Winning Woman: SamSam Mohamed

       Asalaam aleikum loves, I missed last week's winning women post because i was held up but here's this week's post. Meet Samsam, probably the woman with the most important career here, A mother. I wanted to share her story because despite the career woman ideal that is popularized (don't get me wrong, she has a masters degree, haha) it is also absolutely acceptable and equally praised to be a mother and a wife and a woman who takes care of her home. We should all aspire to be whatever we want to be. She also has a motherhood blog Simply A Mama.I hope you're all inspired by her as always.  

      1. Tell us a little about yourself, who is Samsam?

My name is Samsam S. I studied a degree in marketing and management and masters in Human resource management. Shortly after graduating I got married and became a mum.

2. What is it that you do as a career?

I took a break after completing my masters to become a stay at home mom until my son is old enough to join day care or preschool. Motherhood has inspired me to start my own parenting blog as a hobby to document my journey.

 3.  What’s the hardest and the best part about your job?

Being a mother is one of the hardest and unappreciated jobs because unlike other jobs it is non-stop from the minute you open your eyes to the minute you go to sleep. You plan your whole day around the baby’s schedule. Being a mother is also one of the most rewarding jobs in the world because you get to watch your baby grow. You are the role model to your children and that thought alone makes you become a better person; not to mention the feeling of unconditional love and the strong bond between my son and I.

 4. You’re a mother and a wife as well, tell us more about that?

I have to always find the right balance between my different roles. Blogging can be time consuming so I make sure that I set time aside for this hobby in a way that it doesn’t affect my husband and son’s time with me.

5.  In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?

Whenever things get tough I have to remind myself what motivated me to start in the first place. When I was doing my masters and an assignment would be challenging or a presentation doesn’t go as planned I have to remind myself why I’m studying that course. The easiest thing to do is to quit when things don’t go as planned but it takes determination to continue.

6. What does success mean to you?

Most people view success in terms of career and education, I believe both are very important in anyone’s life however; you might not be happy or fulfilled.  To me success is doing something I’m passionate about, even as a stay at home mom I feel like a success when my child learns a new skill.

Success is achieving the goals that I set out for myself even if they are small goals.

7.  What quote or saying or book do you live by or rather inspires you?

My favourite inspirational book is “Reclaim your heart” by Yasmin Mogahed, this book aims to encourage you when you are not motivated or when things don’t go as you planned. It gives you a different outlook on life.

8.  Which of your traits are you most proud of, why?

Adaptability, I adapt quickly to change. I moved around quiet a bit growing up so I always managed to adapt to different countries and different schools. When I got married I moved from Australia far from my family to live in Kenya with my husband and I think I managed to adapt well.

9. What characteristic do you most admire in other women, career women or otherwise?

I love when women encourage one another. Women who help others reach their goals without viewing it as a competition are women worth admiring because there is room for all of us to succeed and be great.

10. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received in your life and what advice would you give to girls who look up to you?

The best advice I have ever received was not to compare myself to others because everyone is on their own path in life.

I would advice any girl to dream big then work to achieve those dreams.  Set your goals and then take all the necessary steps to make it a reality; don’t be afraid of failure.