What is the difference between a person inspired by the performance of another and one threatened by it? How do some deeply celebrate the victories of others without hesitating to compare that success to their own? It seems to me that insecurities involving performance are often grounded in the way we value our work. I see this most clearly in the arts of homemaking and motherhood. I wonder sometimes if the absolutely critical and long overdue push to give womxn opportunities outside of the home has also left unintentional sentiments in its wake.
Do we believe working in the home without an additional career is for second-rate or uninspired womxn? Do we think committing to that often unnoticed sphere of leadership is valuable only in that it supports greater acts of success? Are the results of these beliefs homemakers who struggle to connect long-term value to their daily work and then guiltily wonder why they get so easily frustrated or distracted from the job at hand? Does this feeling extend to the way we all value that kind of work?
I believe when we know our work matters and we see somebody doing it better, we find ways to learn from them. When the work matters, getting better matters more than being the best (or looking it). Let’s learn from mothers and homemakers regardless of our chosen profession, and while the world may not value what you do, YOU have to. Send it. Every day.
