Confession: I have been a complete failure at getting back into a routine after the holidays.
I forgot to take Mila to a tumbling class I signed her up for back in November that started last week. Oops.
I almost forgot to take Margot to preschool last Friday, but remembered only half an hour after it started. She was late but it was fine. Oops.
I’ve fallen back into some bad habits that I had every intention of changing once the kids were back in school. Oops.
And here I am, two full weeks into 2018, just barely getting my first blog post of the year up.
Oops.
Instead of dwelling on everything I’ve done wrong and throwing in the towel for another twelve months, though, I’m giving myself some grace. Much as I love the “new year, new start” mentality, I also recognize that starting fresh every January 1st is kind of arbitrary. I can start fresh on the first of any month. Or on a Monday. Or any random morning I wake up and decide to do better.
Often we get hung up on one failure, or even a series of them, and give it more meaning that it deserves. “I forgot about preschool so I am a terrible mother. I didn’t do the dishes before bed so I am a terrible housekeeper. I put off calling my grandparents so I am a terrible person.” Objectively we know those conclusions are wrong, but we easily lose perspective when faced with a moment of weakness.
Here are some truths I’ve been trying on lately:
Failure at one thing doesn’t make me an all-around failure.
My worth is not determined by my actions.
I am allowed to fail. I can choose to try again.
And guys? I like believing these things. It feels good to know my shortcomings don’t define me, and that I’m capable of change + growth.
I’ve set some goals for the new year, as I usually do. Some of them are quite personal, lots are home related (David is cutting tile as I type this), and a few have to do with this old blog.
Blogging Goals for 2018
I’ll be making Mila Mondays more meaningful. Rather than just photos of my kids and a few sentences about them, I’ll be sharing deeper thoughts about parenting and life in general.
New posts will (hopefully!) be up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’ve never stuck to a regular blogging schedule, despite several short-lived attempts. This year, however, I’ve got an editorial calendar full of good content, and I’m committing to carving out time for writing.
Related to that, I’m scheduling a “stock photo day” into each week. Once a week, I will pull out my camera and take photos. While the weather is nice, I intend to go on walks or to the zoo or on other adventures with one end in mind: coming home with at least a few photos I can use here. It’ll be fun to get back into a photography groove.
In addition to blogging more regularly + purposefully, I am creating printables, e-courses, and other content for you! This is the thing I’m most excited about. Blogging is great, but there’s so much I want to share + discuss with you that would work better in a different format. I’ll be covering topics like mindful eating, self-care, and gratitude, to name just a few. I cannot wait to get these babies done and share them with you all!
As I said above, though, I’ll be giving myself grace through all of this. If I don’t post one day, that’s okay. I can try again. When I inevitably fall on my face, I will get up + remember that failure does not define me. And I will keep moving forward.
Here’s to another year of Real Life, On Purpose!
(345 + 247 + 114 weeks)
[…] only had the “system” in place for a couple weeks. Since I’m learning to give myself grace and allow myself to fail, I feel pretty good about our track record so far. Implementing new habits […]