Welcome to the last week of October. I am posting this on Monday in Hong Kong, where has this month gone?! I just arrived in Hong Kong but final destination Macau! Since I missed the 7pm ferry to Macau I had to wait for 3 hours for the 10pm ferry. What could have been a long wait after a 15 hour flight became another amazing experience. Airports have become so user friendly. The shopping and dining at Hong Kong International Airport is simply remarkable, even with the US dollar. As I always do, I put myself out there to meet new people and this trip was no different.
On my flight I met this amazing woman - a Managing Partner Attorney of a large San Francisco based anti trust firm. Full of energy, life, great conversation and before long we found we had so much in common. She works hard, has one child, has been married to the same man for a long time and yet she still faces the negative comments about her life from her "so called" friends.
She referred to these comments as the "you gotta do what you gotta do" syndrome. Each time one of her neighbors or parents of her daughters friends ask her to join them for a cocktail party, any social event or something at the school when she couldn't make it, the friends would say the same thing - "there is always one" or "too bad you work so hard, but you gotta do what you gotta do." This is so frustrating. The comments are so lame - after all, she worked so hard to become a lawyer, build a practice, and still have a family - she did all of this because she wanted to, not that she "had" to.
Why are so many women enemies of so many women. Yes, ladies I mean "us." We can be each others worst enemies. Instead of being excited for your friend who is successful in their career while balancing their family, we act like they are being punished for what they enjoy. Just because someone has chosen to stay home and raise their children does not mean that those of us who chose to work should be made to feel bad. Everyone has choices in life....be happy for each other! I do get a bit worked up, when I hear some feedback on my story, my style of living, working and loving life. The other day I gave a speech to over 500 people....99% of the feedback was great - they loved my message, got motivated, inspired and wanted more...but there were a few people and I mean 3 that said I needed to get over myself - enough Novotny! Well I am over those people. Just because I am real and say it like it is - some people don't want to hear the truth - "they can't handle the truth." You get out of life what you put into it. Just because I love living on the road with little or no balance doesn't mean that I don't live a "balanced" life. I have a wonderful marriage, a fantastic relationship with my daughter and am very close to my parents and sister. How many people that live in the same city as their own family can say that? So for all of you that think "we the working women of today" do what we "gotta do" are right - we gotta live this life since we only get one chance. Enjoy it now so you have no regrets for tomorrow.... from Hong Kong my best wishes!
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