Several years ago, I was in a play called Run for Your Wife written by British playwright Ray Cooney, whose specialty is farce. The story was about a cabbie named John who ends up falling in love with two women, marries them both and then proceeds to create two totally separate lives for himself by setting up two households on the opposite sides of town. The story moves from one crazy scene to the next, every time John seemingly getting away with his continual cover-up. Of course, it comes crashing down in the final scenes when the two wives unwittingly find out about each other. It is comedy at its finest.

I have often thought about this show over the years as I have juggled two or three jobs at a time. When I first joined the recruiting industry, I was also the athletic coach for girls' sports at my local junior high, as well as still keeping a part-time job in the dental field. Three jobs and five classes at the local college - oh..., and dare I forget -> single mom to four children. About six months into this crazy schedule, the managing director at the search firm where I worked pulled me aside and said, "Please quit your other jobs, I need you here full-time. I will pay you a decent salary and the craziness in your life will ease up somewhat."

I thought about it for about two minutes then became very excited at the prospect of a simpler life (still waiting for that to happen, ha!). Then because I had been with my dentist for thirteen years, I carefully planned out my resignation for a few months later when a seasonal rush would be over. Believe it or not, dentists do have crazy, rush seasons - the summer months and the entire month of December. Parents never want to take their kids out of school to visit the dentist. One would think that after this, I would have learned my lesson, no such luck. I have consistently had more than one job for many years - that is, until recently.

I coached my final season of volleyball last fall. It was a tough decision but the right one. I also closed out my last consulting client in February and I am seriously a one-company woman now. Spreading oneself too thin can result in half-produced results and half-headed focus with a heaping helping of half-hearted devotion. 

The most important thing for me was to recognize my worth. I don't know about you but this will be a lifelong process for me. It is very difficult for me to say "no" mostly because I don't want to; I like saying "yes." It just feels good to me. Weights and measures remind me that I don't really have a golden lasso or bullet-deflecting wristbands. I am just a mom that loves to work and needs to write. And that is more than plenty for me to handle.