Yes! This is literally what I have been experiencing for the past few months since my last post – becoming physically bigger and developing into a better person both emotionally and mentally. It has truely been an amazing period of growth and transformation for me as I transit to my next phase of life.

Those who know me personally may know or have heard of it, for those who have been wondering what happened, it’s good news =)

I’m expecting my first baby in coming Jan 2012! Right now, I’m into my final trimester and looking forward excitedly for her arrival =)

The past 6-7 months of my pregnancy was a memorable rollar coaster ride! I moved from the initial physical discomfort of nausea, fatigue to enjoying the experience of feeling my baby move inside my stomach and other pregnancy benefits (like having kind souls give up their seats to me on the mrt) as my tummy grew bigger by the day.

A good friend of mine once commented that becoming a mother has made her a better person. And I totally agree, the process of becoming a mum-to-be alone has taught me many valuable lessons already! It also provided the opportunity for me to review, relook and rethink my direction for my life, family, business and finances.

Lessons from Pregnancy

1) Being responsible to myself for my loved ones

During the initial months of pregnancy, the physical discomfort coupled with the surge of hormones was pretty nerve wrecking and emotionally challenging. Some days I could be feeling happy and lively, other days I feel down and easily irritable.

I read in books that an expectant mother’s mood swings could affect the well-being and development of the unborn baby. That thought of my innocent baby inside me suffering was so painful, it motivated me to take charge of my emotions and learn to regulate my moods better. It helped to acknowledge my negative emotions, choose to let them go and re-focus on the positive things that are happening in my life.

Becoming a mum made me appreciate what it means to take care of our own well being for the sake of our children and loved ones. It’s no longer just about my own feelings, health and finances; it’s about how these affect the people around me, especially my husband and future children.

Now I choose to take responsibility for my health so I can provide the necessary nutrients for my baby, so I can have the vitality and energy to take good care of her. I choose to plan my finances properly so I can provide a secure and good quality of life for my child.  

2) Motivation to be a good role model

My desire to achieve my goals and dreams now take on a new level of purpose. I want to become a mother that my child can be proud of and a role model whom she can learn from. To show my child that anything can be possible if you put your heart to it and that your success can be a source of inspiration to many others.

To do that, I asked myself how can I achieve my dream of financial abundance and happiness while helping others to do the same. That was when I also reviewed my business direction moving forward.

3) Re-calibrating my business direction 

Being a mum-to-be myself, I start to better appreciate the dreams and aspirations that we as parents have for our children. That natural desire to want to provide what’s best for our children, to give them a good headstart in life, the need to take good care of them and to make sure that they are safe and secure.

One day I thought to myself, since I always had a passion to empower women financially, how about focusing on empowering mummies? I respect mummies for being such great amazing and wonderful women, for your big hearts and the capacity to take on so many roles and to give and keep giving..so much so that we tend to forget about our own financial needs in the process.

I asked myself, how can I best use my knowlege, expertise and appreciation of mummies’ concerns to empower this amazing group of women to achieve their aspirations?

That was when I decided to create a new program specially designed for mummies.

Smart Mummies Retire in Style

This program is designed to empower mummies financially; to equip them with the strategies and actionable steps so they can secure their financial future for themselves and most importantly for their next generation.

Why Be A Smart Mummy?

“It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too.

As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives,

They are watching to see what we do with ours.

I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun.

All I can do is to reach for it, myself.”

~Joyce Maynard

I believe our children will learn from what we do, not what we say.

Only when we take charge of our finances and become financially savvy ourselves, can we give our children a real shot at being financially successful. And that’s when we can truly give our children a sound and bright future.

Let our children be our motivation to take charge of our lives and inspire us to become a bigger, better person!

I conducted a pioneer run of this Smart Mummies Retire in Style program to the staff of SMU and I’m glad to receive very positive feedback from the participants. Click here to read more about the event.

Moving Forward

My focus is to keep contributing and adding value to the community of young parents, working mothers and mothers to be through

• Sharing of useful tips for family financial planning
• Empowering and enriching women with strategies to retire in style

via my blog and through public and corporate talks.

So stay tuned for more activities and updates coming your way!