I spent the day listening to incredible speakers inspiring me to continue achieving in my Juice Plus franchise. I posted one of my take-aways on my facebook profile...
...and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. My business coach, Beth Griffith has been on this train of thought for as long as I’ve known her. But today I thought…
WHAT is it that makes moms think they can’t do hard things? Can’t parent the way their heart truly wants? Can’t face the criticism of family? Can’t run their own business? Can’t go to school?
Where does this belief come from?
I have seen mothers deliver completely pain-med free, their bodies forcing them past their limits to bring a life into the world. I’ve seen mothers exhausted from pushing for hours with an epidural, determined to focus on their nurse just one more time and get that baby out. I’ve seen mothers care for a newborn with their c-section wound still fresh, barely able to sit up but only focused on, and grateful for, their healthy child. I’ve seen mothers care for their toddler despite an empty womb and a hole in their heart where their other child should be - nothing in this world matches that pain.
If we can do all of that - who says we can’t do hard things?
I’ve seen mothers with shredded nipples fighting to nurse through the pain. I’ve seen mothers pump every 2 hours, tied to an outlet, the whir of the machine their only comfort that they are able to feed their child. I have seen mothers sterilizing a dozen bottles a day, using those tiny wire brushes to clean every single nipple - just to keep their kid safe. I’ve seen mothers fighting to feed through feeding tubes, syringes, SNS systems, colic, reflux, pain and sleeplessness.
If we can do all of that - who says we can’t do hard things?
I’ve gotten emails and calls from mothers who loathe themselves for mistakes they have made. They are in tears, absolutely broken. They share the most vulnerable parts of their hearts. And then they go to bed (whether they sleep or not), they pull themselves together, and they do it all over again the next day. They do better. They fight past their fear and shame and regret and they parent the best they can the next day. I’ve seen mothers overcome their pasts, fight back their hurt and anger, and transform into calm confident connected parents.
If we can do that - who the hell says we can’t do hard things?
The truth is we DO hard things - LOTS of hard things. Mom-ing is not easy. But we love it. We do it every day and we never stop to question if it’s “too” hard. We know it’s hard. And we do it anyway. We believe that we do the best we can and that will be enough. Sure our confidence may waver, but we keep going all the same. Because we’re Moms.
So I would like to issue a challenge:
When you hear your inner voice of doubt say “Oh that’s too hard” STOP and rework that a bit by saying:
“That is hard. And if I choose to, I can do it anyway. I can do hard things.”
Then inspire another mom and share the hard things you do on your social media with hashtag #icandohardthings and if you want me to see it, tag me! @sureparenting on IG and @sureparenting on FB. Can’t wait to see you rockstar mamas in action!