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Congratulations! You have made it through this epic change humanity is experiencing, all while maintaining a home...and a family...and yourself! It is both profound and confounding at the same time. I went into the year thinking 2020, “What an amazing year! A year that will be full of perfect 20/20 vision and perfect hindsight.” … Although it didn’t look anything like I was expecting - especially as a mother - it brought on an amazing transformation.
There have been so many descriptions about what was coming to transform the Earth and humanity. But I don’t think anyone knew it would come in this form. Something that stopped everyone from their normal routine and gave us a whole new lens through which to view the world through.
Have there been challenging moments?
Absolutely!
Will there be more challenges?
Absolutely!
We’ve learned to live in a whole new way and cleaned out our closets...both physically and emotionally. Now it’s tyme to bring this new you back into the world to incorporate who you have grown into and reintroduce yourself. If you don’t feel like this is the journey you are on yet. I would love to pass on some of the daily practices I personally implemented. These practices have made the journey of life, and the past year especially, feel more empowered, enriched, and enjoyable.
- Meditation
- Learning new perspectives and unlearning old ones
- Reading and growing my knowledge
- Speaking the mantras below into existence.
“I Deserve to Prioritize Myself”
Most moms can admit that we get lost in “doing.” Doing things for our children, for our partners, for our in-laws, or the neighbor. It’s a part of our nature to help, trust me, I get it! Some of us get lost in the opportunity to help and it turns into what feels like an obligation to help. In that obligation, we lose our focus on who we are and what we want. If you’re always putting the needs of others over your own, it’s nearly impossible to be the best version of you, you can be.
So...prioritize yourself! Nurture yourself. Nurture your mind. Nurture your spirit. Nurture your body. Try to make time for yourself every single day. Even if it’s just five minutes a day, at LEAST it’s five minutes that day to just center yourself. You deserve it.
And don’t forget that by prioritizing yourself, you’re setting an incredible example for your children! They should learn how to prioritize their own needs and wants, and who better to set that example than the wonder woman who cares for them - and herself - on a daily basis.
“Follow My Excitement”
Breaking down our mold of prioritization gives us space to follow our excitement.
I love using this analogy with people! Think about a decision you have coming up or even just your plans for Friday night. You can get dressed up and go out, or you can stay at home in your sweats and read a book. Now grab a coin. Heads you’re going out. Tails you’re staying in. In that split second before the coin lands, you probably already know what it is you want to do. When that coin lands, you’re either really excited or slightly disappointed, right?
Stop letting yourself be slightly disappointed! Go with the option that brings you more excitement. Adopting this way of making decisions in your life truly unlocks possibilities. You stop sweating the small stuff. You stop doing things out of obligation. You start prioritizing joy and excitement.
Imagine what that can do for your parenting style?! Parents continuously put themselves and subsequently our children in the role to follow the status quo. Let your kids live in their excitement and not just follow the norms of society. Those expectations are so tough for kids to navigate and engrains a self-conscious mindset that prevents them from pursuing their passion.
I think the world needs a bit more of that. People who lead a life full of pursuing their excitement.
“I Am Enough”
It’s a practice.
From a young age, we are constantly pushed into categories and stereotypes. When you search for the core of why a kid is hard on themselves in sports or school, or even why people insult themselves or they feel like they don’t look good in pictures… it all stems from that core feeling that you don’t feel like you’re good enough for something. All of us have those beliefs. That’s where doubt and fear and judgment start to come in. But what some people don’t recognize is when you let those feelings win, and you start judging yourself, it spills out. It turns into doubt and fear and judgment of other people.
None of that is who we truly are.
You are born enough in this world and you are worthy of everything in this world. When you start saying that to yourself and honing in on that fact...it changes your world.
Don’t leave these mantras in this blog. Take them with you. Start practicing them.
And remember…
The best parent version of you stems from the actual best version of you.
