Pledge 4:

I pledge to two-step, wine, and twerk across my milestones and finish lines because success is a dance.

No matter how difficult the moves or how many steps back I have to take, I dance across my goals, not fall out or get dragged.

I’ve been building Infamous Mothers, LLC since 2016. Since then, we’ve launched and managed several major projects: crowdfunding campaigns, books, conferences, Infamous Mothers University (IMU), and more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve collapsed at the finish line. After we raised our first $25,000, my brain was mush for at least six weeks. I went into a mild depression and struggled with burnout, a regular occurrence in my life over the past several years…until recently.

I was operating from a place of fear and desperation, so I didn’t trust myself. And I was operating with unrealistic timelines. Between these two problems, I never took vacations. I worked seven days a week, and I worked ridiculously long hours. In hindsight, I don’t regret my “down and dirty” approach to building my company. At the same time, I also know that running a company this way is unsustainable. In 2022, I took a few extended breaks in the face of many pressures, personal losses, and setbacks. Taking those breaks positively impacted almost every part of my life, including leaving me with enough energy to celebrate my accomplishments instead of being dragged by them. This year, I want the same for you.

Whether you’re building your company, authoring a book, climbing the corporate ladder, or doing something else amazing, consider rest as part of your success strategy. Own it as your secret weapon for clarity. Include it as part of your strategy for negotiating. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. Let me sleep on it.” And then, do just that; get some rest and approach the offer with fresh insight. Take personal days and long weekends when you can, and take them when you need them. Let your days off be actual days off. If you’re a workaholic (like me), or if you are someone feeling the pressures of life (bills, caring for children, caring for elders, goals, dreams, etc.) persuading you to step away from work might be more difficult because you may see the break as a waste of time. But there is really a business case quality rest. It maximizes your work efficiency, increases your focus, helps with memory, and is crucial for mental health hygiene. In short, the higher the stakes are for you, the more important it is for you to get your rest—including breaks from work.

But there is also the other side of the coin. It’s this: If you’re making dough, you not only deserve to eat bread, you deserve to savor every bite. As women—especially as mothers and/or women of color—we are very comfortable with laboring, but we struggle to enjoy the fruits of that labor. Rest, so you can really appreciate how far you’ve come. Consider making that part of your process.