A Mother’s To-Do List

This past weekend, I hosted a writing retreat/workshop. I began these workshops years ago when my girls were a little younger.

I tell people: I have to write or else I get very cranky.

Writing is my way to understand myself and the world around me.

On Saturday, during the retreat, I went barefoot splashing in puddles, walking through mud and climbing on the wall of our church grounds — all to get a sense of what it feels like to be young again.

As my feet slipped into the mud under the amazing Beech tree, I remembered something.

I’m still me.

I still have dreams.

I still need to create and build things for myself.

As much as my world is about raising children into adults, it’s also about the fact that I have a full life ahead of me as well.

I’ve talked about living an inspired life before but never have I set an intention like this one where I encourage you to set some goals that will lead you closer to what stands far on the road before you. Let’s set our dreams on fire this week.

Photo by jdn via Flickr

Motherhood is often the time when we sit back and wait — wait for the perfect moment, wait for the quiet, wait for the children to be asleep or older or in school. But dreams do not die. They live in us until we figure out a way to give them life. Your dreams are your dreams. If you aspire to be a great painter some day then you must paint.

Our to-do lists are full of tasks for everyone else. This week’s intention is about a mother’s to-do list. YOUR to-do list.

Motherhood is no excuse to put dreams on the back burner. To me, motherhood is the very reason to jump into a goal feet first. Sometimes — despite all my preaching about the importance of spending time with your children — you need to make yourself happy.

Being Awesomely Awake is as much about nurturing yourself as it is about nurturing your children.

By finding our own happiness and modeling it, our children learn the importance of setting their own goals and learning how to make them come true.

So start your to-do list and follow your dreams, whereever they may take you.

1. Write down your dream.

2. Send it out into the Universe either here, on your own blog or Facebook page.

3. Create a list of things you can do today to get you started on a path to achieving your goal.

Maybe it’s a simple dream — like to travel to some amazing place. Or, maybe it’s much bigger and more overwhelming, like starting your own business.

What is your dream? What is on your to-do list this week? What will you do just for youself this week?

Whatever it is, whereever it is … may it be so.

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