Once in a blue moon, a book comes out that grabs me and pulls me in completely. I am totally immersed in the material, page after page. That’s because it feels as though the book was written just for me. Like the authors tapped into my deepest joys and fears and put them in a book, in a more cohesive manner than I am able to express. Good Enough is the New Perfect, by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, is one of those books for me.
And here’s what makes the book even more amazing…one of its foundational messages to me, the reader, is that the book WASN’T written just for me. There are thousands upon thousands of women out there who are grappling with these same issues. The issues I’m talking about and that are addressed in this book are ones that became new to me once I had Darah. They are as follows:
- whether quitting your job is the right choice for you
- changing your approach and attitude abut what success means
- navigating the demands of work and home with realistic expectations
- whether working at home or becoming an entrepreneur is right for you
- accepting that motherhood is rarely a perfect science
- being a good (enough) wife
- riding out the storm when the best-laid plans go awry
You see, my old life just didn’t fit anymore once a child hit the scene. I’ve written about that topic before, here. And I think about it all the time. How do I retain a professional identity while I’ve hit the pause button on my career? Am I starting a new career by blogging? What really makes me happiest? Why can’t I have it all, just like I was promised? And why can’t I do it all brilliantly? Becky and Hollee actually tackle that very issue. Here’s what they have to say about it:
Our generation of moms was the first to professionalize motherhood. There would be no mistaking the contributions of at-home moms who approached their leadership in the home the same way they have handled their Ivy League educations and Wall Street power jobs. Moms who returned to work saw the standards set by their at-home peers, and a new power struggle emerged as we tried to make the “perfect” choices. It wasn’t the Mommy War we’d expected.
In Good Enough is the New Perfect, you’ll meet several different women who re-defined what “having it all” looked like for them, and who worked to leave behind the old definitions that seem to plague us. I can’t emphasize enough how inspired I was by this book, and how much more confident I feel about the fact that I’m not currently drawing a salary, but also continuing to pursue unique opportunities that challenge me and keep my mind sharp in different ways through blogging, learning more about marketing, and of course, teaching that course on world religions online!
The point of the book is not to tell you which path you should take, as what I am choosing to do wouldn’t necessarily be best for someone else. Instead, it pushes you to think really critically about what matters to you, and then to embrace putting your time, effort and energy into those things, and leaving behind all that stuff that wears you out but gives you no satisfaction (I’m talking to you, unnecessary housework).
This book is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it for anyone, whether you work full-time, part-time, seasonally, or just work your tail off keeping your kids healthy and happy (because that’s the toughest job there is, so I have learned!). There are great ideas and things to contemplate for each and every one of us. You can purchase Good Enough is the New Perfect on Amazon for $9.41…an awesome price!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you.
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