What season are you in?

No, I’m not asking about your wardrobe, but what stage of life are you in? I hear a lot of my clients, mostly moms, worried about what they should be doing instead of simply embracing the season they are in.

What is God calling you to do now? Are you responding to His call or reacting to the things of this world?

Several years ago, I knew I needed to be at home with our three young boys but I also felt a call to become an entrepreneur. This was exciting and daunting at the same time. And, it didn’t go smoothly, at first. Which is why now I love to help other women figure this part out.

What happened was I was never all in. If I was with my children, then I was thinking about work. If I was working, then I was thinking about my children. If you know, you know that this is exhausting. I had zero peace of mind and instead of being productive I was just busy. I tried to check as many things as I could off my to-do list and I was not living joyfully – both in how I felt and in my relationships. I wasn’t running my day, it was running me.

For decades women have been fed the lie that we can do it all and it will go well. I believe we can do it all but perhaps not at the same speed or in the same way as your friend (or that person you follow on Instagram).Finding balance in your life is about transforming your mindset around time, living your legacy now, and taking care of yourself so you can better serve others.

Let me share with you some doable strategies I use, and encourage my clients to use too, when it comes to embracing the season you’re in:

1. Time has more to do with your top priority than it has to do with hours in your day.

Moms of littles, of course your children are your priority! Act like it! Does this mean you can’t get any “me time” in or work on a project that is on your heart? No, but it does mean that for this season, it’s mostly about your littles. And I give you permission to embrace this simple concept. Simple doesn’t always mean easy, especially with this countercultural idea. Give your day a theme. I’ve discovered trying to do a little bit of everything everyday doesn’t add up to progress. Which would you rather do – all of it just okay or a few things really well? For example, pick one day of the week to do a power hour toward a long-term goal. If this sounds like batch working or time blocking, that’s because it is. These tools work, but you have to define boundaries around when you’re with family and when you’re not.

2. Live your legacy now.

This one is more spiritual than technical. What is God asking of you? What do you want to be known for? If you’re like me and you said, joyful, hard-working, and generous, how are you an example of this in your everyday life? Does cramming your schedule so tight that you get tired when you look at your planner make you joyful? Does answering emails on your vacation make you hard working or fried? How generous are you if you keep volunteering for this or that and overextend yourself to the point of being uncharitable to your family? Make the choice to live a proactive instead of reactive life. 

3. Self-care is about creating the energy to serve.

I know you’ve heard it all about self-care, and all of it’s true! But, here’s one more thing to consider. Self-care is about creating the energy to serve. It’s about a walk alone on your favorite path, it’s reading a good book in a comfy chair, and it’s even creating a budget so you can turn that dream trip into reality. I encourage you to keep a list of at least three things you can do that cost you little to no money and will immediately restore your mind, body, and spirit. When we restore ourselves creatively, we can serve our circle of influence from a place of joy and respond to challenges, whether they’re from a toddler or work, instead of reacting to them.

God in His infinite wisdom, and to our wonder, created seasons.

Are our daily lives so different?

How do you think your attitude and performance will change when you commit to the season you’re in instead of fighting against it?