Life Changer???

Everyone has someone in their life that has made a profound impact. But, have you ever been told by someone that YOU are that person for them? It feels good, but it also comes with a little pressure to always be that influence.

What do you do in your friend's and family's lives that make you the life changing impact? Do you offer unmatched emotional support and guidance? Do you provide a lifestyle that allows for your loved ones to never worry about finances? You know what you do? Just be yourself. You be your best self, and that is the impact the people in your life need. We are all drawn to one another for a reason, yes, nothing is coincidental. Being your best self allows for your true purpose to shine through to others. Either you will inspire them, or support them, or teach them something.

Everyone in this world has something to offer. And everyone in this world has something to learn, something to gain from others. This makes our relationships symbiotic, each one gaining and giving in return. Sometimes, these relationships may feel one-sided. That just means you have to look deeper for the lesson. You have to examine the relationship closer in order to see what is not on the surface.

Even the most selfish of people teaches us something, even if it is as simple as how we do NOT want to be in our lives. Learning what not to do is as important as learning what TO do. It is just a different way of learning. Each of us impacts the universe. When you come across someone in a foul mood, do you not find yourself reacting in a foul way, at least at first? That person's negative attitude is testing you. Either you will adopt their example and feed into their negativity, or you will rise above. Either way, you have just been taught a lesson.

The person that falls prey to the negative Nelly learns that negativity is contagious and beware the attitude you spread to others. The positive Polly learns it takes effort to stay positive even in the face of adversity, and to never take a positive frame of mind for granted.

Either way, invaluable lessons have been learned.

So I ask you, how are you going to impact those around you today???

Passion

Do you have passion in your life? Do you wake up every day unable to wait to start your day? Do you love what you do with your life? Do you feel fulfilled, motivated? If not, why?

It's easy to get lost in the minutiae of life. It is easy to lose yourself in mundane, every day tasks and forget that you are a miracle. We view our children as miracles, yet as we get older we forget that we were once those children. Our parents once viewed us the miracles in their lives, and they probably still do.

Do you view yourself as a miracle in your own life? I know I don't. I have a whole complex where I put other people's needs first and then wonder why my own needs are not being met. It's something I am working on. Do you make yourself your own first priority? Odds are I would bet you view your children as your first priority. But, if something happened to you, it would hit them i the most profound way possible. So do you not at least owe it to your children, and yourself, to make YOU your top priority. You are teaching them self-esteem, self-confidence and independence. You are showing them how to treat themselves. When your children see mommy or daddy taking care of themselves first, they learn they too have to care for themselves first and foremost.

This will help your children not find themselves in abusive relationships, co-dependent relationships, or unhappy situations in general. Your children will grow up loving themselves too much to allow anyone to take advantage of them, or treat them with disdain. Your children will see their own value, early on, and be able to confidently go into the world and know exactly what they want and how to get it.

All that simply by making YOU a priority. Is that not a powerful feeling? You have the capacity to change your own life, and your children's simply by taking the best care of YOU that you can. Why oh why do we all not jump on this bandwagon?!  Because we were taught somewhere along the way that this is selfish. We were convinced that selfish behavior is ALWAYS bad. There are some positive aspects to some selfish behavior.

Being selfish is okay when it does not come at the expense of others. You can have a spa day as long as your bills are paid, and your kids are cared for first. You can go on vacation as long as the mortgage payment is on time and you have food in the fridge. Your selfish behavior has to match what your abilities are first. If you can only swing a self-manicure due to money being tight because you are a one income family, then you find the joy in that. You allow yourself the pampering and care that your life can support.

If you cannot afford to join a gym, find some stairs to run up and down, do push-ups and crunches, or jump rope. But take care of yourself! We have to balance taking care of ourselves, and making ourselves our first priority with what we can realistically afford monetarily, emotionally and mentally.

The lessons your children will learn are invaluable, and all you have to do is make yourself your first priority. It is a win-win situation.

What Lifted You Up Today??

I read an article that suggested you list three things daily that make you smile. They do not have to be big things, just the simple little things in your day that make you stop for a moment and appreciate life.

My first one was when my little Gabbi wrapped her arms around me this morning. She has not been feeling well and is even clingier to mommy lately. But she just wraps her arms around me, pats my back and melts my heart. It makes me stop, forget the sleepless night and just be.

The second moment happens five days a week. When I take my older two girls to school, we have the best time. We sing in the car, we goof on silly things we see and we play "Punch Bug, No Punch Backs." Our ride is 15 minutes, at most, but it is a really enjoyable time for me, because I feel good they are starting the day out in a happy note.

Today the third moment happened when I caught a side view glance of myself in the mirror and thought, "girl, are you losing weight?!?!" LOL! It was a welcome change from some of the usual negative feedback I give myself. So I gave myself a pat on the back for both the acknowledgement and the weight loss. Then I made baked mac-n-cheese for dinner, to really celebrate.

What are your thankful moments? Write them down, somewhere, everyday. Keep a journal, post it on Facebook, Instagram your moment. Do whatever you can to acknowledge the moment and solidify it to look back at later.

Love Makes The World Go Round....

I saw one of the ecards yesterday on Facebook that said something like, try going a whole day with no complaining, and see what positivity it brings to your life.  Today is my day.  Today I will go through the day without one complaint. 

A positive attitude is certainly the best friend of us all, but in our society how hard is it to keep?  I mean, we get irritated at service people when they do not do a great job, we get irritated with our loved ones when they do not perform to our expectations, we get irritated at traffic that is standing still on a highway.  Our society is filled with negativity at varying levels throughout.  There are people that walk around with a permanent scowl on their faces, and then there are those that seem fine until one day they erupt with anger and attack someone out of no where.

When did our society become so full of angst, and more importantly how do we tame the beast?!?  I think we all need a good solid round of Kumbayah and a hug fest or something.  Looking at cultures worldwide I think it is true that Americans tend to be the least affectionate, and the among the most negative.  I think as a whole we are somewhat of an unhappy people.  How else is the self-help field so successful in this country.  People know they are troubled and want to do something about it but need guidance and help to find true inner peace and happiness.

What would it take for you to be happy and content every day?  What would it take for your days to be complaint free?  What would you need in order to walk around smiling every day, just because you are happy to be on this planet and not lost in the minutia of day to day society?  Why not start with just one day, one day of actively keeping a positive attitude?  Try it with me now people, breathe in, exhale, and start anew. 

**Edited to Add....

I have complained a couple times today, I am confessing here and now.  I complained about a friend earlier to my mother, and I complained to my husband this morning when I saw something on television that really ticked me off about a baby being wrongfully taken from his parents. 

This whole no complaining thing is even harder than I thought.  How can we avoid complaining and express discontent about things in our society??  I mean, I was also working through the problem with the friend with my mom so it was not like I was merely emotionally dumping on my mom.  It was like therapy...lol...anyone that knows my mom knows why that is insanely funny.  

So those are my confessions for today.  I am going to keep on working on my positivity, today, one day at a time. 

The Art of Being Mom is a Juggling Act.

The past few weeks have been hectic at best. Sometimes the roller coaster moments of parenthood can be exhausting.   I have this complex where I try to do more than I can actually handle.  This leads to exhaustion, and the repeated smacking upside my head of reality and what I can and cannot do.  There are times when I just have to say no, or come to terms with not being able to juggle everything at once.  

Prioritization and time management are a Moms best friend,  but life with kids sometimes throws that out the window.   Our best is all we can expect from ourselves,  and that is okay!!  One of the most important things we need in our lives is a great support network,  a cheering squad, a rock, a shoulder, whatever you name it, a support system is what it boils down to.  We need someone who loves us for us, accepts us for us, flaws and all. We need someone who is as dedicated to us as we are to them.  

Life is too short and precious to be spent feeling insecure, unhappy, and overwhelmed. We should enjoy our families, ourselves, our friends,  all the relationships in our lives. We should be happy, not miserable. We should have fun, and be responsible. We should teach our children how to be loving, independent,  responsible,  and silly.  Lead by example and the kids will follow.  Do not fall into that do as I say, not as I do frame of mind.

Live life to the fullest, never regreting any moment. Teach the children well...and they will blossom like flowers in a garden.