Launch program to pull together all of the best parts of PR to support small business growth. We have an application process and accept two Launch partners per quarter!
To learn more about The Launch program, click HERE to schedule a FREE Discovery Call today!