Kathleen Gardenswartz
Are
you living the life you’ve dreamed of? Do you listen to your
intuition and act on your heart’s desires? Have you given yourself
the chance to live your very best life?
The
delicate dance of balance and motherhood often feels so elusive and
out of reach because it requires the strength to say no to external
noises dragging us down and the ability to listen to your internal
voice, or intuition, and act on it. But tuning in just might be the
thing to shake you alive.
It
is very common to seek balance by looking for external solutions to
deal with the extremes in life. In reality, everything you need to
live and thrive in balance exists within your being. It requires a
shift in thinking, a willingness to push your limits and take a stand
so you can see and acknowledge your limitless power inside.
Don’t
put your life on hold.
And
in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the
life in your years. – Abraham Lincoln
Being
a mother doesn’t mean you should stop pursuing your own life passions. Every day you teach your children by example, showing them the
critical element that dreams play in happiness and how to pursue them
with passion and excitement.
Acknowledge
that you are their greatest teacher in life and be that fantastic
example of putting joy into learning and show them the importance of
consistent personal growth.
Strive
to be the best you every day.
That
means believing in yourself, letting it shine out to the world. There
will always be external forces ready to set the bar for your life and
then delight in your attempts to surpass them. Instead, challenge
yourself, set your own bar in life and just revel in being yourself.
You are original, unique and have the capacity to make your life your
own.
Shift
to the present moment.
The
most profound shift you can make is to orient life to the present.
It’s where all the riches you seek in life can be found.
Consciously putting mindfulness into action requires hard work but
the results are powerful.
Deadlines
will continue to loom, situations will not always go as planned but
experiencing them fully allows you to understand that life moves on
and the excitement lies in being present for all of it. Old habits,
like focusing on what might happen or worrying and ruminating about
the past will diminish happiness and attract the negative results you
expect.
The
greatest gift you give yourself is to let go and just be. A great way
to start is through daily meditation. It puts the mind in the present
and allows you to ease into mindfulness. It is a release from the
pressures of the day, a way to recharge and alter life’s course
toward something extraordinary and more meaningful.
Allow
yourself to fail.
A
hard fall means a high bounce...if you're made of the right
material. ~Unknown
Learning
to fail in life without seeing yourself as a failure is a key
component to happiness. The truth is that you will fail, it will
happen, and that failure is a critical ingredient to personal growth.
Perfection is overrated, stifling, a false G-d that keeps demanding
more of what you don’t need. Often, the drive toward perfection is
your attempt to reach a bar someone else has set and will never lead
to personal joy or happiness.
The
experience of failure often leads to a heightened level of
creativity, an opportunity to see things in a new way or an
alternative path to pursue. The unintended consequences of failure
can bring amazing and life-changing success. So don’t be afraid to
dive in and see what happens.
Stretch
Yourself.
Think
of the pieces of your life as the spokes of a wheel. Each spoke,
health, love, family, career, spiritual, friends/community,
financial, adventure, all need to be in balance and on track. Goals
are critical because they identify where you are and where you need
to go. It is ok to push yourself toward a specific goal and see your
power in action. Challenges are good for you because they take you
out of your comfort zone and lead to new, enriching life experiences.
This
is your one life and it is all you will every have so give it your
full effort and attention. Every moment becomes precious when you
acknowledge its limits and decide that it’s up to you to make it an
amazing journey.
Every
day you do the impossible by tackling obstacles and overcoming
adversity all while experiencing the intense joy of being a mother.
No one knows better that life requires hard work and constant action
but ultimately it seeks out balance. Give love freely, to yourself
and others, show appreciation and be grateful that you can do your
part every day to make this planet better just by being part of it.
Happy Mother’s Day!
