Hey Mama, Give Yourself Some Credit

Today, someone called me Professor Anderson and I turned around to see who this Professor Anderson was that was standing behind me.

Seriously, my first reaction was to turn around...and see who the student was addressing.

At first, when I realized she was talking to me, I got really sad because every time someone calls me Professor I chuckle to myself or blow it off.

And then, I got frustrated because I realized that I never give myself enough credit. I often feel like I look too young and the role of professor is too big for someone that also considers herself a stay-at-home mom. But, I worked my tail off in grad school. I completed the coursework and wrote a rather long thesis and yet, can't actually afford myself the grace to acknowledge my achievement because in my mind, it is too grand for me. In essence, I make myself feel small and inadequate.

What bothers me even more, is that I'm not the only one who struggles with this insecurity. I started thinking about all of my friends, sisters and my own mom- the beautiful and inspiring women I look to for advice and see as role models that believe that the more they take on, the more they will measure up. Not many give themselves a shred of credit for all they carry. They stay home and take care of the littles and family stuff all day or, they stay home and have a part-time gig or, they work full time and come home to their family responsibilities at night.

But, they still feel like they need to be doing more or even worse, they question their abilities about each of their roles, feeling somewhat insignificant in each. So many mamas don't own their many incredibly important roles. We don't acknowledge all that we are or do (e.g. mama, wife, professor, yogi, blogger, etc.) and yet, we assume that even more jobs/tasks/roles will make us even more awesome. Or, we feel that adding another title will finally allow us the opportunity to stack up, when all it often does, is make us more overwhelmed, overworked and less wonderful because something somewhere is half-assed.

What is this about? Why do we do this? Are we too afraid that acknowledging our achievements will make us seem vain? Because the truth is, we are the only ones who have that power. We are the only person that can judge ourselves and make ourselves feel small, unworthy, and/or unimportant. And really we are the only ones who can tell ourselves that we are important, amazing and good at all we do.

So, let this be a reminder to all of you mamas (and to myself) to acknowledge your greatness, your contributions to the world, and remind yourself of your worth as a mama, partner, and whatever other titles you take throughout the day. Acknowledge your greatness in whatever roles you've accepted- they are enough and you, are enough.