So much emotion gets into the way of our enjoying our family unless we learn to treat our role like the important position that it is. The points below will change your results and make you that happy mom that finally lets everybody else be happy!
Teamwork- The best way to get your family working like a team is to model that behavior. YOU be a team player, and seek to understand what's going on for each member. No room for emotion in this equation-- you must not take things personally. Thinking ahead to prevent conflict with extra preparation makes all the difference, and saves you a headache, too. It doesn't work to complain about them not meeting you in the middle if you are not there yourself! It's funny how much more often now I see my husband absentmindedly sweeping up bread crumbs, taking more care about where dirty clothes get flung, or randomly carrying a load of laundry upstairs now that I stopped silently whining about getting help with small stuff! By the way, working spiritedly with enthusiasm can rub off your kids. This goes a long way if you don't have husband on the family team. Go Team!
Business- Be a mom like you mean business! I actually suggest you follow business leaders such as Paul Evans, who says, "Success is not an accident!" (Think about THAT for a minute!) The work ethic that good leaders model and teach applies to moms, It even helps to get educated in technical stuff that will help you streamline your work. So often, I hear clients and friends say, “I can help someone else with their schedule, “ or, “I help other people get organized all day long, but my own life is a mess!” Be businesslike in your life, and you will start seeing more joy and flexibility. To illustrate with a story I've told before, I once went to open a bank account at a small local bank. The vice president sat in an office littered with foot-deep piles of paper, looking worn out, guzzling a soda, and fielding questions from subordinates over the phone every few minutes while talking with me. Co-workers walked in and out, constantly interrupting the process and wasting my time. I had come prepared, with printout of all necessary information for my account, and had several questions ready as well. After all, I needed to be efficient, because my sleeping baby was going to wake up soon! The banker noticed my pretty pocket folder, and all my neat paperwork. She asked, “Wow, you are so organized! What do you do?” Imagine her face when I responded in a brisk, businesslike tone, “I am a family manager.” Are you serious enough about being a family manager (regardless of what else you do) that others look at you and crave the calm?
Project Management – Too often we think that everything has to be done, NOW! That simply is not the case, especially if your kids are not in school yet, or you homeschool! My husband is teaching our son about projects with a rocket construction experience for my son. Every now and then, they putter around in the garage and paint this, glue that, or decorate here, and my son looks forward to the next time they can work on it a bit more. You will save yourself a lot of stress if you think smaller! PLAN bigger, but tackle smaller. Boy, I wish I had known this when I was teenager trying to rake the leaves!
Which of these points spoke to you? How are you going to put it into practice this day?
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