Always be proud of yourself

Always be proud of yourself

Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine who was struggling with balancing her work and home life.  She felt that her work life was overwhelming her and she wasn’t devoting enough time to her family.   During our conversation I reminded her of how far she had come over the past couple of years.  I told her how proud I was of her and her accomplishments and that she needed to remember that she was strong enough to handle anything.  You see, I’ve been there myself and now that I am older with grown kids I can look back and remember that the struggles of balance were a reminder.  It is odd to think of it that way to some people but it really is true.  

Balancing a full-time job while raising two daughters on my own was difficult.  I was all they had for most of their lives.  I worked a full-time job which was about 45 minutes from home.  I chose to live where I do because I valued the school system and the community.  I believed that everything would work out because I had faith in myself.  My immediate family lived in a different state at the time but I knew things would change over the years.  At one time I had my entire immediate family move to the area and they were a fantastic help to me but it was only for a few years.  My daughters and I had a schedule (we were very schedule driven).  Between soccer and dance and choir and my working so far away - I still managed to be there for them and their events.  Looking back I realize that it was a huge lesson for me during this time period.  I learned to believe in myself and to remain strong during times where I felt so very weak.  I found friends that turned into family and who have always been there to help out if needed. If there was a soccer game hours away and a dance event the opposite direction at the same time, I had their support and they had mine. It worked even when it looked like it didn’t. 

These days my daughters are grown with their own lives.  My youngest will be graduating college in May and my oldest has a family of her own.  They are both very strong and independent women.  It wasn’t that long again they they told me they were thankful for everything I had done for them growing up.   I’ll be honest - I was very shocked and emotional about what they said to me.  I hadn’t expected it at all.  But it filled me with a love and thankfulness for all the struggles we had endured while they were growing up.   I have many people that I am thankful for helping me along they way but I am more thankful for these people believing in me when I had forgotten to believe in myself.  

Sometimes it is the little things that we need to hear to fill our hearts.   These reminders are always going to be there but we just need to listen.   No matter what you are going through now, remember that you will survive and find your balance.  It isn’t about what someone else thinks you should be doing or where someone thinks you should be living.  It is always about you.  You have your own path to follow and that path will not be like anyone else’s path in this life.  If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the balance of things then just remember to take a moment for yourself.  Write down what your goal is, where you were last year compared to now, what you felt like a year ago.   See for yourself that you’ve come a long way down a path that no one else has walked.  It is a matter of reminding yourself that you’re strong enough to endure anything that comes your way.  Believe in yourself.  Trust that you have the strength and courage needed.  Have faith that things are going well and will work out even better in the future.  Most of all be proud of yourself because no one else knows what you’ve been through except for you.