by Tonya Ladipo
This evening I was on Fox 29’s 5:00pm newscast. They contacted me to talk about mothers in the workplace and what is (or is not appropriate) to discuss. As soon as I have access to the link I will post it here. A brief review:
- Be human and honest. If you have children then it makes sense to talk about them.
- Don’t let your children dominate workplace conversation. Be proud of them but talk about other things as well.
- Be respectful of others and their passions. Your joys (children) may be significant to you, what is significant to your colleagues? Inquire about that with them.
As hard as I tried not to be nervous I must admit that I was nervous. As I was walking to the television station I stopped trying to push away the nervousness and I shifted my focus to another goal, having and being graceful in my nervousness.
Rather than the anxiety digging a permanent place in my stomach, focusing on grace allowed my nervousness more fluidity. It ebbed and flowed and allowed me a different perspective. I could focus and be present in the moment rather than worry about the many “what ifs” I allowed to float in my head. I could actually see and appreciate the museums on Independence Hall. I enjoyed being able to walk to the television station without being bundled up. I felt grounded and centered and graceful. It was a wonderful change. Now I need to figure out how to hold on to this . . .