During today's shift for BET.com, I had to watch the first episode of Jada Pinkett-Smith's new web series Red Table Talks. In it, the actress sat down with her mom, Adrienne Banfield Jones, and daughter Willow to talk candidly about good parenting, Adrienne's past drug abuse, and how Willow feels about fame. Despite the serious themes, it was a really motivational segment and I like how the three chatted so candidly about the topics above. When Willow asked her mom how she juggles being a wife and a mother (about 8:40 mins in), Jada went into a long but really insightful response about the need to take care of yourself and staying balanced, communicating your needs, and how pushing aside your own dreams only leads you towards resentment and relying on others for your happiness.
"Every day when I wake up in the morning, I go into meditation and I ask for guidance from the powers, the intangible powers and I get focused. I think what does Willow need to do today? Okay, let me check that off, let me handle that. What does Jaden need today? What does daddy need today? And okay, Jada, before the day is done, you better make sure that you take care of yourself. And that's a new thing for me…
The reason why you always have to be in communication, especially with me, your family, your grandmother, your father, your brothers, your friends, the people you love you, you have to understand that life is a journey. Communication creates partnerships, that we are here to assist you, that we can't make your life for you, and we can't help you with the things that we don't know, and that you always have to remember to take care of you first and foremost because when you stop taking care of yourself, you get out of balance and you really forget how to take care of others. And I think that we've been taught that taking care of yourself is a problem."
"Each year and each day I get more and more in balance and more alignment and you know what? I get more and more happy...The more happy I am and the more fulfilled I am, it works for the family."
Watch the full episode below and tell me, do you ever find yourself putting everyone else's needs before your own and feeling guilty about saying no to other's requests? I know I have a hard time slotting in some me time or putting my foot down when something truly matters to me and it's true, then I point fingers when I'm not happy or frustrated with how things are going when it's all under my control to change. How do you find balance in your life?
"Every day when I wake up in the morning, I go into meditation and I ask for guidance from the powers, the intangible powers and I get focused. I think what does Willow need to do today? Okay, let me check that off, let me handle that. What does Jaden need today? What does daddy need today? And okay, Jada, before the day is done, you better make sure that you take care of yourself. And that's a new thing for me…
The reason why you always have to be in communication, especially with me, your family, your grandmother, your father, your brothers, your friends, the people you love you, you have to understand that life is a journey. Communication creates partnerships, that we are here to assist you, that we can't make your life for you, and we can't help you with the things that we don't know, and that you always have to remember to take care of you first and foremost because when you stop taking care of yourself, you get out of balance and you really forget how to take care of others. And I think that we've been taught that taking care of yourself is a problem."
"Each year and each day I get more and more in balance and more alignment and you know what? I get more and more happy...The more happy I am and the more fulfilled I am, it works for the family."
Watch the full episode below and tell me, do you ever find yourself putting everyone else's needs before your own and feeling guilty about saying no to other's requests? I know I have a hard time slotting in some me time or putting my foot down when something truly matters to me and it's true, then I point fingers when I'm not happy or frustrated with how things are going when it's all under my control to change. How do you find balance in your life?