Press Pause

I usually love the fall and winter months. I love the cooler weather, the rain and chill. I love sweaters, boots, and blankets. I love holidays and cooking big meals for my family. This year has been different. This year fall has knocked me down, hard, and winter seems intent on kicking me. Everything was moving too quickly for me to catch up. What I really needed was a way to slow down the world.

What do you do when life gets harder than you thought possible? When nightmares, sleepless nights, bad health, and money worries crowd in to choke out all of the peace and light - how do you cope? 

I decided to hit the pause button on my online life and step away. I didn't make any new commitments, I scaled back on my social obligations, and I gave my introverted heart exactly what it needed - quiet.

Amazing things have come into this quiet.

I have accepted a position with an organization I love and respect. We are going to do big things for moms and kids together.

I discovered a few things about myself - some that I enjoy and some that I'm not proud of. But I know myself better now.

I was able to refocus on a project that I have kept on the back burner for far too long. "How To Create A Birth Plan That WORKS" will launch just after the New Year, and I am so proud of it!

Pump The Brakes

So what does this mean for you? How can you apply these ideas in your life and with your family right now?

First, you have to remember that YOU are in charge of your life. You can say no, you can step back, you can pare down.

Second, not everyone will need the same thing. Maybe once you do slow everything down you realize that you're bored, or lonely. Then you choose to commit to things that will fill you instead of draining you.

Third, you do not need to explain yourself to anyone. You don't need an excuse to say no, you don't need to lie to get out of something.

Last, and most importantly, remember that the relationship you have with yourself is the only one you cannot leave and is the only one you will have your whole life. You owe it to yourself to make it a good one.