Magnificent Mamas is a series of guest posts from brilliant mums who inspire us through their work, passion and general awesomeness. Hopefully they’ll inspire you too.
I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce Jessica Huie MBE as one of our Magnificent Mamas. A mum at just 17 and living temporarily in a hostel Jessica, in her own words, “decided against mediocrity” (source: Harper’s Bazaar). And wow, has she succeeded!
Jessica has had a hugely successful career in PR and communications, founded Color blind cards (greetings cards featuring people of colour), launched her own PR agency, and is dedicated to improving representation and inclusion in industry. Oh, and the small matter of that MBE of course. Her first book, PURPOSE, is out in April 2018. Jessica’s outlook on life is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to read her book (I’ll be posting a review in the New Year, watch this space).
Here, Jessica shares her thoughts with us on how she makes life work. Read it, and feel inspired.
How do I make life work?
by Jessica Huie MBE
Gratitude
So overused as a notion that perhaps it is at risk of becoming cliched, but for me it sits proudly at the top of my life toolkit.
I have learnt that it isn’t what life presents us with but how we respond to, and deal with, the most testing events which defines us. Whether we are talking about workload and the ongoing working mum balance challenge, or divorce and death, our outlook and ability to see light in darkness and growth in challenge is what dictates our ability to cope, sustain and rise again from the tests in our lives.
Gratitude is akin to my mental and spiritual green juice. It’s a fairly new habit which means I focus daily on all that is good, joyous and meaningful in my life to keep my head space healthy. When I don’t exercise this muscle, I risk slipping into the space of negativity which evolves into stress and angst, and I’m not a very pleasant human there.
Connection
Laughter and human connection. My monthly dinner parties present an opportunity to get creative and mindful in the therapy of cooking, to host and bring pleasure to others and ultimately to laugh, converse and connect with friends and family.
For three decades, my life was consumed by work and most of my interactions with others was centred around ambition and my professional life. No longer. Committing to a balance enables me to nurture relationships, stay inspired and be a happier human.
Purpose and meaning
Having spent a good chunk of my career working in industries which were focused purely on publicity and profit, I realised in my mid-twenties that this wasn’t enough to fulfil me. More than that, I began to feel a discord between the values I held in my heart and those which prevailed over my sector.
So I made the leap into self employment and learnt a key lesson in the process about the importance of listening to our intuition. We know what’s right for us, but we have to slow down long enough to hear it, then be brave to go forth in faith even when outcomes are uncertain.
Every time I embark on a new project (like writing my book) I feel this fear. It is about embracing it because to stick in the comfort zone means compromising on all of the possibilities for our lives and our potential – and ultimately that is not comfortable at all.
Jessica Huie’s book PURPOSE, find your truth and embrace your calling, is available to buy from Amazon UK.
www.jhpr.co.uk
www.jessicahuie.com