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Recovering from a crazy November

8th Dec 2017
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November started off with my husband being told that he will be out of a job just before Christmas – (not the best of times!), a car accident (when someone drove into the back of me), my husband’s car breaking down twice and organising my youngest daughter’s birthday party that was planned before all of this happened.  Not the best of months.  Since December though everything has been going well.  I was so close to cancelling the party but then things started looking up.  On Monday, my husband went off for an interview in London and got the job so that’s a relief. I’ve just picked up my nice, newly repaired car and my husband is going to get rid of his car and get a new one.  Everything will and is going well.

It’s amazing what being in the bottom of the pit will make you do.  In the four years I’ve been working for the one company, I’ve never really had the guts or need to ask for a pay rise. Then when everything is going wrong and you are wondering what to do about your situation, you think well what have I got to lose? I got an increase in income (not technically a pay rise as I work for myself) but it wasn’t until later that I read these articles about how women struggle to ask for what they want in terms of pay rise etc.  I fall neatly into that category. I think because I’m naturally shy I tend to hide behind this fact to get out of things. However, when I look at my husband and see how he just rightfully thinks that certain things should be his, I wonder why I’m like this and whether I’d ever have the guts to think like that.

When things like this happen, I think I don’t want my daughters to be like me. Although, I think there’s only so much you can wish for. They will be who they want to be and go wherever life take them to.  All I can hope for is that I wish them the very best that life can offer them.  Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent but I think it’s something about this time of the year or maybe it’s because I’m moving into the next decade of my life, that makes me feel pensive and reflect about my life.

Going back to work stuff, I’m still not having fun with HMRC and I need to get back to them which I think is the worst part of having my own practice. I just want to do nice simple tax returns! With both girls at school, I’m wondering whether I should look for more work or whether I should keep things as they are.  More money is always good but so is spending time with my girls.  I think this is one of those things that I will always have a dilemma about. Sometimes, I feel like I’m not pulling my weight if I’m not earning a lot but then I don’t want to do it at the sacrifice of my health and sleep and spending quality time with the girls.

Apart from that, I think I might be looking forward to 2018.  So even though it’s a bit early, I think this might be my last post for this year, so I’m going to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2018.

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FT
By FirstTab
10th Dec 2017 11:43

Interesting blog.

I do not understand why many (?) women do not ask for a pay rise or a promotion. You just ask.

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