What you are saying is so true and dear to my heart! I wrote an article directly related to this last year and I thought it might inspire some other readers too. Enjoy!
Hey Mom - Inspire Your Child by Living Alive!
Every Mom wants to be an inspiration to her child. However, sometimes Moms need a little reminder that one of the greatest ways you can teach your child is leading by example. When you model a life of living fully alive, you will invite your child to live life to its fullest as well.
Do you remember the old saying, �When Momma�s happy, everyone�s happy?� You will provide a way to free your child up to be all of who he or she already is. They will learn their own value and know it�s OK to fully enjoy every area of life.
How Life Becomes a Sacrifice
With all the demands on a busy Mom nowadays, it�s easy to see how the joys of life have somehow been demoted. Most Moms feel like they don�t have time to prioritize themselves. By the time supper is made, the kitchen is cleaned, the laundry is going and the kids are in bed, there isn�t much time or energy left over. In fact, it�s safe to say many Moms are pretty much at the bottom of the priority scale.
Does this sound familiar? The life of sacrifice isn�t surprising. As a mother of the child you love, you are willing to give yourself up in order to meet the needs of your baby. The problem is you probably haven�t recognized you are actually sacrificing yourself in the process.
What does it mean to sacrifice? It means something usually ends up dead! What will inspire your child more, the Mom who is living fully alive or the Mom who is walking around barely surviving?
Living Alive To Bless Your Child
This concept of living fully alive as a way of blessing your child can seem really foreign. After all, it can be misinterpreted as loving yourself more than your child, but that�s not true. You don�t have to die to yourself so that your child can live! You can be potentially more effective by making sure that you BOTH live fully alive.
Do you remember what it�s like to be in the presence of someone who is sincerely full of joy? They are great to be around and bring out the part of us who knows how to laugh. Have you experienced being around someone who knows how to savor every moment in a way that makes you want to smell the roses too? We leave their company inspired.
What was it like to share with someone who completely accepted you and herself at the same time? Somehow, you were released to experience the freedom of fully being yourself too. Get the picture?
Giving Yourself Permission
So, what needs to happen? You need to give yourself permission to live life to its fullest. Yikes! This is a hard pill to swallow, so if it�s easier to convince yourself you are only doing this for your kids, that�s fine. Being happy and doing well is a great fringe benefit of blessing your children.
Living life to its fullest means filling up in all those areas you�ve been lacking in. It all starts with awareness. Take a moment and be quiet. You intuitively know what feeds you. It�s time to listen to your inner voice instead of drowning her out with too much to do.
What has the little voice in your head been saying? Have you been needing rejuvenation time? Are you missing activities that inspire you? When was the last time you got together with friends and just had fun? For that matter, when was the last time you went out on a great date with your partner? That little voice will tell you when you take the time to listen.
Getting Energized and Excited
Excitement feeds us. When you are living a life that truly reflects your sense of passion and purpose, you begin to get energized and excited. You will begin to fill up the proverbially empty tank and have more to give. As you take in what you need, you are able to give even more of what your child needs.
What gets you excited? What have you always loved to do? Many Moms think they have to wait until the kids grow up to do the things they enjoy. Have you ever thought about the positive message you are sending to your kids when you model that it�s OK to play at the things you�re really passionate about? They�ll pick up on your enthusiasm and your happiness because your kids want YOU happy too!
Experiment One Day At A Time
I invite you to experiment with taking a day to live fully alive. Start with prioritizing one or two things and see what happens. Don�t leave your needs until the end of the day, they�ll simply get ousted. Make the choice to fit other things around what you know will feed you. Remember, you�re doing it for your child even as you do it for you.
A New Kind of Life
Many Moms have felt a new lease on life when they�ve recognized they can enjoy their lives and still get things accomplished for those they love. When you discover you can make room in one day, keep adding another day and another day. Soon your life will begin to reflect what you truly desire and you�ll begin to feel more alive.
Say no to guilt� we�re not talking about ignoring your kids; we�re talking about modeling how to live happy and fully alive. After all, isn�t that what you want for your kids?
Copyright 2007 Tami M. Szabo
