[amazon_image id=”1400206464″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life[/amazon_image]

Read about the first chapter here.

Read about the second chapter here.

Read about chapter three here.

Read about chapter four here.

Read about the fifth chapter here.

Read about the sixth chapter here.

Read about chapter seven here.

Her eighth chapter is called;

Yes, You Can Make a Difference

Here is another chapter she wrote just for me.  I struggle with this so often.  I know in my heart that being a (good) mother is the biggest difference I can make in the world, it’s also my greatest gift to the world.  However, more often than I’d like to admit, my mind gets the better of me and I fail to feel and think this way.  I want so badly to help other parents be better parents and right now, I feel like I don’t have the time and/or energy it takes to make as big of an impact as I desire.

I would love for my blog to grow and to be able to reach out to more parents through it.  It’s also a dream of mine to write some books and even go and speak to groups of parents.  I’ve been struggling lately because I hope that this is what God has called me to do, although I always second guess myself and can’t tell if it’s really his will or my burning desire.  I am also struggling with the fact that my blog isn’t growing as fast as I’d like, and I don’t know if I should take this as a sign that God wants me to take another path, or if these are just obstacles to help me become stronger so that I will be better equipped to weather the storms ahead.  At this point, I feel like if it is God’s will that he’s telling me to wait.  I feel this way because I do not have enough time and energy to be the mother I feel I am called to be AND take the steps it would take to pursue my other desires.   Right now I am not willing to make the sacrifices I would need to in order to succeed in other avenues of life.  I feel very content to love on my babies, be the best mom I can be on good days and strive for progress on the bad days.  Right now, I feel like I need to lead by example instead of preaching!  🙂

Although I may not always see it, I am making a difference.  I make a difference every time I control my anger and choose grace.  I make a difference every time I choose my children over acting on my fatigue.  I make a difference when I decide to speak my husbands love language even when I’ve been depleted.  I make a difference when I take the time to parent my children intentionally.  I make a difference when I take the time to listen to my children.  I make a difference when I get on my children’s level, look them in the eye and tell them that I am so blessed that God gave me the very best!  I make a difference when I love.

Quotes

My favorite quotes from this chapter were:

• “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” Charles Dickens
• “We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill
• “It’s an indescribable feeling to invest your life in something that is much bigger than yourself.”
• We often need to lose sight of our priorities in order to see them.  John Irving
• “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.  Cicero
• Please, please, please take the time and read the entire A New Perspective paragraph (I believe it’s on page 187)!

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