What Happy Working Mothers Know

A fact-based and proven approach to help working mothers rediscover happiness as they balance their duties at home and work Science and sociology have made great strides in understanding what makes us happy and how we achieve it. For working mothers who face endless demands on their time and attention, What Happy Working Mothers Know provides scientifically proven and practical ways to find the right balance and replace stress with happiness. Written by a behavioral scientist and global leadership guru, and an international lawyer and career coach, this mom-friendly guide offers practical tactics that truly work. The demands of juggling work and home lead many women to try to do everything and be everything to everyone.  In the effort to be Superwoman, many women lose sight of what makes them happy and they fail to realize how important their happiness is to being a good worker and a good mother. The key to being your best at everything you do is to take care of your happiness the way you take care of your health, through conscious choices every day. You’ll learn to overcome obstacles, apply lessons learned at work to your motherhood skills, and learn lessons from your children that you can apply at work. Includes interactive activities that illustrate important lessons in the book Shows you how to use positive psychology to shift from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality for workplace success Helps you tap into your own sense of joy every day for your own happiness and the happiness of those around you Science-based and packed with real case studies of real working moms Written by authors with impeccable qualifications and real-world experience Many moms raise great kids and achieve the professional success they desire and deserve, but if they aren’t happy, what’s the point? This book doesn’t show you how to have it all, but how to have all the things that really matter.

Foreword xv Carol Evans Preface xvii Acknowledgments xix Introduction xxi Chapter 1. Happiness is Not a Luxury; It’s a Necessity 1 Chapter 2. The Science of Happiness 27 Chapter 3. How to Put the H.A.P.P.Y. in Happy Working Mother 47 Chapter 4. Guilt—What is It Good For? 71 Chapter 5. When Mom’s Not Happy, No One is Happy! 91 Chapter 6. What about the Kids? 121 Chapter 7. When the Going Gets Tough, Get Support 147 Chapter 8. Pulling It All Together 167 Chapter 9. Happily Ever After—Your Story 183 Moms Corps Survey Analysis 195 Ten Tips to Your Happiness 201 Notes 203 Additional Resources 207 About the Authors 213 Index 217