Our Five Ring Circus: Be The Best "YOU" You Can Be

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Be The Best "YOU" You Can Be

Be the best "YOU" You Can Be - Why I'm choosing this mindset over traditional goals and resolutions!

Happy New Year! 2019 is here, and we're already hitting the ground running! Like many people, I'm thinking a lot about the year ahead, and focusing on a fresh start. This year, I decided not to make resolutions or goals, or choose a special word to live by. I feel like that just sets me up for failure at some point during the year. Instead, I'm taking the advice I frequently give my children: Be the best "you" you can be!

I'm trying to be realistic this year. Although I would love to fill my year with huge changes that will make my life run better, I know that isn't going to happen. I'm going to skip washing my face one night. I will forget to pay a bill or two. I will run late no matter how hard I try to always be on time. I'm not going to exercise 5 days a week. I WILL lose my temper and yell at my kids. My reality is that I'm a mom of four - soon to be FIVE - kids, and life with little ones is chaotic and things happen unexpectedly. Sometimes life gets in the way, plans and goals get pushed aside, and I have to accept that!

When I thought about what I really want to focus on this year, a few things came to mind. I want to manage the little time I have better so I can eliminate some stress from my life. I feel like time management is often a big struggle for moms. It's definitely my most difficult issue, and the leading cause of my stress! If I focus on simplifying things and staying organized, and making small yet doable changes in my life, I think I will be able to manage my time much better!

Perhaps if there's one word to live by this year, it will be TRY. As long as I try, accept mistakes I make and move on (because I am only human), and never give up, 2019 will be a success!

Here's how I plan on being the best ME I can possibly be and make my life run better...


I will TRY to stay on task.


Multitasking is a mom's best friend! I have so many things on my to do list, and try to do several things at once to save time. The problem is, I end up leaving one task unfinished and moving on to something else, then I get overwhelmed by everything I have to finish. This year, I'm going to try to take a deep breath and remind myself to stay on task when I get distracted and try to start more than one task at once! Finish a task, then move on to another...

I will TRY to live the healthiest lifestyle I possibly can, but accept the fact that I'm not perfect.


I WANT to be the person who follows a skincare routine every night, who diligently cleans their contact lenses and replaces them in an appropriate timeframe, who flosses twice daily, who eats a healthy diet always and exercises 5 days a week, who gets 8 hours of sleep each night, who washes their hair daily. But I'm not that person. I'm a human being, and I fail at times. Sometimes I'm too tired to wash my face or floss my teeth. I wear my contact lenses much longer than I should. I miss a few days of exercise here and there. I don't sleep well. I eat something unhealthy each day. And I certainly rely on dry shampoo several days a week! My point is, I will TRY to do all of those things, but when I fail, I will forgive myself and try again the next day!

I will TRY to stay on time. 


With four kids, I feel like it's mass chaos when we all leave the house. As hard as I try, we always seem to be running late, then rushing to get to where we need to go. Preparing EVERYTHING in advance (outfits, backpacks, coats, etc) will hopefully decrease the amount of rushing around (and the amount of stress). I did that today, and it was wonderful. 2 out of 3 of my kids were dropped off at their schools with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, everybody else was late on the first day back to school today, because waiting in line for much longer than usual at Liam's school caused him to walk in the doors just as the bell was ringing. No big deal. Life happens. I will prepare everything in advance again tonight and tomorrow morning, and aim to leave 5 minutes earlier!

I will TRY to blog 4-5 days a week, but forgive myself when I can't. 


I love blogging, and staying connected with my blog friends. It's a big part of my life, and it brings in fun opportunities, and an income. But I simply can't write as often as I used to, no matter how much I want to. SO...I will aim for 4-5 posts each week, but forgive myself when I can only post 1-3 times. I do want to try to start writing a bit over the weekends when I have a bit more time!

I will NOT take on more than I can handle. 


I'm just going to admit it - I have a very difficult time saying no. I take on way more than I can handle, despite (usually) having the most kids. I'm a people pleaser, and I love to help out any way I possibly can. But with a child who has special needs, a baby on the way, and three other children, I need to say no more often!

I'm going to TRY to stay calm and relaxed.


MOST of the time I can handle the noise and the chaos within our home. But yet again, I'm only human, and sometimes it gets to me. Sometimes there is so much noise, so much chaos, and so much to do that I feel like I start to lose it. I HATE yelling at my kids or my husband, and losing my temper, but I would be lying if I said it never happened. I do recognize my mistakes, and apologize after the fact, but this year, I really want to focus on controlling my temper when I feel like I'm starting to lose it...I just need to come up with a plan of action!

I'm going to TRY to find a routine that works well for me...and stick with it. 


The thing about routines in a family this big is that they always change! Through trial and error, I hope to find a routine that works well for me in the first few months of the new year, so I don't feel as overwhelmed by how much there is to do!

I'm going to TRY to organize my life. 


I always have the best intentions, and I do SO well for the first few months of the new year. Then, the busyness of life takes over and I give up! This year, I already set up my planner, my digital calendar, and I'm working on the kids' medical binders and our bill tracker. I'm going to try to fill in events and appointments as they come in, and set up my schedule for the week every Sunday. I also plan on sitting down first thing each morning to write a To Do List with all of my priorities for the day!

I'm going to TRY to keep my kids on a routine so they complete their daily tasks in a timely manner.


Keeping one kid on a routine is tough enough, but four is downright intense! There is homework to do, lunches to pack, sports and activities to juggle, baths and showers to take, clothing to choose, rooms to clean, chores, and bedtime routines. Keeping track of it all is nearly impossible, but I'm implementing some helpful tools this year, and encouraging them to get as much done as possible when they get home from school! They are plenty old enough to learn how to manage some of their needs and help out around the house, and it's only fair to give mom and dad a break from doing everything for them!

I'm going to TRY to declutter and organize my house, so I can focus on the bigger projects!


As you can imagine, six people living in one house can lead to big messes and a lot of clutter. I feel like I am always cleaning, organizing, and decluttering, and never able to work on the big projects around the house. Although the main living areas look great, the closets, bedrooms, and basement are another story! We have so many home renovation projects that need to be completed, and no time to work on them, so taking small steps to purge and organize ALL THE THINGS will help in the long run. I made a very small goal to try to eliminate one item from our house each day, and work on one small area each week.

I'm going to TRY to make monthly date nights and girls nights out a priority.


I know this is a touchy subject, but our kids come first while they are young. Many people believe that a marriage should be the first priority, and while I agree to an extent, we are solely responsible for raising our children. It takes a lot of work from both parties, and when you have a large family, date nights and nights out with friends rarely happen. I DO miss that aspect of my life. This year, I want to try to go out with my husband once a month. Yes, we'll probably miss a month here and there, but even if it's doing something small, like getting coffee, it still counts. And I definitely need to reconnect with some of my friends!

I'm going to TRY to make MYSELF a priority.


Most of the time, I'm mom and mom only. That's when I start to lose myself. My needs ALWAYS come last, after my husband, kids, and even my dog. I rarely treat myself to anything, I'm always on the go, and I spend most of my time parenting, blogging, and checking things off of my to do list. This year, I want to make time for ME. I want to relax in a hot bath without interruption, I want to read more, I want to focus more on photography, and I want to buy something for myself for a change. It really isn't fair that I always come last!

Hello, 2019! We are ready for you! 


2019

As you can see, TRY made an appearance frequently throughout my list. This year I'm going to try, I'm going to avoid setting myself up for failure, and I'm just going to keep trying to improve myself and my life in small ways! Nobody is perfect, but I'm going to try to be the best me I can possibly be in 2019!

Be The Best "YOU" You Can Be - Why I'm choosing this mindset over goals and resolutions for the New Year! #Goals #Resolutions

Do you make resolutions or goals or have a word to live by? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Link up here for Welcome Wednesday!


   

    http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=809819" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up

   
<!-- end InLinkz script —>
   

4 comments:

  1. Try is most definitely a good word and theme to live by! Being a mom is a difficult task no matter how hard we try or how prepared we think we are. I’m thankful for grace for those times. Wishing you all the best in 2019. I can’t wait to follow along your family’s journeys via your blog and Instagram!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Try is a great word! I am really not sure what my word should be - still!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is my motto also - every year! No resolutions just try to be a better person today than I was yesterday! Happy New Year to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like the idea of TRY as your focus for the year, and good luck with all the things you want to try to do - especially focusing on yourself more! Self-care is important!! My word if Growth, and it applies to various aspects of my life. Nothing necessarily huge or life-changing, but I just want to continue to grow in various areas and I want to break down some of my bigger goals into smaller steps so it doesn't feel so difficult or make me fee like I'm failing at it.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you! Let's chat!!!