Joy for Today

I thought about what to call this post because Joy is something we all aim to have for more than a day, but to have it for a long period of time we have to choose it each and every day. When you wake up in the morning, what do you do? Are you consciously waking up choosing to be happy? Are you falling asleep full of angst? Do you think that the events of your day are destined no matter what, or fueled by the state of mind you bring to each day?
It's a hard concept to accept responsibility for your life! Even harder to accept responsibility for your state of mind. Long ago (at least 10 years!) I had a conversation with my mom that ended a bit like this:
Me:  "Why do you have to make me feel so GUILTY?!"
Mom:  "I can't make you feel anything - that's not me, that's you"
I was FURIOUS!! Of course our parents can make us feel guilty, can't they? The idea that we are all individually in control of our emotional reactions to things has stuck with me over the years. It has bugged me, and empowered me. However, it wasn't until this past weekend that I felt like I could really DO something with it!
Wake up each and EVERY morning and CHOOSE JOY! Throughout your day use a simple analysis of your situations - Is what I'm doing bringing me Joy or closer to my goal? If it's not - Change it QUICKLY! Of course, we all find ourselves in situations that we don't find joy in. It might be the long line at the drive up ATM, paying bills, washing dishes, or even picking up your dog's "business" from the back yard. But what do each of those things mean? You have money to deposit, utilities you can keep on, food on your plate to make it dirty, and a life you are taking care of.
I tucked Dablet in last night (one of the several times because she kept getting up!) and it was freezing outside. I was in the small bedroom sitting there thinking, "I would live in this one little room with her and Kyle forever and be happy because we have a roof over our heads, heat in our space, and everything we could possibly NEED, we have each other!"
Our lives have been so full of pain and stress over the past year with our miscarriages, family illness, and absolutely normal chaos (including moving the weekend after Thanksgiving reducing our home size by more than 50%). I have often caught myself thinking "can this all please just stop - we have SO much going on!" But today I choose JOY - to find happiness in the piles of clothes that have to be put away because we have them! When there seems to be more month than money - I choose to find JOY that I will be pushed to touch more lives and make a difference with my leadership role in Mary Kay!
You mind is a powerful tool, and if you allow others (or even your circumstances) to impact you constantly to the point of distress, you are giving them WAY too much control and power in your life! I can only imagine the success and blessings we will receive because we choose JOY!
Today was very much a Joyful day already as we picked up our second FREE car from Mary Kay this year - my first year in business!

To be able to do this while keeping my priorities right and spending an abundance of hands on time with my family is more than enough to fuel the joy moving forward! Anything you want to achieve you can because you decide to!!
Until Next Time...

18 Month Whirlwind!

Hey Everyone!
I know I've been back and forth for a while on here, and please forgive my absence! Things have been Crazy (good)!! Today is Dablet's 18 month "birthday"! If someone told me 18 months ago as I settled in for our first night as a family of three that I would be in the position I'm in right now, I would have laughed! Don't you feel like we say that A LOT?! "If someone had told me then...." What I have realized is my idea of myself is ever changing. I am a constant work in progress and I LOVE IT!!

This is life now! Daily doses of perfect wrapped up in chaos!

I thought when I had my little girl that I would go back to work and she would go to daycare. I NEVER thought I would want to be a stay at home mom! It scared me to think that my identity would be based around another person, and to lose a certain amount of freedom; not to mention...where would the money come from?! I have been empowered by my Mary Kay business! I was lead to it for a reason greater than myself, or my family, and it has done things for us I never thought possible! I get to work, and I get to work from home! I get to work in chunks of time in between nap time, trips to the park, the grocery store, and snuggle sessions with my little girl! 

So why does all of this matter?! Because I know there are SO many other women out there afraid of losing individuality when they become mothers. Afraid of trusting their children to other people. Afraid of how they will make the ends meet each month in their bank accounts to make sure that those little sparkles we created have the best that life can offer! Life can be absolutely scary sometimes, but it gets a lot less scary when you hold out your hand and ask for help. When you take hold of an opportunity. When you empower yourself to MAKE A DIFFERENCE! That pebble drop in the pool causes ripples far beyond what you will be able to see, and you become an inspiring example for other women to do the same!

So, Cheers to 18 months of chaos and redefinition! I hope the next 18 are just as fabulous!!