Last Friday I had the painful news that we were going to have to change the name of our company due to a trademark issue. When I hung up after talking to my lawyer, I was in complete disbelief and there was a side of me who wanted to cry and a side of me who knew things would be OK. The conversation in my head went like this:

Freaked out: “I can’t believe this is happening to me. What am I going to do now? I have a deadline to show my product in three weeks!”
Strong: “Come on girl, get a grip. This is not the end of the world. You’ll just work on it the entire weekend and find a solution”.
Freaked out: “Work on it all weekend? WHEN???!! I have a chiropractor appointment, we have two kids who have swimming lessons, one of them was just sick last night, we have a dinner and a sleepover planned!”
Strong: “Again, this is not the end of the world. You’ll figure it out and it will be fine”.

Why did I have to work all weekend? Because oh yes, I still have another job that I have to tend to during the week. Luckily, the back and forth lasted only a few minutes after which I moved to execution mode to figure out a strategy and write down an action plan. By end of next week I would have the new name.

Entrepreneurship and parenting...Not a straight road.

Throughout the weekend, I alternated, going back and forth with my friends from Factory45 who were simply amazing, brainstorming over the phone, doing research, again and again. And playing with the kids, cooking, tidying up the house. We were constantly, I feel like every hour, figuring out our priorities. However, somehow things naturally fell into place. The little one felt asleep early. Should we wake him up for his swimming lesson or not? We already paid for it! Will it mess up the rest of the day for everyone? It did not. There was pollution in the pool and in the end he actually didn’t miss anything! The house wasn’t perfect when our guests arrived. But you know what? It didn’t really matter. Our friends know how hard the multitasking is, and cared more about spending time with us than a perfectly tidy house. We had a great time.

Somehow friends, wine and good food make all challenges disappear in the background.

Our weekend was chaotic. I had to let go of my own quest for perfection. I like to work out at least once over the weekend, but I also had so many questions I wanted to discuss with a friend and experienced entrepreneur. I decided to chat with her while I went for my run. Ideal? Certainly not. Did it work? Absolutely. Another wonderful friend and entrepreneur extraordinaire lectured me about trademark issues. The conversation took longer than expected but my husband was still able to go for his run once I was done. I took 15 minutes to talk to a couple of great friends after my daughter’s swimming lesson. It was a highlight of my day. The whole weekend was tiring, busy and definitely exhilarating. I kept reminding myself of how lucky I am to be alive, and being grateful for my wise and wonderful husband, my two beautiful, funny and healthy kids, and to have the chance to work on my own business.

While going through the weekend I couldn’t help but think that we definitely need more women in high level positions. Having and raising kids demands out of the box thinking, troubleshooting and rapid decision making.

I wish my toddler would just stare at the computer like this baby!

So, what helped me?

The fact that my amazingly husband was there to support me all the way and constantly reminded me that we are a team.
Tackling issues as they surfaced and not all at once. Letting go of perfectionism – this was probably the hardest thing for me.
Taking the time to rest and striving to get some semblance of decent sleep at least once during the weekend.
Being grateful and appreciating challenges as learning opportunities. Gratitude can turn a difficult situation into something marvelous, even when I am tired.
Entrepreneurs such as Amber Rae with her wonder vs. worry stories that have been super inspiring.
Meditating every day using Deepak Chopra’s meditations. Somehow trying to clear the mind gives me a daily safe haven.
Knowing my family’s overall priorities and communicating constantly with my husband. While I want to be a successful entrepreneur and I want to feel like I have everything under control, as Michelle Obama said, I am first and foremost a wife and a mom. I am also aware that time is our most precious commodity. Our kids will not be young forever and I cherish spending quality time with them. Troubleshooting with an open heart with willingness to give love no matter what, and trusting that things will work out has been a miraculous recipe for me.
Having a network of friends to rely on. The brainstorming and venting over coffee, over the phone, over Whatsapp, Facebook or Messenger was incredibly helpful. I want to say thank you again to everyone who helped me come up with alternatives.

Was this the last issue I will ever have to face? (laugh) Certainly not. Will all my weekends be as crazy as the last one? Probably not either. It is not going to be easy, but I better do this now than when I am 90 years old (if I am lucky to live that long!). Truly, the journey is the reward.