“How Do You Do It?”

“We need to replace the daily mantra of how “busy” we are, and include some depth into the conversation around how we juggle.”

— Mae

When I launched Good Living with Mae, a lot of people tried to check my temperature. Like, “is everything okay? How could you possibly be adding another thing to your already full plate? Do you just like stress?” Some asked if I had stopped working and was trying out a new hobby. And considering I had not too long ago relocated to a new country where, unlike back home, I had no domestic help, no family close-by and no community support system really, and this is 2020 afterall, I guess they were justified in being concerned? Yeah maybe. So anyway if I needed excuses not to do this, they were aplenty! Others who knew me well weren’t surprised at this new endeavour as they had been privy to my craziness about my passions and interests for a long time. And am I really myself if I don’t push the envelope? Even if it means starting this venture smack in the middle of doing a full-time Masters degree and a full-time job and yeah being a full-time “every other thing” that I find a way to be anyway. Yeah told you! I’m totally normal!

And while the reactions were different, one thing that kept recurring, which has been a question I’ve had thrown at me a lot in the last decade or so, was “How do you do it? Where do you find the time?” So I started out attempting to answer this via a blog post with some more insights about my mental “process”. But then I thought, hold on! I know A TON of women doing this everyday, living this crazy life of balancing what feels like a billion demands on their time and attention, and doing it so well! So why don’t I let them speak? And rather than explain my method, which if we’re being honest is more free-styling within wide boundaries than any real logic, why don’t I simply introduce you to some amazing people who inspire me in this balancing/ juggling/ slashing/ ampersand-ing/ multitasking business?

The goal for this series is this; call it our mission statement - We need to replace the daily mantra of how “busy” we are, and include some depth into the conversation about how we juggle. We need to realise that we are more than our to-do lists and daunting schedules. We need to sit back with the why, have fun with the what, and stay flexible yet focused with the how. It doesn’t have to be a choice between being the busy successful woman and being the happy fulfilled woman. We need to work within our boundaries to achieve fulfilment through these roles we play, rather than tick boxes and top lists at the expense of being our true selves. We need to balance and balance well!

When I made the decision to use this topic for our first Good Conversation series, I knew right then who I wanted to feature. These 3 ladies were the first three that came to mind when I chewed on the topic. Not just because they fully embody what I’m trying to get us to talk about, but because they all embody it in diverse ways and I thought there couldn’t be a better group to help drive the main message home. They are all different, but they also have a lot in common (hence featuring in the same theme). It was only after I had confirmed all three were interested and available, that I realised something else they had in common apart from being rockstars. They’re all lawyers. I’m not sure what it says about me that I’m subconsciously surrounding myself with people that have the competence and qualifications to bail me out of trouble, but let’s unpack that another time.

Seriously though, they are all everyday people like you and I, all dealing with ups, downs and in-betweens; and they are all inspiring to me. I hope you enjoy getting to know them like I have, and that you can relate to their stories and pick up a thing or two about keeping your head above water, while getting a full body workout and enjoying the waves (sorry, can’t resist a swimming reference)!

Very Important P.S: The post with our first guest will be live in 24 hours. So keep your eye on your inbox, get yourself a drink around this time tomorrow and eavesdrop on this wonderful conversation we had!