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Mom Goals

By Meredith Hettler November 5, 2017

Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, a working mom or somewhere in between, you're definitely busy "momming" all day and everyday.  Your days are filled with a BILLION responsibilities ranging from helping with homework, changing diapers, driving to dance and ultimately raising good human beings.  

Oh and don't forget you also have home/work responsibilities that you manage and a bunch of other relationships in your life that you need to put some effort into.  

Needless to say, you're busy.  And, if you're anything like me, you tend to prioritize everyone else's stuff over your own.  You are last on your list and on the hardest days, you're happy that you even remembered to eat something.  

With everything else you have going on, you're probably not thinking about any personal goals that you would like to achieve.  If you are thinking about goals, you're probably putting them on the backburner and waiting until "a better time" to take up knitting or whatever it is for you have on your bucket list.  

The thing is, we can always think of a "better time" to do something but what about trying to make that "better time" right now?  

A few months ago, I decided it was time to accomplish my goal of running another half marathon.  Now, full disclosure this will be my third half marathon so I knew what I was getting myself into.  However, this time around I have two toddlers, so finding time to train was a bit harder.  Fortunately, with the help of my husband and a little creativity I was able to fit the training in and will be running the race this weekend.  

Here's how I made it happen.

1.  Make a plan and stick to it:  Whether it's a half marathon, learning to knit or finally taking the paint class you've always been interested in, you have to make a plan.  For me, I created a running schedule that I followed to the best of my ability.  During the week I either ran early in the morning or at night when the kids went to sleep.  On the weekends my husband would take the kids out while I completed my "long run".  

2.  Share your plan with your partner or someone else who can help you achieve your goal:  I went so far as to add my schedule into our family calendar.  My husband knew how important this goal was to me so he would make sure to help me out by taking over some of my responsibilities so I could have time to run.

3.  Be creative:  In the months leading up to this race I certainly had a few bumps in the road that impacted my perfectly planned training schedule.  I had a few times where I needed to be creative and find ways to work towards my goal, even if it wasn't in the way I expected.  For example, during the many times when my husband was away on business I would either push the girls in their stroller during my run or wake up extra early so I could squeeze it in before they woke up.  Those days were certainly hard but it was worth it to continue pushing forward towards my goal.  

4.  Have fun:  Working towards a goal isn't easy and it is never a perfect process.  But achieving a personal goal isn't about perfection.  It's about the joy of accomplishing something and the happiness you felt in the process and in the outcome.  Even if your process isn't exactly where you want it to be, the fact that you are even out there trying is enough to bring a smile to your face.  

5.  Give yourself some credit:  You're a busy mama!  Even if you only made it to one of the six paint classes you signed up for is a step in the right direction.  Even if you completely veer off the course of your plan but you managed to take a tiny step towards your personal goal, then you're on to something. Don't sweat it if you don't completely achieve your goal the first time around.  Enjoy the little movements you've made and what you learned in the process. 

I hope you get a chance to work towards a personal goal in the future and please feel free to shoot me an email and share what you're working on!