Life Lessons: Good Enough Mother (That’s ME!) in 2016!

Life Lessons:
Good Enough Mother
(That’s ME!) in 2016!

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! I can’t believe we are here, at the start of another one. I love New Year’s Day.. everything feels so new and fresh. The new year represents hope and the chance to try again. But I’m a firm believer that you need to examine where you have been in order to figure out where you are going. To that end, as you know on this site, we have a regular feature called Life Lessons, a simple Q&A designed to get you thinking about YOU.. the things you’re proud of, what you’ve learned and what you want to change. Each New Year’s Day, I do my own (you can read my past Life lessons here–> 2015, 2014, 2012) as a way of setting the tone for the upcoming year.

So without further adieu, here are my Life Lessons. And if you would like to be featured, please drop us a line and let us know!

 

*Are you happy at the moment?

I think I said this in past Life Lessons, but the truth is I TRY to be happy. I do believe that happiness is something you make a decision to be; it doesn’t  just happen. You need to be an active participant in making it so. I have learned, however, that there are things that can make it easier and things that make it harder to focus on. Being around difficult people or those who are always unhappy, makes it hard to be happy, so in 2016 I plan to limit my exposure to that element.

 

*If you could go back and say anything
to your 16-year-old self – what would it be?

I was such an outcast in high school. I was a nerd, a geek, skinny and goofy all rolled into one. I was one of the few African American students atmy high school;  there wasn’t a lot of interracial dating back then so I missed a lot of social things. I spent too much time worried and wishing I   was popular. I would tell my 16-year-old self that it ultimately doesn’t matter. Instead of a few things to a lot of people, be a lot of things to a select few.  

*What’s the most important thing
you’ve learned this year?

Gosh there are so many.. hmm.. I guess I would say I have learned that I am an ever-changing being. The things in my life that even just a few short years ago were very black and white to me, are now shades of gray. I’m more understanding and tolerant of positions different from my own. A lot of that growth happened this year. It looks good on me. Feels good on me. I will continue on that path. 

*What do you most want to
achieve in the next 12 months?

In the next 12 months, I am going to work to get in the best physical shape of my adult  life. I have some big goals (that I will not say now) but I the biggest is that I want to age in a healthy way. The entire thing has been a journey that led me to this; I competed in 3 Warrior Dashes; runs with obstacles thrown in. THEY WERE SO MUCH FUN! I feel like a part of me that had been dormant was awakened; I have always been into working out but this was different. It was the most fun I’ve had physically and it fed my competitive spirit. I also want to travel more.

*What’s your secret to happiness?

BEING.ALONE. Period. The end. That is all. I never understood women who felt like taking time for themselves was selfish. It is self-preservation and I am a better mother when I am well-rested. 

*What one ritual or practice
keeps you grounded?

I thought we went over this.

*What’s your biggest regret?

I am not saying this because it makes me sound more mature or that it’s a good answer; I am saying this because I truly believe this. There are no mistakes. Every single thing I have done or experienced needed to happen in order for me to get to this place. So regrets? I have none 

*What’s the most important lesson
you’ve taught your kid(s)?

 I have taught my kids  how to handle disappointment. There has been a lot of that the last decade or so but I never gave up and I won’t now. Once my daughter called me the strongest person she knew. That’s when it became clear to me that they learned how to be badasses in the face of adversity.

 

*What bad habit would you most
like to change about yourself?

OMG seriously I have GOT to stop biting my nails and cuticles. God.. 

*Aside from motherhood/fatherhood and marriage
what are you most proud of in your life?

This. This right here. I have poured my heart and soul into building this brand. I cannot believe it but Good Enough Mother Media is now 10 years old! When I look back on my life, this really is the thing I am most proud of. Because it was borne of an idea I had and in the beginning it was just me. I have people helping me now but Good Enough Mother was my brainchild.. I’m proud to see her turn 10 🙂

 

*When were you happiest?

I really feel like I have been blessed because despite the struggles, I am surrounded by a loving family that doesn’t make me too crazy. So the happiest time of my life (to date) would be when I got married and gave birth to my kids.

 

*What ten words best describe you?

 

Oh. Boy. Well suffice it to say I have been called many things. I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here which brings me to this point. I love this question because it’s really not about what others think of me as much as what I think about me that matters. So to that end, here are the 10 words that best describe me:  Hard-working, compassionate, funny, mercurial,  irreverent, loving, loyal, impatient, smart, resilient.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!