Motivational mum Turia Pitt shared her journey for a third time at Illawarra Women In Business (IWIB) on Friday and one thing many wanted to know was how she was enjoying life as a mum.
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Turia spoke about her son Hakavai towards the end of her inspirational talk after bringing everyone up to date on her journey.
She spoke of her how her life as a mining engineer changed dramatically when she was caught in a grass fire and suffered burns to 65 per cent of her body while competing in an ultra-marathon in 2011. And how every operation since then has made a positive difference.
The humanitarian, athlete and author is a renowned speaker and motivationalist who inspires thousands through her story of surviving against the odds. But she said her story would not be complete if she did not talk about her ‘beautiful partner Michael’ and her son Hakavai.
“There are a lot of things I could say about Michael but the main thing is he reminds me that even though it is super important to be single minded and committed to your goals. We need to get some perspective and take a step back from that. Because the most important thing in our lives is our relationships”.
Turia said when she first had Hakavai she found herself saying she “had to” things for him. But now she says “I get to”. “Because I get to be here and around to watch him grow up. This subtle shift in my language changed the focus of my obligation to one of gratitude”.
Turia described gratitude as a real game changer. “The awesome thing about gratitude is you can’t be grateful and bitter at the same time. You can’t be grateful and envious at the same time. If you are truly grateful that is the only experience you can have”.
Asked what her biggest challenge was in being a mum. She said it was rewiring her brain to be less focused on personal goals and making her son the priority because being a parent is such an important responsibility.
When asked what the priority was for her in the next five years her answer “hopefully more babies” drew applause.
And on what advice she will give to her children she said plans to do things with them such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or buying Christmas presents for children who don’t have as much as them.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
