Home / Career & Money Working motherhood is hard. That’s also what makes it meaningful. I have learned that my life is much more meaningful when I say yes to hard work with intention and purpose. By Neha Mandhani June 6, 2016 Rectangle A few weeks back, I had invited one of my closest friends and her family over for a home-cooked dinner. She is one of my closest friends, a stable rock I can always lean on, and a friend who can understand my needs even before I say them out loud. In short, I am truly blessed to have her love and friendship in my life. She kept saying no to my invitation. She reminded me that I have a little toddler, am pregnant with my second one, work full-time and part-time in grad school and that I should not be taking this project on—and if anything, she should be the one cooking for me. She then kept insisting that I should order take out or simply meet at her place. I kept insisting, because I wanted to cook for her and her family and spend time together. In the end, I won and she came over. After dinner was all done and my friend had graciously helped me load the dishwasher and clean up my counter tops, she came up and had this look of guilt and said to me, “I feel bad I made you work so hard, look at how tired you are.” My typical response would have been, “Oh no, it’s not that much work, I always cook anyway so it’s all good.” It’s true that most meals on weekends are elaborate and festive in our house, but this time I said something that required more courage. “Yes, I am tired and physically exhausted and cannot wait to hit the bed… but I am also equally nourished, nurtured, and joyful with you and your family’s presence.” We both gave each other a big hug with gratitude in our eyes for the love we share. I worked hard that night, but there was tremendous meaning and joy in cooking for one of my favorite people, having meaningful conversations, and then cleaning up together. As I reflected on that experience, I realized that there are so many times when we work hard because we want to prove something to someone, please our ego, get something from someone else, or because society expects us to. Those activities can be purely draining with very little nourishment. However, when we work hard from a place that brings meaning and aligns with our values, the effort we put in brings ease and fills up our own hearts and creates more space to give, to contribute, and to live a more meaningful life. There are so many times when it is much easier to not do the work that I feel is needed in my life because it takes effort. And yes, sometimes boundaries are absolutely needed and I do have nights when I meet friends at a restaurant rather than having them over. But, I have also learned that my life is much more meaningful when I say yes to hard work with intention and purpose. It takes more effort to compost than to throw everything in the trash, it takes more effort to use cloth diapers for my son and wash them every few days, and it takes more effort to raise 10K for a cause that matters to me. But in the end, it fills up my heart, creates meaning, and brings a smile to my face that allows me to be who I am and bring my best in the world. As a mother, what do you say yes to and what do you say no to? Are there things that take effort but also bring ease? How can you bring more of those gifts into your life and the lives of others? The latest Work & Motherhood 47% of parents still aren’t given enough time to pump at work News Here’s what moms need to know about Project 2025 and how it impacts us all Celebrity News Hoda’s heartwarming return home after the Olympics is every working mom’s tornado of joy, guilt and love Motherly Stories To the mama on vacation: Leave the laptop at home