We know it’s a tough competition out there in the cutthroat business world. To come out as a winner, sometimes sacrifices must be made. Particularly the ever limited time.

However, what makes it even tougher is when you do not have your family support and understanding the reasons behind your long hours at work, frequent business travels and burnout weekends buried in your laptop.

It makes a whole world of difference when

• Your child understands and don’t guilt trap you
• Your spouse took over the housework even your asking
• Your parents came by on weekend to take your children so you can have the whole house to yourself (peace and quiet!)
• Your Sister-in-law offered to babysit on days you need to pull in late nights in the office
• Your spouse packs dinner in lunchboxes for you to take to work (or secretly order pizza for you in office when you can’t go home for dinner)

This Valentine’s Day I received the greatest gift. Now many of you know that I love blogging on my mobile. It is easier to manoeuvre and sneak in a sentence or two when I’m managing my little diva at the same time. My iPhone 6 has been lagging due to several factors like not enough memory space and most importantly, the wear and tear from the constant banging of my iPhone by the 1-year-old terror.

After opting the choice to leave the corporate world (something that sometimes I’m still sore over that) to begin a new journey as a freelancer, I scrimped and saved plenty. For one, I hadn’t bought any new clothes (shock!) for almost 3 years, no new shoes or bags either. Given that I used to shop massively online with parcels arriving every day with clothes, shoes, bags and Knickknacks that I don’t even remember where they are now.

And for iPhones, I used to change them every single year.

Yes, I was frivolous but I was working damn hard as well so those are the perks that came along with the tough job. So when I left the job, the perks left as well to be replaced with new perks like typing this in my pyjamas. Haha!

The sweetest thing that I received from my spouse is a new iPhone X. I’m so tempted to get one but the price tag of it is so ridiculous that it just seems so silly to splurge on something. I could have bought so many things with that amount of money! Like a well deserved holiday for the whole family!

His message to me was “I know how you write your ideas on your phone and how frustrated you are when the phone hangs. A great talent must have a great tool. Besides, I want you to take more beautiful photos of our daughter growing up.”

The support he has given me is so much that giving me the phone is just one of the many examples that he has shown support in what I do. He has taken care of our daughter ‘when mommy needs to rush a deadline’. He has cooked dinner for us because ‘mommy is on Skype conference call with her clients’.

As much as I don’t allow freelancing to hinder my family priorities, sometimes things happen. Time differences, date clashes even emergencies happen. Having a supportive spouse means I know he has my back and no matter how insignificant my earnings are, he appreciates my contributions.

Being supportive isn’t just about taking in the laundry because your spouse is talking to his client on the phone. It is about being a brick wall of support, a sounding board for frustrating questions, a good listening ear to hear the bitching, a shoulder for the tired tears and embracing hugs for the victories. It is about taking over his or her part of the role and fulfilling responsibilities that he or she could have completed if not for concentrating on his / her career.

They say it takes a village to raise a child and it is true. I don’t have the luxury of nearby family support to call upon as and when I feel overwhelmed with my work. Hence I’m leaning heavily on spousal support just as he is whenever he needs to work late or go on a long overseas business trip, I don’t pile on guilt that he doesn’t spend enough time with our daughter and I kept the house running efficiently without him worrying if the bills have been paid.

To those pursuing your dreams, if you need support, open your mouth and ask for help from your loved ones. It is not shameful to have the support of your family while you achieve greater heights in building your career.

You can always reward them when you hit that big promotion or caught that big client.

Would you ask for help? What are your thoughts? Have a family member helped you so that you can concentrate on your job? Let us know in the comments below.

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