You did it! Today marks the end of the 30-day Be a Better Mom Challenge. So, what do you think? Are you on your way to becoming the best mom you can be? Remember that any progress is bringing you one step closer to your goals and you should be proud of yourself for caring enough about your kids to work at it. I’m proud of you! Now, we celebrate! Part of the goal-setting process has to include celebration. We all need some kind of motivation to keep going–a reward. It’s how our brains work. It’s imperative that we celebrate success in order to reach bigger goals. Here are five things to do to celebrate your accomplishment of finishing this challenge.
Five Things to do Today to Celebrate Your Success to Reach Your Goals:
- Write it down!–It all started with writing down your goals. Now, it’s important to write down your progress! What things do you think you have improved on? It doesn’t matter to me if it’s one fun activity that you went to the work of doing with your kids–even if it was only one activity all month–that’s PROGRESS! Write it down!
Moms have daily storms that ebb and flow. There’s no way we can get it perfect, or even close to right, every day when we have who-knows-what thrown at us constantly! So, remember that perfection isn’t the goal–growth is.
Beth Moore said, “God is not interested in stellar performances, but in our hearts.”
Though I’m not always on the same page as Beth Moore, this powerful quote helped me to realize that it’s about the progress and the process, not the performance.
- Compare Your Progress with Your Goals–Now that you’ve written down the things you’ve improved on, how did they compare with the goals you initially set?
Just because the 30 days is over, it does not mean that you have to stop improving! Make it an ongoing process to take the steps needed to meet your goals. Our work is never done!
- Reward Yourself–What did you have in mind as a reward when you set your goals? It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t. But it has to be something that will keep you motivated.
As moms, we often take the back seat on our needs and wants. One time, I set a goal for myself with the reward being the pair of winter boots that I wanted. I needed new winter boots–it’s a total necessity where I live–but normally, I would have just taken whatever hand-me-downs I got, or the cheapest pair I could find. But, I met my goal! I knew I had to buy those boots, as hard as it was for me to spend the money on myself, or I might never be motivated again!
Your reward doesn’t have to be something big. It could be something you’ve been wanting around the house that will make life a little easier. It could be a new pair of jeans, or just your favorite treat! But do SOMETHING to reward your effort. No one else is going to do it for you!
- Thank God–Don’t forget to thank the Lord for blessing your efforts! Ask Him to help you to continue becoming the mom He designed you to be! After all, if there’s one thing we have learned as moms, it’s that we can’t do it on our own, right?
- Include Your Kids in the Celebration–This affects them too! And they will be your biggest fans and cheerleaders! You can tell them that you’ve been working hard to be a better mom. Ask them if they have any encouraging words for you! You might be surprised! We, not our children, are our own worst critics. Find a way to celebrate your effort–not your accomplishments, but your effort–with your kids. How else will they know that you, like God, are not interested in stellar performances, but in their hearts? Set that example for them today!
This was a challenge for me too! Writing a post every day was a challenge. Working toward my own goals so I would have something good to report was a challenge. Managing my time so I could fit it all in and NOT be stressed or take it out on my kids was sometimes a challenge. Accepting that I needed a break over Easter was actually also a challenge for me. But through it all, I made great progress toward my goals, so today, I’m going to celebrate my success so I can reach bigger goals! I hope you’ll join me!