Balancing work and family time, hard but rewarding: Shandil
The 24/7 job of a mother can be challenging as it requires a lot of sacrifice. This is the situation for the Consumer Council of Fiji’s chief executive officer (CEO), Seema Shandil.
Mrs Shandil said working as a CEO was an important role to play and then being a mother was like
having two jobs.
“This feels like a constant need to multi-task (and as they say, being a mum is a full-time job anyway),” she said.
“Kids become a priority and being a working mum, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than to choose between having to cater to your sick child at home or going to work, even as my kids have become adults their health and safety are
still very much important to me.”
She said many working mums didn’t get that support they needed from their families or even their spouses, and this hindered their success and diminished their spirits.
“Do not forget that at the end of the day, every mum needs to make time for herself, you can take a walk or enjoy a good book but giving yourself the care, your need will allow you to cope with the challenges you may face,” Mrs Shandil said.
“I believe it takes proper planning of your day-to-day activities and constant support from your family members to make it work.”
Mrs Shandil said she had a small family whom she loved and appreciated so much.
“I have two sons. One is currently doing his MBBS studies at Fiji National
University while the other is studying abroad at the University of New South Wales,” she said.
She said motherhood can be an immensely fulfilling experience where the reward we got was a big bagful of fond memories to hold close to our heart.
“My kids are grown up now and I hardly get to see my sons as one is studying abroad and the other in Lautoka, in spite of the distance my kids continue to motivate me and because of them, I force myself to do better every day whether at work or at home,” she said.
Interestingly, Mrs Shandil has attained her role as a CEO at the Council for over three years.
She said being the Chief Executive Officer of such a progressive organisation which was a household name, meant that it was her task to ensure that they served consumers with the highest degree of quality, efficiency and effectiveness.
“Although the Council team is small, being a CEO means constantly encouraging your team and establishing work plans that allow the Council to fulfill building a society of informed and responsible consumers,” she added.
“As such this Mother’s Day, I would like to praise and motivate mums on their continued hard work, whether you are a young mum, a single mum, or a full-time working mum your efforts are not going unnoticed.
“Mother’s Day has been set aside to show how much you are appreciated and I encourage husbands and kids to not only use this day as the only time to make your mum feel special, every day should be a special day for her and the little gestures of kindness and respect we show our mothers really does mean a lot to them and motivates them.”
She said her ambition was to be a warrior and to treat and serve people with respect, model generosity, and show up with outright love.
“My plans for Mother’s Day is to treat my mum as she is my inspiration,” she said.
“She continues to inspire and motivate me to grow without any barriers.
“It seems to me that this woman looks at life as a challenge and wholeheartedly intends to seize the day every day. It had been riddled with hurdles and difficulties, but she has managed to cross them all to because of the amazing and independent person she is.”