I know how easy it is to become impatient. I know how easy it is to want the next best thing or to be looking in the past and wishing things were the way they used to be. We don’t really want to admit to other people that we’re not happy with what life has brought us and we’re not happy with where we are right now. I want to give you some strategies that you can use to enjoy where you’re at right now, because I truly believe if you are not content where you are then you’ll never be content where you’re going.

Strategy #1: Reflection

In order to enjoy what season we are in, we must first identify it. We need to think through what exactly is going on in the current moment. One of the ways you can do this is through journaling. Having a daily journaling practice is something that will really open your eyes to how you’re feeling. As busy mamas, we often don’t sit in our own feelings until they’ve gotten so bad that we can’t help but sit in them because we’re overwhelmed.

Make journaling a part of your everyday life even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. It will change the way that you view everything in life. You can just write whatever comes to your mind and this will be helpful for you to recognize and understand what it is that you’re feeling.

I think when we are struggling with enjoying the season we’re in, we’re either doing one of two things: we’re either looking ahead and we are excited and waiting for the next best thing or we’re looking in the past and we’re thinking why things can’t be the way they used to be. We struggle so much with looking ahead or looking behind that we forget to look at what’s right in front of us.

Strategy # 2: Be Present

After you have completed your daily journal reflection, commit to being present in the season that you’re in right now. Try to find gratitude every single day. Don’t just look at the things that are going great, but also to find gratitude in the things that suck.

I know this sounds really hard, but I want you to think about your day. If  your child is screaming and they’re not napping, and you’re not able to get any work done or you can’t spend time for yourself, I want you to stop in that moment and say, what gratitude can I find in this really crappy moment right now?

I promise you the more that you practice this, the easier it becomes and the more simple it feels to enjoy the moments. Remember, sometimes life is not exactly the way you planned it. Just think how boring life would be if everything was perfect all the time. There would be no moments to refine and help you grow, and you would stay the same person that you are today if you never experienced hardship.

I want you to embrace the suck and find gratitude, even when things are not going your way. I also want to embrace the sunset moments – those moments that you would otherwise miss if you weren’t looking for them. Moments like  when you throw being a parent out the window and you just enjoy being a kid with your kids. If you can start to let these moments happen, these are the moments your children remember and cherish forever. So don’t forget to be present even if the season you’re in is not the one you want to be in.

Strategy # 3: Upgrade Your Mindset

I heard this quote once that really resonated with me, and I want to share it with you. “Don’t downgrade your dreams to match your reality, upgrade your mindset to match your vision.” I don’t want you to give up on your dreams just because you’re in a tough season right now. I want you to upgrade your mindset to help you figure out a creative solution.

In order to do this, you have to let go of excuses. For many years, I used my children as an excuse for why my business wasn’t growing. I believed that things would change when they went out to school. I would have more time, I was going to be the best business owner and the best housekeeper. My house is going to be so peaceful, and everything is going to be different when my kids are in school.

Things definitely changed 100% when they went to school, but not in the way I had envisioned. I had created this false reality of what my life would look like and it did not happen. Yes, I may have more time to focus, but there are so many different things that I struggle with now that I didn’t when my kids were home.

Essentially what I’m saying is that if you do not start to put into practice mindset shifts right now in the season that you’re in, you’re going to have the same struggles and the same blocks in the next season that’s coming.  If your mindset is not set up for success right now, right here where you currently are standing, then your mindset is not going to support your success where you’re going.

Strategy #4: Look for the Lessons in the Waiting

I think so often we get so impatient because we are ready for the next season to come along. Sometimes we want something so bad and we’re waiting for God to open it. But maybe it’s not opening yet because you’re not ready and you have more learning to do, or maybe he’s preparing the people on the other side.

Whatever season you’re in right now, I want you to patiently enjoy the waiting. Go back to that first strategy of reflection and try to look for the lessons you’re learning. While you’re reflecting, think about those lessons and why is it that this is not happening for me as yet? Then give yourself permission to let go. I don’t want you looking back on your life with regret, wishing that you would have enjoyed the moments with your family, even when they were hard. Looking in the past is doing nothing but holding you back from enjoying your present, so let go and move forward!

It’s important we look for supportive people who understand the struggles you are going through right now. These people have survived this same season and guide you going forward. I love the fact that our Purpose Gathering community can do that for you. I like to use the analogy of a tree to explain this further. When you look to someone for help and you stretch out your hands and  someone pulls you up onto that next branch in the tree, I want you to also reach down and help to lift others up onto the same branch as you.

We are all climbing a tree of life. You’re always on a branch with other people, but there’s always people above you who are further along on the journey. Likewise, there are people below you or behind you who also need some encouragement and support. I encourage you to join our community at thepurposegathering.com/mamas and be willing to be helped and to help others.

So to quickly recap the four strategies that you can use to enjoy your season of life right now:

1. To reflect on where you are and sit in those feelings
2. Be present and find gratitude in the suck
3. Upgrade your mindset to match your vision
4. Look for the lessons in the waiting

I hope that you found value and encouragement to enjoy whatever season that you’re in. And I would love for you to share this with other mamas. Share it on Instagram and tag me @thepurposegathering and let’s spread this message of hope to other mamas out there who might be struggling as well.

And I want you to know mama, as always I am here rooting for you and you are not alone on this journey.

Resources

• Join our Facebook Community
• Find me on Instagram: @thepurposegathering
• Website: thepurposegathering.com
• Free Masterclass: Productivity with a Purpose