Champion blogger Honest Mum aka Vicki Psarias tells Closer how to get the best out of family and work life
It’s often debated whether women can have it all – balancing demanding careers with hectic family life – but top blogger Honest Mum (aka Vicki Psarias) says that success can measured in many different ways and that it’s up to us to strive for our own personal fulfilment.
Vicki, who is the author of Mumboss: The Honest Mum's Guide to Surviving and Thriving at Work and at Home, says, “Success is completely subjective and means a million different things to different people so you must firstly define what success means to you before striving for it. Success is never plain-sailing either nor can it be obtained overnight. Overnight success is a myth. There are also grave potential perils to success: broken relationships, burn-out and out-of-control egos."
WATCH: Vicki Pasarias on her new book Mum Boss:
“Yes, it’s complimentary to be deemed successful but the key, for me, anyway, is not financial success but financial security (money has never been a driving-force but there’s no shame if that’s the case as money equals freedom), creative fulfilment and happiness.”
“Success must FEEL like success. It mustn’t come at the expense of your mental health or happiness. What’s the point if that’s the case. That’s the pay-off? I never sit back and think I’ve reached the pinnacle of success and ticked off all of my goals though because a) I haven’t and b) we keep evolving and goals change as we do. There is so much I want to achieve and do. Creativity has no limits. Don’t forget that.”
Vicki’s Tips for Success:
1. Passion. Without passion, we have nothing. You owe it to yourself to engage in lots of pursuits in your down-time in order to discover what in fact rocks your boat. Ask yourself what you loved as a child? Return to what made your heart sing before the pressures of adult life kicked in, and create a business or side-hustle doing what you love. It is only then that you will succeed because you’ll have something you believe in to fight for when the inevitable going gets tough. Be authentic on and offline: it’s what people need in order to trust, invest and follow you.
2. Consistent commitment. Whether it’s writing a blog, creating video content for YT or designing clothes etc etc. your business requires and depends on consistent commitment, not haphazard content over time, in order to grow and thrive. Readers/viewers and consumers need to know they can depend on you for regular content as do Search Engines and clients. The more you exercise your creative muscle, the easier it is to keep on exercising, day after day, week after week.
129 pretty girl names and their beautiful meanings! - SLIDER
1 of 25pretty girl names
2 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with A
AbigailMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Abigail means to 'Give Joy'AcaciaMeaning : With Greek origin, Acacia means 'Guileless' and 'Honorable'AimeeMeaning: A beloved friend in French!AlexandriaMeaning : With Greek origin, Alexandria is a feminine version of Alexander, which means 'Defender of Men'AmberMeaning : With English origin, Amber is a jewelled name, from the yellowish resin used in jewellery makingAmeliaMeaning : With a blend of origins, Amelia means 'Industrious' and 'Striving' and is often associated with 'defender'AmélieMeaning : With French origin, Amelie means 'Hard working'AngelinaMeaning: With Greek origin, Angelina means 'Messenger' and 'Angel'AoifeMeaning : With Irish origin, Aoife is a tribute to 'the greatest woman warrior in the world'AprilMeaning: With English origin, April means 'Opening buds of spring', a traditionally seasonal nameArabellaMeaning: With Latin origin, Arabella means 'Yielding to prayer'AriaMeaning: With Hebrew origin, Aria means 'Air' but is derived from Ariel, which means 'Lion of God'AspenMeaning: With English origin, Aspen comes from a popular tree in the West that has heart shaped leaves that quiver in the lightest breezeAthenaMeaning: With Greek origin, Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfareAubreyMeaning: With a French and German origin, Aubrey means 'Fair Ruler of the Little People'AurelieMeaning: With French origin, Aurelie means 'Sun'AuroraMeaning: With a Latin meaning of 'Dawn', Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morningAutumnMeaning : A seasonal nameAvaMeaning : With German origin, Ava means 'Bird' and is the Hebrew form of EveAveryMeaning : Originally an English surname that was derived from a French version of Alfred, very means 'Counsel'AzaleaMeaning : With Greek origin, Azalea means 'Dry' and is representative of a flower
3 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with B
BelleMeaning : With French origin, Belle is short for Isabella and means 'Beautiful'BridgetteMeaning : With French origin, Bridgette means 'Strength' and is associated with the mythological Celtic goddess of fire and poetryBlossomMeaning : With English origin, Blossom means 'Fresh'
4 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with D
DahliaMeaning: 'Dweller in the valley'DaisyMeaning : Derived from the flower, Daisy comes from the Old English word dægeseage, meaning 'Day's eye'DakotaMeaning : Dakota is representative of the two US states and means 'Friend'DelilahMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Delilah means 'Delicate'DawnMeaning : With English origin, Dawn means 'Aurora' and represents the appearance of daybreak
5 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with E
EdenMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Eden means 'Delight'ElizaMeaning : With Greek origin, Eliza means 'Oath of God' or 'God is Satisfaction'EllaMeaning : Short for Eleanor and Ellen, Ella means 'Light' and 'Beautiful fairy woman'ElodieMeaning : With French origin, Elodie means 'Foreign riches'EloraMeaning : Inspired by the city in Ontario, Elora is a variant of Elenora and LauraEvaMeaning : With Latin origin, Eva means 'Life' and 'Living one'
6 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with F
FernMeaning : With English origin, Fern is representative of a green plant that loves shadeFionnualaMeaning : With Irish origin, Fionnuala comes from Irish mythology and means 'White shoulder'FloraMeaning : With Latin origin, Flora means 'Flower'FlorenceMeaning : With Latin origin, Florence comes from the French name Florentia and means 'Blossoming'
7 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with G
GardeniaMeaning : With English origin, Gardenia means 'The flower'GenevieveMeaning : With German origin, Genevieve means 'Famous bearer' and 'Of the race of women'GeorgiaMeaning: 'Farmer' and 'Worker of the earth'GiselleMeaning: With French origin, Giselle means 'Hostage' and 'Pledge' and is thought to have originated as a nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign courtGraceMeaning: With English origin, Grace means 'God's favour'
8 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with H
HazelMeaning : With English origin, Hazel comes from the nut-bearing shrubHeatherMeaning : With English origin, Heather is a flowering evergreen often found in ScotlandHelenMeaning : With Greek origin, Helen means 'Shining light'HollyMeaning : Taken from the Holly tree, whose sharp leaves come from the Old English word holegn, which means 'to prick'HyacinthMeaning : With Greek origin, Hyacinth is a flower that sprouted from the blood of Hyacinthus who was accidently killed by Apollo
9 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with I
IrelandMeaning : A destination name. Ireland evolved from the word Eriu, a Gaelic goddess who was the goddess of sovereigntyIsabellaMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Isabella means 'Devoted to God'IslaMeaning : With Scottish origin, Isla is the name of two Scottish rivers and also the name of an island just off the west coastIvoryMeaning : With English origin, Ivory means 'Pure'IvyMeaning : With English origin, Ivy means 'Faithfulness' and derives from the plant
10 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with J
JadeMeaning: With Spanish origin, Jade means 'Stone of the colic' as it was believed that the green stone could cure colic in babies if placed on their stomachsJanuaryMeaning : Aside from just being a month of the year, January means 'Month of the wolf' and 'God of the doorway'JasmineMeaning : With Persian origin, Jasmine comes from the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowersJaylaMeaning : With African-American origin, Jayla means 'One who is special'JosephineMeaning : With French origin, Josephine means 'May Jehovah'JulietteMeaning : With Italian origin, Juliette literally means 'An Italian'JuneMeaning : With Latin origin, June means 'Young' and is known as the bridal month in modern times
11 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with K
KatherineMeaning : With Latin origin, Katherine means 'Pure' and 'Clear'KensingtonMeaning : With English origin, Kensington means 'The town of Cynsige's people' and is also a district within West London's Royal Borough, known as Britain's richest streetKieraMeaning : With Irish origin, Kiera means 'Little dark one' and was originally bestowed upon those babies born with dark hair or a dark complexion
12 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with C
CarmelMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Carmel means 'Garden' and is a mountain mentioned in the Old TestamentCelineMeaning : With French origin. Celine means 'Sky' or 'Heaven'CharlotteMeaning : With French origin, Charlotte means 'Free man' or 'Petite'ClaraMeaning : With Latin origin, Clara means 'Clear, Bright and Famous'CloverMeaning: 'Lucky'ColetteMeaning : With French origin, Colette means 'Victorious'
13 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with L
LaylaMeaning: With Arabic origin, Layla means 'Night' and is the object of romantic poems that was written by the 7th century poet QaysLilaMeaning: 'Dark beauty'LilacMeaning: With English origin, Lilac means 'Flowering pale purple shrub'LillianMeaning : With Latin origin, Lillian means 'Pure' and is representative of the flowerLilyMeaning : With English origin, Lily means 'Pure' and is the symbol of innocence, purity and beautyLondonMeaning : Representative of the city, which is derived from LondiniumLottieMeaning : With French origin, Lottie means 'Tiny' and 'Feminine'LotusMeaning : With Egyptian origin, Lotus comes from the Lotus flowerLuluMeaning : With Latin origin, Lulu means 'Famous warrior'LunaMeaning : With Latin origin, Luna means 'Moon'
14 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with M
MarilynMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Marilyn means 'Wished-for child' and 'Rebellion'MarnieMeaning : With several origins, namely Hebrew and Latin, Marnie means 'Rejoice' and 'Of the sea'MathildeMeaning : Originating from two German words 'Maht' and 'Hild', meaning 'Strength' and 'Battle', making Mathilde have a meaning of 'Mighty in battle'MayMeaning : Representative of the month, May is also a name for the hawthorn flower
15 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with N
NoraMeaning : With Latin origin, Nora means 'Honour' and 'Reputation'NessaMeaning 'Ambitious' and 'Fierce'
16 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with O
OakleyMeaning : With English origin, Oakley means 'Clearing of oak tree', 'Meadow' and 'Clear field'OdetteMeaning : With German and French origin, Odette means 'Wealth'OliviaMeaning : With Latin origin. Olivia is derived from the word 'Olive' and was first used with this spelling by William Shakespear in his comedy 'Twelfth Night'OpalMeaning : Coming from the precious gemstone, Opal means 'Jewel'
17 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with P
ParisMeaning : With Greek origin, Paris originates from Greek mythology where Paris, the Prince of Troy had a love affair that caused the Trojan warPearlMeaning: 'Precious'PenelopeMeaning : With Greek origin, Penelope means 'Bobbin'PoppyMeaning : With English origin. Poppy is from the popular flowerPrimroseMeaning : With Latin origin, Primrose means 'First Rose'PromiseMeaning : With French origin, Promise comes from the Old French "promesse," which translates to 'Guarantee' and 'Assurance'
18 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with Q
QuinnMeaning : With Irish origin, Quinn means 'Wisdom', 'Reason' and 'Intelligence'
19 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with R
RayneMeaning : With multiple meanings across the languages, Rayne means 'Queen' in French and English and 'Mighty' in Scandinavian. It has been disputed that it has a Jewish origin also, meaning that Rayne means 'Song'Rome-MarieMeaning : As this name is split, it's meanings differ, but when brought together means 'Strength' and 'Power'RomilyMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Romily means 'God's beloved one' and is also representative of a French destinationRoseMeaning : With German origin, Rose is representative of the flowerRosemaryMeaning : With Latin origin, Rosemary means 'Dew of the sea'RubyMeaning : With Latin origin, Ruby is taken from the red gemstoneRuthMeaning : With Hebrew origin, Ruth means 'Companion' and 'Vision of beauty'
20 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with S
SaffronMeaning : With English origin, Saffron comes from both the spice and the flower it comes fromSaharaMeaning : Aside from being the desert in North Africa, Sahara means 'Dawn'SavannahMeaning : With English origin, Savannah means 'From the open plain'ScarlettMeaning : With English origin, Scarlett means 'Red' or represents those who wear the scarlet cloth.SicilyMeaning : With English origin, Sicily is representative of the city in ItalySophieMeaning : With Greek origin, Sophie means 'Wisdom'SummerMeaning : With English origin, Summer is representative of the season and the carefree attitude that it bringsSydneyMeaning : With English origin, Sydney means 'Wide Island'
21 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with T
TinsleyMeaning : With English origin, Tinsley represents a place in South Yorkshire
22 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with U
UchennaMeaning: 'God's will'UdeleMeaning: 'Prosperous one'UlaniMeaning: 'Light hearted'
.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
23 of 25Uchenna Meaning: ‘God’s will’ Udele Meaning: ‘Prosperous one’ Ulani Meaning: ‘Light hearted’
ValentinaMeaning: With Latin origin, Valentina means 'Strong' and 'Healthy'VeniceMeaning: Representative of the Italian cityVictoriaMeaning : With Latin origin, Victoria means 'Victory' and 'Conquer'ViennaMeaning : With German origin. Vienna means 'White' and 'Fair'ViolaMeaning : The English meaning for Viola is 'Violet'VioletMeaning : From the Old French violette, a diminutive form of viole, which is derived from the Latin viola
24 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with W
WillaMeaning : A female form of WilliamWillowMeaning : With English origin, Willow means 'Slender' and 'Graceful'WinterMeaning : Representatie of the coldest season of the year, Winter also means 'Bringing of Renewal'.
25 of 25Pretty girls names beginning with X, Y and Z
XanaMeaning: 'Golden haired'YarinaMeaning: 'Peaceful'YeiMeaning: 'Flourishing'ZahleeMeaning: 'Princess'ZahraMeaning: 'Flower'
READ MORE:
Victoria Beckham warns David: ‘This relationship is bad for our family'
Jess Wright: 'Mum's really excited about being a grandmother'
3. Resilience. When the going gets tough, you need to get back up again, and again. This is where passion and love comes in. You love your child so you will be there for them in the good and the bad times (e.g. waking up in the middle of the night despite being close to exhaustion). It’s that unconditional love in your work that you must serve too. Resilience is built like armour over time. You can do this.
4. A support network. It takes a village to raise a baby and a village to raise a mumboss as I write in my book. We all need friends whom we can rely on who love us for who we are, and want the best for us. Vitally, we need people who can be honest with us and we them. Integrity is everything. Nurture those precious relationships, be a good friend yourself, and spend quality time with your partner too. Try not to take others for granted or have crazy expectations. Everyone is simply trying their best.
5. Time to breathe. You are not a machine. Repeat after me: YOU ARE NOT A MACHINE. You require down-time, nature, exercise, great food, sleep, laughter and a chance to do absolutely nothing but eat Dairy Milk and watch Reality TV. It is only then that you will feel re-inspired and motivated once more
Let us know what your tips for success are on our Facebook or Twitter pages.