Letting Go of Guilt

Oh people. Has this been a winter or what??? So. Much. Kid. Sickness. Between the croup, and the vomit, and the diarrhea, and then more vomit, and more diarrhea, and more croup, I found a podcast that made me say, “Oh yeah. I needed you today friend.” The theme is about letting go of guilt, and going after the things that make you happy and you’re good at. She was unapologetic about taking time for herself, reminding me of what I already knew to be true, that we are better moms/friends/spouses when we carve out time to nurture ourselves. I live in a community where there are so many great things going on, and I do want to be a part of many of those things, but if I’m not careful with what I commit to I inevitably end up feeling completely fried. Wright says that just because someone asks, and you are free during that time when they need you, it doesn’t mean your answer has to be yes. I had a real aha moment when she shared the follow up questions to those first two (Can you help? and Are you free?). Next, you have to ask yourself – Do you WANT to say yes, and how will saying yes to an “ask” impact your family? And she reminded me that “an honest no, is far better than a dishonest yes.” Wright is an entrepreneur and she says that boldly saying no is what has allowed her to create space for her current career as an author and business coach. She encourages women to have the courage to step back into the working world in ways big and small. Craft a career that focuses on our passions and the things we are good at. If and when you do launch a business, the way to pull it all off is by having the courage to put yourself out there in some small way. You love organizing? Share a Facebook post that you are super into cleaning up clutter and see if anyone you now asks you to come on over to their place and help them get organized. Her comment reminded me that we all have such unique talents, chances are there is someone out there who needs your help.

You can find the podcast here on Heather MacFadyen’s site The God Centered Mom. You can also find it on Apple’s Podcast app. Do you know that app? Just in case you don’t, it looks like this.

All iPhone’s come with the app, and since I know it took me years to tap through and understand what a podcast was, I figured some of you might be in the same boat. You can literally find a podcast on anything. From food, to news, to specialty podcasts – they really have it all. I listen to a ton of self help podcasts, and a lot of forums where one person interviews another about interesting things people are doing with their lives. Good stuff. Here are a few of my favorites I have shared on the blog in the past.

Hoping you have time to take a listen to this in the coming days. And feel free to zip me an email about what you thought of what Wright had to share. I’ll be sure to get back to you – just as soon as this stomach bug has left the building…