You Are Not Just A Mother, You Are YOU First!
by: Tonya Ramsey
Mothers face many challenges in today?s world.
They carry the responsibility of many roles. Through these roles we become different things to different people.
Sometimes we get divided over having a career and having a families or find conflict between the different jobs that we try to do.
Making the question ?Who am I?? even harder to answer.
It grows harder because mothers see this little person that looks up at them with innocent trusting eyes, mommy is everything to that little one.
She makes the hurt from boo-boos go away with a kiss, chases the monsters from under the bed away, and rocks them after a bad dream.
Every mother takes that responsibility and carries it with her no matter where she goes. It is an awesome responsibility of caring for this wonderful little person and being mom is always on the mind. As much as it is wonderful to revel in mommyhood, we still need to remember that being a mother is just one part of us, the more we allow ourselves to see who we are the better examples we can set for our children to leading a balanced life.
As a mother, I have struggled to find my own identity.
I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a business owner, a sister, a friend?..but who am I?
It is easy to define yourself by what you do and what you mean to other people.
As we take on these different roles our own identity gets blurred.
It is harder to make the distinction.
Who am I if I am not Logan?s mom or Ben?s wife?
Who are you? A wife, a mother, an employee, they are all a part of who we are, but they do not define you.
We are the only ones that are able to define who we are.
When are we just women?
Women that have our own values, ideas, and philosophies, women that are able to embrace their different roles in life, but still are able to maintain there sense of ?self?.
The importance of women defining who they are is giving them a chance to grow as women.
To recognize that they need to take off all the different hats that they wear during the day and take time to honor who they are.
The problem is that because they are in so many different roles that they stop seeing themselves separate from them.
They stop taking time for themselves, because they are giving so much to everyone else. Does this sound familiar? Have you lost your identity among the different jobs that you do everyday? How do you see yourself?
Here are a few questions that can help you determine if you are defining yourself by what you do instead of who you are:
Do you spend at least an hour a day doing the things that you want to do? (Reading, participating in hobbies, watching your favorite TV program, etc)
When asked to describe yourself do you start with ?I enjoy?? or ?I am a woman that believe/feel?.?? Or do you say, ?I am a mother?? or ?I am a nurse??
Are you able to say ?no? to things that interfere with the things that you want to do? Or that you do not have time for?
Do you feel that your life is in balance? Which means that you get enough time to pursue your own interest instead of just the interest of your children or significant other?
Do you feel that you spend time equally on yourself as you do on others?
If you answered ?no? to any of the questions it is time to get back in touch with yourself. You need to not only stop defining yourself by what you do but you need to spend sometime getting to know who you are.
Here are some tips for you to get in touch with the forgotten woman inside.
Make sure that you spend time perusing your own interests.
The problem with defining yourself by what you do is that you don?t give yourself time to do what you want to do; your time is spent doing for others. Do something that you have always wanted to do; take a class, start a book club, anything that gives you some time to just do your own thing. Above all make the time to do it! It?s ok to do something for yourself.
Say ?NO? frequently!
Just because you take on different roles does not mean that you have to do everything for everybody.
Recognize when there is something that others could really do for themselves.
Do not let yourself be taken advantage of!
REMEMBER it is just as much of a benefit for others to learn how to do for themselves as it is to you.
Make sure that you have OFF DUTY time!
Just like a conventional job, make sure there is a time of day when you are done.
Don?t work right up until you go to bed.
Give yourself time to unwind, distress, and relax.
Wait until the kids are in bed and take a long hot bubble bath. Curl up in your favorite chair with a good book.
Meditate or do yoga.
Do whatever relaxes you.
You need this time to maintain some balance.
Because of you multiple roles you are ?on the clock? the majority of the time.
You have to have time to distress!
Without it you are going to ?burn out?. Visualize
your bank account if you keep making withdraws without making a deposit, eventually
you are going to just run out of resources.
Make sure to take time to revitalize yourself.
I have found that by maintaining my own identity that I am a better mother, wife, daughter, business owner, sister, and friend.
It maintains balance in my life because I know that even though I am different things to different people; I know what it means to just be me.
About The Author
Tonya Ramsey is a life coach and owner of Life By Design. She specializing in assisting working mothers find life balance to maintain a healthy and peaceful life. For more information on Tonya?s services or to receive a free life coaching session to help you design the life that you want, visit http://lifebydesign.bravehost.com or send an e-mail to TRamsey75@hotmail.com. Why juggle your life when you can balance it.
© Copyright 2006 Tonya Ramsey. All Rights Reserved. This article may be freely reproduced as long as the ABOUT THE AUTHOR at the bottom of this article is included unedited. Links must be Active/Linkable.
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6 Powerful ways to Promote your Site Offline
6 Powerful ways to Promote your Site Offline
by: Matt Colyer
Far to many web sites are not advertising offline and it's costing them large amounts of money. Don't make the same mistake as those web site owners and instead learn from their mistakes! Below you will find six powerful ways to promote your web Site Offline and gain more exposure.
Flyers - Get some flyers printed out with your web site's address and tell them a little bit about what your service(s) or product(s) is and why they should choose it. Hang some of the flyers on bulletin boards. In most cities you can go to a local collage, Laundromat or store and put up your flyers. You would also be smart to place it in front of people's doors at their homes. Also keep a few, so when you meet someone that would be interested in your service(s) or product(s) you can give one to them.
Television - Advertising on TV can gain you huge exposure, but isn't cheap and isn't always the right...
6 Powerful ways to Promote your Site Offline
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How to Make Party Hat Creations With Paper Plates
How to Make Party Hat Creations With Paper Plates
by: Patricia B. Jensen
Inexpensive paper plates are the basic ingredient in how to make party hat creations for your kids party.
If you have a unique party theme and can't find hats to match, just make your own.
The kids will enjoy the hand-on approach and you'll save a few dollars in the process.
Start with a quantity of inexpensive paper plates, the kind with the scalloped edge.
The entire outer edge of the plate will form the band which goes around the child?s head.
The center of the plate will be colored, drawn on, or otherwise decorated
Start by just cutting out the headband part, leaving the circular interior portion of the plate flipped up to decorate.
Simply stick on a picture which pertains to your party theme.
This could be a Barbie picture, a race car, or whatever.
It?s easy to copy pictures you find on the internet,...
Hats > How to Make Party Hat Creations With Paper Plates
Get The Latest Scoop On What Fashions Are Out
Get The Latest Scoop On What Fashions Are Out
by: Bridget Allen
Just as fashion ebbs and flows, yesterday?s fashion ins are shut out in the cold!
A true fashionista keeps careful track of what items have jumped to the out list.
No one wants to be seen in a trend that expired yesterday, so if you are used to wearing trendy items, you may want to keep an eye out to see what?s out!
The ever revolving door that is the fashion industry regularly makes and breaks fads in the blink of an eye.
Look to your fashion magazines, cable channels that specialize in clothing and style, or great articles on the World Wide Web to determine when it is time to hang up your out clothing and accessories.
What?s out this season:
1.) Say good-bye to low cut pants today
The parents of the world let out a collective sigh when the ultra low cut pant waist line was declared dead.
The days of a thong peeking out from...
Hats > Get The Latest Scoop On What Fashions Are Out
Dog Clothes: Essential Fashion Items For Your Dog
Dog Clothes: Essential Fashion Items For Your Dog
by: Olga Sen
A dog is a man?s best friend. Yes! The affable chap is your best companion. If you own a dog, you definitely love to shower him with affection. Anything you do for your dog, even a little attention, brings him happiness. And you love him like a baby. Don?t you?
You probably spend a lot of money on quality dog food, biscuits and vet bills. But does your dog possess a sufficient variety of clothing? Why it roams stark naked at times. It?s time you get some really cool dog clothes for your favorite friend this season. The clothes your dog wears reflect your personal style statement.
Are you aware of the fact that clothing for dogs is readily available in the market? The range varies from dog coats to dog hats, dog formal wear, dog collars and much more.
One of the essential items of dog clothing includes dog coats. Dog coats are used to protect your dog and enhance its...
Dog Clothes: Essential Fashion Items For Your Dog
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Las Vegas Party Theme Ideas
Las Vegas Party Theme Ideas
by: Dee Schrock
Bring the fun and excitement of Las Vegas, baby, to your home and friends by hosting a As Vegas-themed party!
Throw on your boas and top hats to host in Vegas style!
Activity Ideas
* Give each guest poker chips, play money, and dice when they arrive.
* Rolling dice games are easy, and you can set your own rules such as rolling odds, a specific number, or pairs.
* Blackjack & 21 are easy, popular games.
* Have friends dressed in black & white serve as dealers.
Decorations
* Hanging fuzzy dice and lots of black and red balloons.
* Line the area with casino themed posters and art.
* Use as many mirrors in your party room as you have.
* Dim the lights, and add the flash with blinking white Christmas lights.
* Use poster board to create large playing cards and dice.
* Spray paint gold statues (second hand store items).
*...
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7 Powerful Tips on Creating Good Content for your Website
7 Powerful Tips on Creating Good Content for your Website
by: Jan Peterson
7 Powerful Tips on Creating Good Content for your Website
So what is all the talk about having a lot of "content" on my website? And what is "content" exactly? And how will it help my business grow and prosper? I get these questions from my internet students all of the time. Let me say this?Having a lot of great content is one of the key ingredients to those websites that are successful and profitable.
Once I explain the value of content to my students they almost always chime back with "but I can't write!" Never fear, there is always an answer for the creative mind.
1. Don't Like to Write - Find Those that Do
One of the simplest solutions if you don't like to write is to find those that do.
Where? Elance.com is a good place to start. They have all kinds of writers that write on all subjects. Sign up...
7 Powerful Tips on Creating Good Content for your Website
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