We’re thrilled to welcome Tania Lopez, Parenting Coach and qualified hypnotherapist, to our blog today! With her wealth of experience in the fields of hypnotherapy, counseling, and teaching, Tania has a unique understanding of the challenges faced by busy parents everywhere and she’s committed to helping them find balance.
As an entrepreneur, Tania also knows firsthand the challenges that come with running a business.
In this article, she explores the fascinating ways that parenting principles align with business success, providing invaluable guidance for both entrepreneurs and parents alike.
Enjoy!
Have you heard the saying, “how you do anything is how you do everything?” Well, if you’re in business and you’re a parent, this is for you.
How can parenting principles help you with business?
I have been helping mums with their children’s behaviour for the last 20 years and here is what I’ve gleaned about parenting and business.
There are 4 key parenting principles: clarity, connection, collaboration, and compassion.
Clarity
Many parents tell me that they have rules for their children, but they get broken and consequences are then given.
It’s fine to have a few rules around safety but many rules are there for convenience. I encourage parents to be guided by their core values so they can have clarity in how they role model these to their children.
For e.g. if honesty is a core value, it’s about having discussions as a family about how to live that value. It’s important to explore why being honest might be difficult and how to support each other. It’s more helpful to go down the route of curiosity before reaching any conclusions.
In business, clarity around your boundaries is important. Allow your core values to guide you.
The idea of curiosity before conclusion is helpful in business too and allows you the freedom to explore ideas, opportunities and connections.
Connection
Connection in parenting is key. This is what brings joy to both parents and children and helps navigate difficult situations and conversations. For e.g. if a child is behaving in a way that is challenging you, you may get annoyed without understanding the dynamics.
It may seem that they want to push your buttons, but if you see that getting a reaction from you, is actually their way of reaching out for connection, you can modify your response so they actually get their need met positively. This is one way of breaking negative cycles of behaviour and reactions.
For authentic connection, you need self-connection. Self-connection helps you modify your reaction. If you’re being challenged, it’s important to connect to the part of you that feels triggered and understand that you may have unmet needs too. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, any type of behaviour will feel challenging. Once you meet your needs, you can respond from a different perspective.
Of course, in business, many things can be challenging, from technology issues to receiving a bad review.
Self-connection helps you become aware of your triggers and not take things personally. Solutions come when you are connected to your values, your sources of inspiration and receive support from others.
Related: 5 Free Ways to Grow Your Traffic
Collaboration
A lot of parents tell me that they don’t feel in control so they try to control their children.
Although it can work sometimes, it doesn’t feel good for either.
I encourage them to collaborate with their children by involving them in household tasks, family discussions and decision-making, e.g. giving them choices.
When it comes to parenting, it’s important that you don’t try and do it all and, where possible, collaborate and delegate. This also applies to business and creating mental space by focusing on the tasks that you enjoy and need to do and delegating those that don’t.
Compassion
Self-compassion enables you to develop your resources so you can call upon them during testing times. Resources include emotional bandwidth, mental space, resilience, perspectives, inspiration and so much more.
This enables you to be compassionate with your children so you can understand them and be with them without trying to change them.
Compassion for others in your business helps to shift perspectives and dynamics.
There is much to learn from parenting that can help business and vice versa.
Related: We Shall Overcome—A Story of Entrepreneurial Triumph
About the Author
Tania Lopez is a Parenting Coach and a qualified and experienced hypnotherapist, counsellor, and teacher, specialising in helping stressed out and overwhelmed mums who are struggling with their children’s behaviour to encourage cooperation and to start enjoying parenting.
For the last 14 years she has worked as a teacher delivering parenting, confidence building and stress management courses to parents, and has two decades experience of working with families, many of whom were in crisis.
Tania is passionate about working with mums and has a great deal of empathy with the challenges they face whether they are at home, in work or just out in public. She loves working with unconscious processes as they dictate so many of our beliefs, feelings, habits and patterns. Bringing awareness with compassion to these, helps parents to transform their relationships with their family and to become empowered in taking control of their lives.
Tania has been featured on several podcasts and publications and was a panellist on the Strong-Willed Child Summit 2021.
You can find her through her website, Full Circle Hypnotherapy, or on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.