It’s Kingston’s first Christmas!!!
It’s hard to believe that on the week of Christmas last year, we discovered that I was pregnant. Now, four months and fourteen days after his birth, our little one will be celebrating his first Christmas.
This month has been a little different. While I’m usually slowing down at the end of the year, the last few weeks have been hectic at work. Since adding mommy to my title, I’ve forced myself to focus like never before. I’ve had to learn to anticipate, plan and prepare in order to make sure I’m giving my best to my priorities.
Now, we are still sleep training which means most of my nights consists of feeding, cuddling, or tip-toeing back to bed to get at least a few hours of consecutive sleep. It’s been brutal; but, beautiful! Seeing his face in the dark smiling at me at 4 am makes my heart smile. But, this is only one part of my job.
In my role as the President of Velvet Suite, I’m taking advantage of down time when my customers are away, to prepare for a busy 2017. We upgraded our coaching curriculum which has been a HUGE undertaking; but, I’m so excited to launch our upgraded platform in 2017.
The time on the set recording was special because I had my little one with me for a little while. He gives me another level of drive and focus. The work I do in my business is for his legacy. We completed the taping of our new content after 48 hours of non-stop studio time and hours of prep, it was a wrap!
I quickly moved my focus to mommy mode and creating the first Christmas for our baby boy at The Simkins home. It’s been fun decorating and watching him pay no attention to some of the hard work mommy is doing to create the Christmas spirit at our home! Yet, I still feel way behind.
So, what do you do when you feel like you are running out of time and you should do more than you did? You take time to get perspective. I’ve learned to be kind to myself and choose progress over perfection. This means, I am doing my best; but, focusing on what matters most.
For me, this priority is time with God, myself, my family, and my work.
In our home, the real meaning of the season is the birth of our Lord and Savior. So, I go down the checklist, do we have love in our home – yes, do we have so much to be thankful for – yes. We have all we need. Gifts are not important; but, love is. I also realized that if I wasn’t careful at the bottom of my “things to do” list would be time for me.
In order for me to be my best, I have to take time for me. I would say since having the baby and coming back to work, I’ve been a little slack on time for me.
This is hard for most women to do. Yet, for me to be my best, I have to commit to making me a priority. I anticipated I would feel like this at this time of the month so I booked a massage for tomorrow. I am committed to finding that time to reset, recharge, and most importantly be still.
Here are a few things that I’m going to commit to doing the last week of this month to help me recharge for 2017:
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- Take time to sleep – I’m going to find some time to sleep in, take a nap our sneak one in while the baby is asleep.
- Take time to reflect – Get still, reflect, and journal and write down three of the biggest blessings that happened to me this year. I try to make note of these blessings so I can look back upon them to see how things always work out even in the most difficult situations.
- Take time to dream – Upgrade my vision board. With a new addition to the family and a new title of mommy, I want to make sure my vision is aligned with where my life is today and where it is going.
- Take time for fun – Laughter is good like medicine. I’m going to take the time to laugh and enjoy the moment with my hubby, a good movie, and whatever else gives me joy.
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No matter what you are going through, I’ve learned to not let the pressure get the best of me. When the sense of overwhelming comes over you, take a step back to get perspective. The easiest way to do this is to be still and take back some time for you.
What are you most grateful for this year and how do you plan on taking back time for yourself?
Wishing you and your family a happy holiday and happy new year!