How to End Your Year on a High Note!
The New Year is knocking on our door and we’re already thinking about resolutions and all the things we're going to change for next year! Some of us want to live a healthier lifestyle, eat better and get more active. Others want to improve their marriage, social life and overall happiness. Career changes, entrepreneurial dreams and business goals are weighing on our minds. Whether you want to travel more next year or do more charity work...take a step back for just a few moments.
It's easy to get lost in thinking about all the ways we’re deficient and need to change for the coming year. Moms tend to be super hard on themselves, not valuing all the things they do on a daily basis, as they perform the most important job of raising their children and caring for their families. The wonderful milestones we have made in a year, get tucked away in our minds behind the loads of laundry, schedules, doctor visits, birthday parties and never ending cleaning up. Instead our minds are tuned to pick up on everything we never got the time to do, because there aren't enough hours in the day.
This week as the excitement of Christmas began to fade, I found myself thinking about all of my “misses” this year. I lamented all the blog posts and book chapters that never got written, all the times I never made it to the park with the kids and the date nights that we never went on. I felt guilty about the times I let old eating habits creep back into my lifestyle and all the times I didn’t work out.
But as I scrolled through my photos from January to December, I was overcome with "the feels." Tears appeared in the corners of my eyes, before joyfully jumping down my cheeks. I was pleasantly surprised by all the victories of my journey this year and how much progress I have made towards the goals I set at the end of last year! The photos proved that I did much better than I thought!
I now eat a mostly healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Working out and meditation have made its way on to my to do list, and I make a conscious effort to do it weekly!I stepped out of my comfort zone and made amazing new friends. I embraced my love for writing and began pursuing it professionally. I started writing a memoir of my motherhood journey and have kept my blog consistent! I attended conferences, classes and workshops to improve my craft. I learned to love my natural curls and stopped chemically straightening my hair. I spent more time outdoors with my kids, enjoying and soaking up all the goodness and healing properties of nature. I took time for myself, my health and my own goals.
Whether you recognize it or not, I'm sure you have done many amazing things too. Perhaps you made it to a breastfeeding milestone or finally potty trained your toddler. Maybe you made a bigger effort to eat healthy and exercise more. You may have welcomed a new baby to your family and managed to survive your first few months as a new mom or mom of two. Maybe you suffered a loss and found the strength to grieve and grow while still caring for your family.
Nobody is perfect and we're always learning and growing, but I’m proud of all I have accomplished. You should be proud of yourself too. Let's look forward to a year of continued growth and building on the foundations we've laid down. For the last couple days of the year, let's celebrate everything that went well in 2017 and all the lessons we learned along the way, which have only made us stronger and smarter. We can worry about resolutions on the 1st! Cheers to you moms, and all the great things you've done this year! Scroll through your memories and celebrate them all! You've done an amazing job and next year will be even better!
My Mommy Wellness Journey 2017
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© Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com, 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
