I know you have all been there. You are trucking along, executing the plan, with everything organized in a routine. You fly from meeting to meeting with ease. Everything is prepped in advance. You can put your finger on the data, just as someone asks for it. People are in awe at how together you are. You swoop into an open parking spot in front of the preschool and retrieve your kids in plenty of time. Teacher appreciation week – no sweat – you have bought gifts in advance and you get the kids to make sweet cards as a pre-dinner activity. Even a sick child doesn’t derail you – you have planned for this and your backup care system kicks in. You even have crayons in your purse when there is a meltdown at the supermarket. Your energy level is high and endless. You are in the groove, together, polished (like your finger nails, which you have somehow managed to keep manicured.) Other moms hate you because you secretly wear the superwoman cape.

That was me three weeks ago – in the groove, working it. Then someone must have handed me the mommy kryptonite.

For the past two weeks I have been without my Mother’s Assistant due to an unexpected personal emergency. At first reliable, my backup daycare plan has now crumbled as well. My kids’ schools are in the annual wind-down, which you probably know means countless end-of-year parties, trips, and boondoggles – all of which require far too much parental involvement. Additionally, work has gone crazy, mostly due to the endless energy I put into it three weeks ago.

Me, I’m a wreck. I showed up at a meeting today mismatched, with a black purse, brown shoes, and no agenda or notes. I had to hide my chipped fingernails under the conference table while I scrambled to recall the salient points of my presentation. Usually calm, positive, and friendly, I barked at the attendance monitor when she called to inform me my child was tardy this morning. (“I KNOW that, I’m the one who made him tardy!) Yesterday I drove around the block four times waiting for a parking spot in front of the preschool, then had the dubious honor of being the last parent to pick up. “Where have you been, Mommy? And what’s for dinner?” Oh crap, I forgot about dinner.

Where did it all go wrong? What part of my utility belt is broken?

Applying business principles for a moment, let’s start with the plan. Was it realistic? Did I do enough competitive research? Maybe I need to expand my scenario planning model? Or, is it the execution? Do I have the right people, in the right place, at the right time?

I think one of my biggest faults is the tendency to over-commit, especially when things are going well. I forget that life, like the market, has cycles and I am not always going to be at the top. Three weeks ago when I was scaling tall buildings in a single bound, it was probably a bad idea to schedule five days in a row of back to back meetings. Moreover, when my son’s school asked for help for the end-of-year picnic, I should have resisted the temptation to volunteer my time to pick up ice cream. Now, in addition to being a wreck, I feel GUILTY because I don’t want to let everyone else down.

A good friend advised me today to decline every new request, both work and personal, from now until my assistant returns next week. I need to lean on others and ask them for help; my husband, my friends, my coworkers. This is generally hard for me to do. She also reminded me to live fully in the moment with each action I take between now and then, so that instead of a worried, distracted, and stressed mother/leader/friend, I am the person everyone needs me to be. It is sound advice and I know it will take everything I have to muster the discipline to follow it.

Ahhhh. Maybe I should invest in a new invisible airplane, just in case.