Comfort Zone Challenge - Day 17

I have a very unproductive habit of lying in bed at the end of the day, and going over and over in my head, all the ways that I fell short that day.  I know.  It sounds very self-defeating, and it is.  The thing is, I start out my day so full of ambition, and determination to be the world's most patient mom, to mold young minds, to expand my own, the make a mark in my community, to change the world.  Morning is always bright with the possibilities of the day, and that light quickly begins to dim as the day rolls on.

I often find myself focusing on where I fall short.  I know that this is the wrong point of view to take.  I think it's ok to fall short.  That is why we have tomorrow, right?  Maybe, if I look the right way, my days, (well, most days), have just as many moments where I do something right. 

I need to shift my focus.  Yesterday, I was determined to focus on what I'm doing right.

As is often the case, my day didn't go exactly as I planned.  I spent the majority of the morning sitting at the kitchen table, deep in conversation with my two teenage girls, about a timely issue in our family.  After our conversation, when I realized how much time I had spent just sitting, and how I hadn't been productive in the way I had planned for the morning, my first instinct was to feel guilty.  Then, with a firm determination to focus on what I was doing right, I shifted my focus.  I had just spent over an hour talking and laughing and connecting with my kids.  I hadn't been productive in the way that I planned, but I had been productive.

This wasn't so hard.

The afternoon proved busy and rushed, and we ended up sitting down to dinner at a very European time.  Eating dinner close to the time that I should have been getting my kids ready for bed, could easily have brought on a classic case of mom guilt, but again I shifted my focus.  I didn't have dinner ready at 5:00, but I was surrounded by my family, talking and sharing a meal, and said meal even included a whole lot of vegetables!  Focusing on my small victories, instead of on my shortcomings felt amazing.

Here's to more days spent focusing on what I do right, and expanding my comfort zone to include being comfortable with myself, my progress, and exactly where I am each day.

Today's a new day, let's make it purposeful!
Kara