last week i went to this really great little informal lunch chat, featuring some of the vice presidents and senior managers of the place where i work. i’m admittedly a lady’s-lady. i have always had tons of lady friends and i enjoy being in the company of other awesome ladies and i can easily relate to many other ladies. i am loving how it’s becoming more and more important that we talk about being ladies in the workplace (or the tech place).

until jason came along, i didn’t really know how to talk to boys. but that’s another post.

this lunch was great and afterwards i wanted to go back to my desk and write all about how great it is! which is why i’m writing this today and it won’t be nearly as fluid as it would’ve been if i had written this last week.

the conversation started with a discussion of how women are redefining success — at work, at home, and in motherhood. the ladies discussed how work is part of life, so we don’t just need to balance the two — we need to blend the two. what are your values? what are your personal priorities? don’t just cram life in when you’re not at work.

a couple women spoke specifically to how they had been feeling like failures as mothers because they’re so busy at work. sure, they schlep their kids (usually a bit late) to the requisite sporting events or choir concerts or play dates, but they only ever feel like they’re half there — especially when they look at other mothers who maybe aren’t as professionally busy and are always early to these events.

one of them was relating this sort of story and happened to ask her daughter what she thought. the reply? her daughter was proud of her, proud that they were known as the family that is always late because her mother is important and hard-working.

another tells her kids that she’s not busy because she needs to pay the bills, but that she is busy because she’s good.

this helped us segue into a conversation about building a better career, which i found very interesting considering i just made this new career move about a month ago. my main take away? it’s definitely okay to ask questions and it’s definitely okay to feel uncomfortable. feeling uncomfortable means you’re learning, you’re getting better, pushing yourself into new territory.

someone believes in you, which is why you’re where you are today. and if you don’t like where you’re at today? go back to the start. what are you values? where is your passion?

follow your bliss, lady!