Solo Mommy - You Go, Mom!
For this, she is proud of herself. "[It's in knowing] that you're able
to raise your children as a single mom and see the results," says
Sylvester, who draws her strength from God and gets her inspiration
from motivational speaker and author Dr. John C. Maxwell. She's equally
proud of her children. Sylvester, 26, is a mortgage broker. Rebekah,
17, is on her way to college. Nicholas, 15, is playing basketball.
Simon, 10, is discovering what he wants to do.
Sylvester -
who counts camping, going to the movies, taking a monthly trip to
Barnes & Noble, and spending a lot of time talking as family as
activities she does with the kids - believes that single moms must also
make time to do things just for themselves. She does.
"It's
very difficult, but it's extremely important," Sylvester points out.
"You can get sucked up into taking care of everyone else and not make
time for yourself as a person. I love reading. I'm involved in book
clubs and women's groups. I travel alone. I go out to dinner alone -
and it's deliberate. I go to museums. I garden."
Sylvester
believes that anything is possible if you set your mind to get it done.
This includes entrepreneurship, which she says that even single moms
who have 9-to-5 jobs can achieve. "Start to plan for what you want to
do," Sylvester advices. "Operate with the knowledge that the money will
flow and will no longer be an issue for you because you'll love what
you do." She adds: "You need to start wherever you are, no matter how
small it is. And, dream big."
While it's true that single
motherhood can be challenging, Sylvester offers strategies to make the
journey much smoother: "You need to approach life with a real clear
head and a sense of calm to handle your home life, your business
affairs, and to be able to plan for your future and the future of your
children. Write everything down, delegate, be flexible, and be
yourself."
If you're an avid reader of self-development and
business books like Sylvester, she highly recommends adding the
following works to your collection:
1. The Alchemist: A Fable about Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins Publishers, 1999)
2. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What
to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (HarperCollins, 1995)
3. Who
Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in
Your Life by Spencer Johnson (Penguin Group, 2000)
4. The One-Minute Manager by Spencer Johnson (HarperCollins Publishers, 2003)
About the Author
Feona Sharhran Huff is the Founder & Publisher of Solo Mommy Magazine. She is the single mom of a six-year-old daughter (her "Budding Picasso") and a 2-1/2 year-old son (her "Future Soccer Star"). Check other "You Go, Mom!" profiles at www.solomommy.com. If you'd like to be a featured single mom, e-mail your story, along with a color jpeg picture to solomommymag@yahoo.com.
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