I am one of those people who say “Yes” to almost everything. This is part of my good nature, love of helping people, and also my need to not rock the boat. It has become almost a habit that I always put myself last, and unfortunately, I had unknowingly trained others to do it as well. This year though, I am shifting the boundaries. I am putting more up against seemingly innocent requests that turn into half a day time sucks, and pushing the boundaries of what I believe I can do. Shifting away from things I feel I should be doing, towards things I need AND want to be doing.
Of course, this also means I will need to better manage my time because kids are adept little time thieves. As all mamas know, you will be totally on your game, getting stuff done, and then your kids start telling a story that takes up an entire 30 minutes. Whereby, you find yourself in the middle of a store, wondering what the hell you came in for. Then, you go to check your list on your phone, and realize you started to type it out, but somewhere along the line you got distracted. So, now you have no list, you’re in Target, and your kids have started asking you to buy them things. Then, you breakdown, and head to Starbucks to spend $8 you didn’t need to in the hopes it will boost your energy and apparent memory loss. Boundaries are important; they keep us sane (or at least some version of it)!
It’s not just me who has to learn and better use boundaries; my kids are going to have to learn them too. We’re still really working on that let mommy pee alone thing…my dogs are also in progress with this one. I am a firm believer that success comes from pushing boundaries, but also setting them in the right places. I need to learn it to be able to model it for my kids, and the hardest part will be setting boundaries with them-to not feel guilty for taking out time for myself or time to make this blog, and all my other endeavors a success.
For me, this year, I want to push the boundaries of what I believe my body (exercise) and mind (creating a vision to become reality) can do, as well as what I believe diving into spirituality can do (searching for a deeper understanding of God).
I want to, no, need to, set boundaries with family, friends, and myself to protect my most valuable asset: time. What boundaries are you shifting this year?
Love & Luck,
Ashley
Ashley Portals 