IBA SUCCESS MAGAZINE Volume 3 Issue 2 | Page 38

mom- prenuer Balance & Transformation... Alyssa Hogan I am the oldest of four children. The largest part of my youth was spent helping my mother care for my younger siblings. After her divorce, she worked two jobs leaving much of the household responsibility to me. I remember packing snacks and diapers then riding the city bus to the public library to study and read. It never seemed easy, but it was necessary. I transitioned from my siblings to my own son as an unwed 17 year-old. While my days of extracurricular activities such as cheerleading came to a screeching halt, I found solace in new activities that cultivated my mind. I also found a job that offered the building blocks for a financial foundation for my growing family. I also kept my mind focused on my next steps. I learned early to use my resources in the community such as daycare and food assistance while in college. I enjoyed my college life by staying focused and studying during the week with a few outings on the weekend. I leaned on my family and friends for support when I needed a break to rejuvenate my motivation to keep plowing forward. Resilience in the face of adversity prepared me for life as a single mother of four. Balancing work and life is not easy but I didn’t allow myself to make excuses for why I couldn’t achieve my goals. My success was bigger than my inconveniences. Being able to pick myself back up after failure and recalibrate my mind to thrive was my modus operandi. The journey for most of us is long, but in the end will be well worth the struggle. For me it took one day a week for 3 years to achieve my master’s degree – a goal I’d set in my youth. Doors being closed for employment forced me to build my own. God allowed me to focus on my healing so that my children could heal.  Focus on the balance of your mental, physical, and spiritual transformation to open the pathway for your life’s go