Most mothers (and fathers) struggle with a sense that they’re not getting things right when it comes to parenting. But we don’t stop there. We (and I lead the pack) doubt our ability to succeed at even small things, feel good about life, get healthier or to do a job really well. I don’t mean a job- job. I mean anything that we find challenging. In fact, in my almost 50+ years of living, I can count on one hand the number of mothers (women) I have met who have a strong self confidence. I don’t mean arrogance; I mean bonafide strong, healthy sense of self.
We can change this. Here’s the truth: every single one of us has extraordinary value. God handcrafted each of us- our eyebrows, knees, wrists, minds, hearts- everything. And He did this for many good reasons. The most important reason is to love us and have us experience love. Then He did it so that we could make the lives of others better. And the list goes on.
This week, use the word YES to motivate yourself to be who you were meant to be. Start with, “YES, I can be the best mother,” “YES, I will challenge myself to start that new project and know that I can be really good at it” or “Yes, I can recover from my depression or anxiety because God wants me to be happy.”
When we say YES to ourselves, we give ourselves freedom to believe what is true, to understand who we are and to be loved. Most of our thoughts revolve around who we aren’t, why we can’t or how many mistakes we’ve made. Most of these negative thoughts aren’t even true, but they circle in our minds like hungry vultures hovering over a carcass. They are relentless.
So replace them! Every time you feel that dread in your belly whispering that life is never going to get better or that you will never be good enough, stop it dead in its tracks. Speak to it. Tell it where to go and pull out the YES weapon.
Rewrite that feeling of dread into a positive thought even if you don’t believe it at first. Do it anyway. “YES, I can face my boss, husband, child.” “YES, I do have the right to demand respect from my family” or “YES, I have great instincts.”
The most profound life changes we make begin between our ears. Your thought process is a great weapon so use it to make you stronger and healthier. And start by putting a lot of “YES” into your inner vocabulary.
