Your temper is rising. The kids are running around the store, screaming. They are not listening to what you are telling them. Finally, you lose your cool and drag them by the arms out of the store.

In that moment, your thoughts are "they are driving me crazy!"

What would happen if you took one brief moment to be grateful for their exuberance, for your patience (that you usually have), for the fact that they are healthy and have strong legs and lungs?

You might chuckle at this! But, YOU would calm down and the energy you would have behind your next actions would be much more productive for you AND them.

Ask yourself right then, "How can I express what is important to me right now?" "What action can I take that will leave me filled with more energy, more confidence, more peace as a mom?"

When you start with being grateful, appreciating what is good, what is right, what is working in the situation, your energy is higher, you have MORE energy to focus and concentrate on what is REALLY important right then!

Being grateful and appreciating what feels good and what is working is the ONE thing that will bring you right back into a feeling good place, a feeling like a good mom place. That feeling is what opens the door for more inspiration to come in.

When you are inspired as a mom, your actions naturally flow to produce the desired outcome of fun, easy and fulfilling mothering.

So, start with being grateful for what you DO have, not with what isn't working yet. And then more of what IS working will come!

Here is one activity that we use in the Inspired Moms Energy Intensive. Use it everyday and watch your energy, inspiration, actions and results be the way your heart desires!

The Appreciation of the Day

Make a list of "things" you appreciate about yourself as a mom. They can be anything from your attitude to the way you make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, anything. As long as when you think about "it", you have this little (or BIG) internal SMILE, really appreciating what a cool mom you really are.

1. ____________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________

10. ___________________________________________


Every day, FOCUS on one of these things that you appreciate about yourself as a mom. Focus and remind yourself of the feeling, that internal smile, that swells up when you are reminded of this "thing." Focus on it when you are feeling
good, focus on it when you are feeling a bit frustrated, use
it as a barometer for how you are going to feel for the day.

If you like, each morning you can come up with a new appreciation that feels good for that day. But each day,
stick with the same one and each day, have a new one for the
day. Your focused concentration on that one "thing" each day
will bring your energy to new levels, which in turn, will
bring your results in your mothering to new levels of fun,
ease and fulfillment.

Enjoy!

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Kelly Jo Murphy is a Certified Parent Coach, Artist, Wife, Mom and an all around silly little girl. She helps parents add more fun, ease and fulfillment to their parenting and their own lives. To sign up for her free ezine, send a blank email to Parenting_for_Potential-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.museplayground.com