Well, the Holidays are over, and everyone is somewhat glad for it. EXCEPT for this whole resolution thing–I mean talk about a whole other animal… I’m sure some of us still haven’t even sent out our holiday cards yet! So, the thought of making resolutions is a bit much to process.
This time of year can leave us feeling one of two ways: really good or really inadequate. Some of us may feel like we need to completely makeover our life. It is very easy to focus on what needs to change and/or improve and ignore what is going right in our life–it’s in our nature as human beings. While we all know that there is room for improvement, there is also room to give ourselves grace.
I feel like the New Year is the time that everyone questions their entire life. Are we doing enough? Do I have enough? Am I fit enough? Am I good enough? The list of questions never ends. We essentially layout our life before ourselves and check one of two boxes: good enough or not enough.
Our resolutions might be centered on: parenting styles, workout habits, spending habits, cleaning routines, reading habits, television habits, etc., etc., etc. Whatever we are facing head on during the new year as a: mom, wife, sister, daughter, or aunt – remember that nothing comes without hard work, humility, hope, love, and grace. When something that we genuinely want to improve on doesn’t happen the first few times, that doesn’t mean that the effort and goal is hopeless. It just means it may take a different kind of strategy, more time, or help from others. Give yourself the grace to understand that change takes time, especially for something to really stick.
I remember when I first became a mom thinking I had to do it all, be it all, and have it all figured out. If I didn’t have a cleaning schedule, and keep an orderly house, I wasn’t succeeding at running a home. If I didn’t have my own personal blog, and actually write in it, then I didn’t have much to offer to others. If dinner wasn’t ready as soon as the clock struck 6 o’ clock, my hardworking husband wouldn’t feel appreciated. If my child didn’t hit a milestone by the stereotypical time frame, then I wasn’t helping them enough. If I wasn’t crafty with everything I touched, I wasn’t creative enough. With all that pressure I placed on myself I felt like I was failing at this mom gig, that everyone around me would know, and my mom card would be take away from me. As New Year’s resolutions come and go, I’ve realized that my life is building gradually. That I’m not going to achieve everything on my “new mama” list, all within the first year of my child’s life. I first master one thing, and then I can begin to move onto the next. All while allowing myself to live in grace, and understanding.
Take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Even if we focused on one thing for 2017, and really put our all into creating or changing a habit, that would be better than having a list of ten plus resolutions and not finishing a single one of them. We as moms are already spread pretty thin–so let’s not do it to ourselves, and then feel guilty for not becoming a ‘Martha Stewart’ by the time February rolls around.
With all that said, can we just have a moment of silence for 2016? It was a crazy filled year for the world, let alone you personally, I’m sure.
In the spirit of New Years resolutions let’s all raise our glass to: focusing on the winning moments, improving the difficult moments, and celebrating the graceful moments.