Book Nook: The Art of Good Enough - The Working Mom’s Guilt-Free Guide to Thriving While Being Perfectly Imperfect

I recently had a chance to review THE ART OF GOOD ENOUGH: The Working Mom’s Guilt-Free Guide to Thriving While Being Perfectly Imperfect .

Dr. Ivy Ge was a new mother in 2005, balancing pharmacy school, a career, and raising her son. She was sleep deprived, her marriage suffered, and she considered dropping out of school. But by 2015, she was one of the first clinical pharmacists in the US with dual board certifications. Her son was accepted into the best public high school in San Francisco. She's still happily married.

For her, the key to being happy, healthy, and confident as a working mother was to remove guilt from the equation. The Art of Good Enough explains to readers how they can work on what's important to them, without bowing to the pressures to be perfect at everything.

This was a great book for me. I went through quite a period of work-at-home-mom guilt - feeling guilty for enjoying time with the kids when I had a work to-do list, feeling guilty for working when they were home, always feeling like I wasn't quite measuring up. A lot of what is written in this book I've gone through - and I wish I had read this book when I was a new mom, because I had to figure this all out on my own!

There are a variety of topics touched on in this book, including appearance, health, decluttering, parenting, and more.

Why did you write this book?
As a new mom, I felt so alone and lost in the race of being the perfect mother. I needed realistic techniques to help me cope with the mounting anxiety and a deep sense of inadequacy but couldn’t find any. It took me years to overcome the mental and emotional challenges and be proud of myself. I want to share my journey with other moms and show them the possibility of living their best life by mastering the art of good enough.

Why is it so important for women to embrace the art of "good enough?"
First, it frees us to live our lives according to our own values and standards.
Second, it gives us the capacity to feel proud when we only strive for our personal best and not the unobtainable.
Third, it allows us to love and care for ourselves and cultivate a fulfilling life beyond motherhood.

How can women reframe their thinking if they're used to being perfectionists who try to do it all perfectly?
Start by focusing on what you are good at to nurture self-acceptance and appreciation. Then allocate your time and effort to the things you do well to maximize the return of investment. Last, remind yourself of all the wonderful things that happened to you and what you have achieved by being you.

Author bio:
From an aspiring actress to working for airline executives to becoming a pharmacy professor and a multi-genre author, Dr. Ivy Ge has transformed her life while balancing her role as a working mother and a wife.

She writes to inspire women to design their own fate. Her thrillers tell the extraordinary tales of ordinary heroines caught between personal conflicts and national crises. Her self-help books empower women to pursue self-growth outside the role of caregivers. Visit her website https://ivyge.com for more information on how to create the life you love.

Besides traveling, she enjoys practicing hot yoga, horseback riding, and skiing in the mountains in Lake Tahoe, California with her family.

The Art of Good Enough: The Working Mom’s Guilt-Free Guide to Thriving While Being Perfectly Imperfect (January 7, 2020)

Ebook $0.99 pre-order at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081YGNVYP