I am super happy to invite this sweet mama and Abundant Mama alumni to take the floor in this space today to share her personal Abundant Mama Project (AMP) journey. If you’ve taken AMP in the last year you very likely know Snow. Everyone knows Snow. It is such a pleasure to share her experience here after working with her so closely during the last three AMP sessions. Take it away, Snow …
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Before The Abundant Mama Project I was a mama to two toddlers who was in way over her head, waking at the last possible moment to restless children, not wanting to start another day of crying, diapers, and battles over who gets which cup.
With no friends or family nearby to give me a much-needed break, or exchange little bits of mom-to-mom advice and with a husband who traveled for work weeks at a time, l was tired, overwhelmed and all alone.
I CONSTANTLY QUESTIONED MYSELF AND MY DECISIONS… AM I DOING IT RIGHT? AM I DOING ENOUGH? AM I ENOUGH?
Although I love my children with every ounce of my being, I didn’t love being a mother.
I was exhausted, frustrated, lonely, and angry. Angry that I wasn’t doing a better job, angry that I was being more present, angry that I wasn’t loving every moment of everything, angry that this unhappiness had become my life without me even realizing it.
I stumbled across The Abundant Mama Project – I imagine by Googling something ridiculous like “how to be happy as a mother.”
Lucky for me, because the Abundant Mama message literally woke me up.
Shawn and the Project was so inspiring and real, reminding me there is no perfect mother. She told me (because it really felt like she was speaking directly to me) that this was just a season I was in and that it too, would pass.
WITH THAT MESSAGE CAME THE CLARITY THAT IT WASN’T ABOUT FINDING MY HAPPINESS, IT WAS ABOUT BEING AWAKE AND PRESENT IN MY CHILDREN’S LIVES BECAUSE CHILDHOOD IS FLEETING. I WANTED TO LOVE OUR DAYS AND BE THE MOTHER MY CHILDREN DESERVED, NOT THE STRESSED OUT, UNHAPPY VERSION I HAD BECOME.
What I didn’t realize was that signing up for The Abundant Mama Project would literally be a breath of fresh air amidst the thick murkiness I had been surrounded by.
Shawn has this ability to open your eyes to what you need, without even really telling you what it is.
I found my mother’s intuition and learned to just be still, and listen.
I learned to let go of the worry and fear that took up too much space in my life, keeping me trapped in an endless cycle of anger and guilt. The frustration dwindled and it became easier to let go of the bad days. I no longer re-lived the guilt of reacting in a way I regretted again and again.
AMP continually reminded me that no mother is perfect, we are all only doing the best we can in the best way we know how, and that is enough. Every mother has a rough day or bad moment once in awhile, but it’s how we bounce back and move forward that truly defines our character and legacies as mothers.
Since AMP and the year long continuing journey I’ve taken to get here through Shawn’s private coaching circle, I have awakened to the life I want to live and the mama I want to be.
I now wake early to enjoy a little quiet solitude and center myself, setting a daily intention before the kids join me.
I now focus more on taking care of me so that I can be there, fully present and engaged for my children. We play and laugh, act silly and dance a lot. So much more happiness has found its way into my home since I’ve let go of what I thought we ‘should’ be doing.
I AM NOW A FEARLESS, TRUSTING, AND HAPPY MOTHER WHO FACES DAILY LIFE WITH A NEW PERSPECTIVE AND A HEALTHY DOSE OF GRATITUDE.
This is all because of The Abundant Mama Project and its teachings to just be kind, to parent with love and to play.
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Snow is a stay at home mama to an energetic, fun loving 4-year-old boy and a sweet, precocious 3-year-old girl. She spends her days photographing the beauty found in everyday life. Whether it’s playing, getting outdoors, or reading, she is soaking up all the goodness life has to offer.
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