Work will wait, children will not

Hello, I am Tsugumi, an accountant living in Ireland.
This is a story about how I truly believe our priorities change with each life stage.

The time I became arrogant

Recently, I have become arrogant enough to choose my work.

When I was working as a company employee, I didn't have that luxury.
I just handled whatever came my way.
I didn't make waves.
I didn't let my performance reviews drop.

But looking back,
I feel that the people I considered "talented" were choosing their work from a young age.

They only accepted work where they could maximize their performance,
and they did it well.

It took me 20 years to finally be able to do that. And work has become easier.

10 months without motivation

It's funny how work also has its ebbs and flows.

Last year, I had a period of about 10 months where I had absolutely no motivation.

Even so, I have some pride in my work, so I didn't cause any visible trouble for those involved... I think.
(Sorry if my self-assessment is too high.)

But inside, I was almost at a standstill. Even if an interesting offer had come during that time, I don't think I could have moved. I wouldn't have been able to handle it even if things got busy.

Suddenly things started moving

However, about 10 months after I lost my motivation, work suddenly became busy.

The number of job offers I wanted to accept increased, and various things started to move.
At that moment, I felt that my work had been "waiting for me."

I felt as if it had waited for the right timing until my motivation recovered a little and my capacity returned, and I was able to be grateful for my work.

But children will not wait

On the other hand, children are relentless.

"My motivation is a bit low right now, so could you wait for me?"
There is no way that would work.

They started opening the refrigerator on their own to take what they wanted to eat, started asserting who they wanted to play with,
and since entering elementary school, their communication skills have grown rapidly.
Their demands have grown, and their frustrations have increased.

We call the modern world uncertain, ambiguous, and fast-changing 'VUCA,' but I still think the speed of a child's growth is on a different level.
Changes in the work environment happen on a monthly basis.
Children change on a weekly basis.

Remembering my priorities

I was told that work waited for me
because of the foundation I had built up until now.
That might be true, or it might not.
But work can always be increased once I feel like doing it again.

On the other hand, a child's "now" cannot be increased.
Many people and books
recommend spending as much time as possible with children while they are small.
That must be a truth.

Of course, there are times when being together is frustrating.
But I want to treat my limited childcare time
as my top priority.

I feel I can use my resources for childcare, which won't wait, rather than for work, which will.

------------------------------------------
※ For those interested in moving abroad
Moving abroad always comes with risks. This book is packed with secrets to having a happy life abroad by properly recognizing risks in advance and taking measures against them!