During my last maternity leave, I had an "aha" moment. I realized that underlying the various professional titles and "hats" I wear in life, I'm, in fact, a Project Manager by nature.

At the time, I had various personal projects running:

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• Assembling my family's diamond necklace
• Running English lessons for children in my building
• Searching for a new dog-friendly home with a garden (which I have still yet to find to this day)
• Closing another real estate investment project (because investments are the only way to remain financially stable in Israel)

I was also balancing professional growth-oriented projects, such as the assignments for my interior design course, including my final project to graduate. Meanwhile, I was asked if I was even planning on truly becoming an interior designer? Admittedly, the answer to this was no, but it didn't matter to me as I quite simply enjoyed the idea of being a designer. Similarly, I also had a project for my coaching course, where there as well I was asked if I was planning on becoming a coach. To that, I said "nope" as well, and I don't even like the title regardless. This course's project was to establish a new school that prepares our children for the realities of life, and not just how to be obedient students. Amidst all of these projects, I also had my job as a connector, where I helped my friends find jobs, edit their CVs, and conducted some marketing efforts for a few startups.

Finally, there were (and still are) the general projects of life, such as being a mother to my three children, a spouse, a daughter, a sister, and a business owner. Here, the list of projects only continues to grow: needing to issue a social security office, managing the never-ending household responsibilities, helping a friend relocate, and the few projects that will likely always sit on the backburner, like making a baby photo album of my kids.

Yes, from so many of the projects, it felt like I was drowning. (Oh, I was also trying to plan a vacation abroad, which of course, was also a project in itself.) But eventually, it hit me. I expected myself not to have any lingering, unfinished projects. So, by default, always assuming I would be able to finish them, I would take on new projects and continue to broaden my life perspectives. This realization is where I finally understood that my projects are actually the goals I want to achieve in life. These "life projects" are where I want to expand my knowledge, further my passions, and allocate my time. Once I embraced this shift in perspective, everything changed.

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Our life is our most precious project to manage. In the journey, we choose who and what justifies our time and energy.

So with this in mind, I decided to adopt a new project called "relaxation, appreciation & focus." Every day, this project entailed allocating 20 minutes to each of the following items: mindfulness, exercise, resting, writing, getting the little things done, and learning something new. Additionally, there were, of course, multiple sets of 20 minutes spent with the people I love.

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Two years have now passed since I marked "done" on many of my projects. I'm now a certified coach, designer, mentor cutting-edge startups, own a successful business, run 5Ks, made another real estate investment, helped a few professionals find their new jobs, and learn something new every day. Ultimately, I'm the mom I want to be and live my life to the fullest.

Today, my sister, sister-in-law, and I each wear the diamond necklace that I designed. With that, I have many new exciting projects on my plate that I am eager and ready to get done! So choose your projects wisely, and create the life you want to have.