Become Your Best You
Balance is a myth. It is a goal we all strive for, but never seem to be able to achieve. If you have kids, a job, a spouse, a significant other, a friend, a pet, a hobby, a family, a car, a house, a LIFE, then you probably don't have balance. Any of the above and more have the power to throw your life completely out of whack. Wow, that sounds really depressing, doesn't it? But guess what? There is good news. We are all out of balance together!
So, all that being said, how do we move forward with some semblance of sanity in our everyday lives? The answer that I have found is priorities. We all set priorities in our lives, and when something that we have determined as important gets pushed to the side, that is when we begin to feel our lives spinning out of control. For me, my top priority over the past 10 years has been raising my kids. Particularly my son who has autism. For many years, I couldn't focus on anything but getting him the help that he needed. No one can argue that this was not a "good" priority. Our kids MUST and SHOULD take center stage in our lives. However, while my son has thrived, I came to realize that important parts of "me" had been slowing dying off. So slowly, that I barely even noticed it was happening.
This year has been a year of setting new priorities in my life. Front and center is still my family, it always will be. But I have discovered that I don't have to shortchange myself in order to be a good wife and mother. I have discovered that taking care of my health and fitness is actually good for my entire family!! Go figure! By preparing and eating clean, healthy meals and exercising daily, I am demonstrating a healthy lifestyle for my children. They are learning by example, and for once, they are learning good things from me! HA!! I DON'T magically have the time to work out every day and make healthy meals. By shuffling my priorities around, I MAKE the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, I still have to resort to the occasional pizza, but THAT'S OK!! Life is not about being the perfect spouse, parent, friend, boss, employee, etc etc. It's being the best YOU you can be!!
If you read this post hoping to find the "secret" to living a balanced life, I am sorry. The secret is, it's a secret!! One that I'm not sure anyone will ever be privy to. However, by setting goals and priorities and COMMITING to achieve them, you can find peace and joy, even when life does not seem particularly peaceful or joyful.
So, all that being said, how do we move forward with some semblance of sanity in our everyday lives? The answer that I have found is priorities. We all set priorities in our lives, and when something that we have determined as important gets pushed to the side, that is when we begin to feel our lives spinning out of control. For me, my top priority over the past 10 years has been raising my kids. Particularly my son who has autism. For many years, I couldn't focus on anything but getting him the help that he needed. No one can argue that this was not a "good" priority. Our kids MUST and SHOULD take center stage in our lives. However, while my son has thrived, I came to realize that important parts of "me" had been slowing dying off. So slowly, that I barely even noticed it was happening.
This year has been a year of setting new priorities in my life. Front and center is still my family, it always will be. But I have discovered that I don't have to shortchange myself in order to be a good wife and mother. I have discovered that taking care of my health and fitness is actually good for my entire family!! Go figure! By preparing and eating clean, healthy meals and exercising daily, I am demonstrating a healthy lifestyle for my children. They are learning by example, and for once, they are learning good things from me! HA!! I DON'T magically have the time to work out every day and make healthy meals. By shuffling my priorities around, I MAKE the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, I still have to resort to the occasional pizza, but THAT'S OK!! Life is not about being the perfect spouse, parent, friend, boss, employee, etc etc. It's being the best YOU you can be!!
If you read this post hoping to find the "secret" to living a balanced life, I am sorry. The secret is, it's a secret!! One that I'm not sure anyone will ever be privy to. However, by setting goals and priorities and COMMITING to achieve them, you can find peace and joy, even when life does not seem particularly peaceful or joyful.
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