I'm Mom, Me

Hey! Here am I!!! Did anyone miss me or notice my absence from blogging? Anyone? {cue crickets…} Well, I certainly missed writing and sharing and hopefully, I am back to a regular writing and posting routine. I did not plan on taking a break, but it’s funny how sometimes things seem to just happen at the time you need them to. 

Even though I wasn’t putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, I was still composing in my head every day….still making mental notes on tips and strategies for living my best life! Keep reading to review my list of things learned/ remembered during my blogging break!
 

The struggle is real!
It doesn’t matter where you are in your life right now…stay at home mom, work from home mom, about to be a mom, or not interested in being a mom, in school, teaching school, or applying to school…whether you work outside the home, are trying to buy a home, not working, working too much…it doesn’t matter, the struggle is real!
 
One thing I find myself saying over and over again when I talk to people or hear stories about people’s lives, is it ain’t easy. It just isn’t. And like I alluded to earlier, this doesn’t just relate to moms. People in all seasons and walks of life are putting forth tons and tons of effort to get a piece of that apple pie and live their life the best way they can!
 
Before I move on, please do remember, you are not alone. You aren’t the only one swamped at work, overwhelmed at home, sleepy, hungry and busy... Even if you don’t have 4 kids, or aren’t in school, or don’t have a mortgage, the struggle is real…it ain’t easy and we all need to support, inspire, and encourage each other. Reach out to someone and talk about it. We can do this!

You have to be your own biggest fan!

Because even the people in your friend circle, your spouse, best friend, and/or parents may not give you the backing you feel like you need. That doesn’t mean they don’t support or love you, they just don’t have your vision, know your deep rooted passions or goals, or basically are too busy and swamped themselves to give you the motivation and encouragement you would like. But don’t take the lack of a cheering section as your cue to abandon your dream or current goal….believe me, I know all about that tempting feeling of wanting to throw in the towel. Instead, cheer yourself on! Give yourself words of affirmation and reward your efforts with things that mean something to you. You are already equipped with everything you need! Those extra cheerleaders are just that…extra!
 
Find inspiration and tap into it daily!
So, I’ve become a bit of an instagram junkie and I’m not ashamed and here’s why. Sure, instagram is filled with trash and irrelevant pages and posts, but there are also TONS of people doing positive things, sharing wonderful tips, and basically trying to put more goodness in the world. These are the people I follow {Kardashians included…just because…hehehehehehehe} and I’ve been much more motivated to get the body that I want, to make better food choices, and just live a healthier lifestyle in general. Seeing pictures of people doing it themselves, reminds me that I can too! Find yourself some inspiration from a book, magazine, or any other place that you can tap into daily and fill up on the “I can do that too” power!

Success without sacrifice probably isn’t success.

Sometimes, ok, many times, I get caught up in feeling tired and don’t push through to get things done that I want to accomplish. And I’m not talking about the “little rocks” like washing the dishes or folding the laundry {although of course these things are important to me too and I do stay up late doing these things}, I’m talking about the big rocks, like pursuing a passion or working on something that brings me joy. Many times, I just want to sleep….which is important too. But if days pass with that same thought process…with me sleeping instead of working or “grinding” to learn something new or perfect an existing talent, how will I ever advance? Truth is, most successful people became successful because they worked hard…at some point. They read books while the rest of us slept. They sought out a mentor while the rest of us shopped. They practiced and tested and hypothesized while the rest of us complained and worried. Success requires sacrifice. Maybe you’ll have to sacrifice sleep, or time spent watching TV, or going on dates, but somethings got to give if you want to be great.

Say what you will about Diddy {yes, Sean Combs} but he said something very powerful to me that fits perfectly here: “You can’t cheat the grind. It knows how much you’ve invested. It won’t give you anything you haven’t worked for.”  Wow…that gives me chills every time I read it and it’s a wake-up call. How much have I invested? Dreams don’t work unless you do {another favorite quote} so let’s get up and stay up to make things happen. And if you don’t have a dream…if you have tunnel vision working your “day job”, do US ALL a favor and explore your heart to see the talents, gifts, and desires God gave you and work on honing that every day!

 

Whew! You don’t know how good it feels to get these thoughts off of my chest! Yay! I’m back!

What tips do you have for living the life of your dreams and being more productive? Do you already follow or think about any of the tips I just shared? I’d love to read your comments…especially if something resonated with you!

Thanks for reading!