Women, Motherhood & Independence
We all want to live a full life as attractive women, loving mothers and wives, as well as respected professionals at the same time, but we just need a bit of inspiration occasionally on how to carry on. Women in Larnaca will have the opportunity to learn some useful tips and strategies at the next Larnaca Parents Network’s monthly event from Penelope Magoulianiti, author and speaker, who uses her personal experiences as a roadmap for helping women and mothers – not only in Cyprus but internationally too – in finding their strengths and pursuing their dreams, while devoting time to their families. Beata Pal-Christodoulou, an LPN mum, talked to Penelope, author of the recently published book, Women, Motherhood & Independence – A guide to Financial Freedom, Confidence and Beauty after Childbirth (available both in English and Greek).
“I am excited about the opportunity to come to Larnaca, where I will talk about happiness and its importance in our lives. I will share reasons why happiness is crucial in everything we do, the causes why happiness makes us successful and present strategies to adopt it, not only for our own sake, but for the benefit of our children,” she explained.
“As working mothers we tend to forget how important it is to devote time to ourselves in order to relax and recharge. We tend to run around constantly, looking after everyone else, except for ourselves. At some point we end up being overwhelmed and feel frustrated, angry and unhappy. It is extremely important to pay attention to our needs too, because if we get sick, the precious people we try to protect will suffer with us,” she added.
Life lessons
Penelope emphasized that there is no secret in finding a balanced life, we just must be clear on what we really want from our lives and not how others would like us to be. Below are her three basic principles:
Rule # 1: “We must love and accept ourselves unconditionally. We must be confident with who we are and what we are capable of achieving. We must realize that we do not need permission from anyone to follow our dreams and it is perfectly right to want a better life and go after our dreams.
Having a family doesn’t necessarily mean you have to lock yourself into the house with your one and only priority being to look after your kids and spouse, unless this is the life you really want and makes you happy. If you want more than being a stay-at-home mom, then you must understand that it is perfectly all right and your kids will not hold it against you. Our kids observe us and learn from us through examples and not only through words, what we teach and explain to them”.
Rule # 2: “We must plan our days. We set priorities by writing down our ‘to do’ list and deciding on which ones we have to take immediate action on and which ones we ignore for now because they are not that important. We concentrate on the most important ones that bring us closer to the outcome we try to achieve, like closing a deal, finishing a project, learning another language, etc., whatever that might be.”
Rule # 3: “We ought to eliminate distractions, stop letting others determine our own agenda. When we check and reply to emails the minute they come in, then others determine our days. When we answer the phone the minute it beeps, then we let others determine our agenda. We should not check our email more than twice a day and certainly not first thing in the morning. Instead of being available all the time on the phone, we should direct our calls into a voice mail for a certain period of time with the intention of working without interruptions for around an hour. If you do not have distractions at all for ninety minutes, you are going to do a tremendous amount of work.”
The speaker: Penelope Magoulianiti
Penelope grew up in Liopetri, Famagusta with strict parents, who set boundaries and rules for her, nevertheless, she was a straight A student and involved in nearly every activity at school, eager to become a teacher and having the dream of getting out of the small society of her village and simply travel.
“My mother got married very young, so she made sure I didn’t fall in love from very young age, but she taught me how to have dreams instead, how to have a vision and how to go after my dreams with integrity and determination,” she said.
Penelope got a finance degree from the University of Manchester through distance learning, while working two jobs in Cyprus to enable her to pay her tuition fees. She worked for the same employer (Laiki Bank) for twenty years, out of which, six were in London. Throughout her banking career she gained experience through different positions. She ended her banking career as an investment banker and decided to resign after the events of March 2013 in Cyprus.
She is a mother of two, living in Limassol. She knows how challenging it can be sometimes to have a peaceful family life with career. The past years she has inspired many women by talking to them about her experiences and sharing the knowledge on how to create a fulfilling life.
When: Thursday, 16 October, 2014 - 8-9.30pm
Where: Apothikes, Larnaca
Signed copies of Penelope’s book will be available for purchase at the event
This is a Sponsored Event brought to you by Larnaca Parents Network
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