After writing an article about 10 things not to say at work, I read some of the feedback. One comment hit me hard: “How about telling us what we’re doing right instead of what we’re doing wrong? We have enough to worry about!” Good point. Here goes!

  1. Creating boundaries. Whether you’re making your child sleep in his/her own bed so you can sleep or you’re letting your boss know that you cannot stay in the office past 6 p.m., healthy boundaries protect you and keep you at your best.
  2. Getting out of the house every damn morning. There are so many days I can’t believe my son and I make it out of the house on time for work and school, yet somehow we get it done. Having the ability to get your kids and yourself out the door is a victory every day!
  3. Surrounding ourselves with supportive people. By choosing our friends wisely, we create a support group that will be there for us when times are good and bad. The people we choose to surround ourselves with make all the difference in surviving working motherhood.
  4. Speaking kindly to yourself. Each one of us makes mistakes and while it may be easy to beat ourselves up, by speaking to ourselves the way we would our children we can provide comfort and understanding for the deserving beings we are. We are with ourselves more than we are with anyone else. Choosing kind self-talk allows us to be our #1 supporter.
  5. Forgiving yourself. It is impossible to do everything right when we have so many demands from work, kids and our personal life. Granting ourselves the gift of forgiveness in any moment permits us to relax and feel good about who we are.
  6. Finding time to chill out. Even if it’s just five minutes to breathe deep and think about what we are grateful for, carving out a few minutes each day to appreciate what’s important elevates our mood and centers us in the present moment.
  7. Not comparing ourselves to others. Comparison is the thief of joy and dropping the need to look at others to see how we stack up is the basis for a fair playing field. We never know what is going on in someone else’s life, so it is best we stay focused on our own.
  8. Taking care of ourselves. Every day we wake up with a slew of things to do for everyone else. By making time to take a walk or work out we are investing in our health, which is the best long-term investment we can make.
  9. Choosing to be happy. There are so many challenges in all of our lives, but choosing to see the beauty in the world and the wonderful things in any moment allows us to feel happy. Deciding that happiness is a choice that we can jump on keeps us smiling.
  10. Listening to your intuition. As women we have this amazing, innate ability to know what is going on and what we should do. Every time we listen to ourselves and make decisions based on our intuition we grow stronger.

Be proud today of all of the good choices you are making!

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