A Simple Reminder: You’re Doing a Good Job
by Angie Mizzell
This week, I drove to Columbia– about two hours from home– to give a talk. The topic: Tips to help busy moms find confidence and happiness under the spit-up, laundry and mile-long to-do list.
After the talk, I drove home in silence. No radio, no cell phone chats to pass the time. I focused on the headlights illuminating the highway and the words I had spoken. I felt my own insecurities creep in and noted the irony: I gave a talk about confidence while struggling to connect with my own.
Lately, I’ve been counting all the ways I seem to screw it up as a mother. When it comes to loving my children, I get a big, shiny gold star. When it comes to merging their needs with my own, I feel like I’m living the rough draft. A beautiful story cluttered with typos, run-on sentences and incorrect punctuation.
I told this group of women that my mission was not to tell them how to run their lives, raise their children, or “fix” them in any way. I was there to support them… the woman behind the mom. I touched on concepts of balance and living in the moment– topics I often write about. I left with a final thought:
“Resist the urge to compare yourself to other moms. We don’t walk in each other’s shoes and we’re all doing the best we can. There are areas in life where we shine, and other areas where we fall short. Let’s draw inspiration from one another and remember to encourage each other, too.”
The next day, I was thrilled as the emails started pouring in. One mom in the audience wrote, “It’s always good to be reminded I’m doing a good job. The best thing is, it’s always a new day!”
To that, I raise my coffee mug and say, “Cheers.”
My goal had been to inspire them, and these moms, in turn, gave so much back to me. A simple reminder that I’m doing a good job, too.
Recent Posts By Angie Mizzell
- Do You Take Risks? - August 30th, 2010
- The Big Questions - August 23rd, 2010
- My Two Cents on Eat Pray Love - August 16th, 2010
- Breastfeeding: A world-wide law? - August 9th, 2010
- Crisis Leads to Opportunity - August 2nd, 2010
