You might already know this, mama, but this Sunday is Father’s Day, and I thought it would be fun to take a moment to honor the very brave men in our very pink community.
Imagine that you’ve been the breadwinner for your family, and then, oh, I don’t know, A GLOBAL PANDEMIC HITS.
And suddenly, you’re out of a job and you’re googling “work from home jobs for dads”.
Along with the very real fear for your family’s health and wellbeing, you’re also suddenly confronting the loss of your identity. You’ve always been the person who provides for your family, and when that’s abruptly taken away from you, you really do question who you are.
Maybe it’s also kind of hard for you to talk about your feelings, or you never had good role models for that.
Somehow — and you never can quite figure out how — you wind up clicking on a very pink Facebook ad, and suddenly people are calling you a Free Papa, (although every single email you get seems to call you Mama at least once 🙄), and you find that you’re enjoying yourself.
You start to build up your confidence, and you’re ready to make a go of this freelance life.
And that’s when it happens.
A job offer comes through.
The kind with health insurance and a 401k. The kind that you prayed for a few months ago.
The kind that will keep your family safe.
So you have to put your freelance business owner dreams on hold — which makes you feel like you’ve failed.
YOU HAVE NOT FAILED.
You haven’t quit. It’s not game over — it’s just time to pump the brakes a little, to hit pause and re-evaluate.
When we start a business, we want so badly for our growth to be fast and furious. But that’s not the way life works. Think about a roller coaster — it loops and it spins. Sometimes it’s a big drop. Sometimes it’s a little hill.
There is no struggle-free life.
Your job is to find the good parts of the WHOLE ride. Enjoy the curves, enjoy the view from every angle and be an active participant in every moment of it.
I’m insanely proud of ALL the Free Papas, including the OG Free Papa, Mr. Justin Golden, who went on his own journey.
For a while, I tried to be his coach and lead him down the path I thought was best for him. Yeah, that did NOT go well.
You know what did work? Getting out of his way and letting him decide his OWN path. And now, here he is, coaching Free Mamas #likeaboss.
Happy Father’s Day to ALL the Free Papas in our lives. We see you, and we love you.